by This one is for all those Origin users who love playing video games during this quarantine period (myself included, lol). I just cannot imagine doing anything else other than spending hours and hours gaming (Apex and FIFA being my go-to games). There are so many friends online at all times, but the real party starts at late hours. That’s when the squad comes online and we are ready to shoot some ducks. So, a week back I was ready to play, the squad was online and I tried loading up my favourite game. It did not work. Thought there was some issue with the internet, so I tried restarting the internet, but again, it did not run. In fact, this time – even Origin failed to start. Sometimes the login-process would take a long time only to lead nowhere while other times even the login option won’t come-up.
That is when I realized that the entire process has got a lot more to it than I thought. After spending hours on Reddit and other Origin-related forums (even the official forum), I found a solution. However, the entire process isn’t too easy and it does require some effort (tad bit). So, guys, I request you to read along patiently in order to get this program running normally once again.
Fix Origin Won’t Open– Easiest Fix
Now, what most people would have done in this case is – uninstall and reinstall the application. I also did the same as I thought it had something to do with the application. But again, the problem persisted and it became really annoying. Imagine, wasting your time in uninstalling and reinstalling an application only for the problem to linger. Here are a few things that you can try in order to make the Origin client run once again.
-
Run the Compatibility Troubleshoot
This is the one that made Origin client work normally for me. Hence, I believe that it might work for you guys as well. It is easier than the other fixes that are out there. Anyway, here is what you can do to run the compatibility troubleshoot.
- Locate an Origin shortcut icon (can usually be found on the desktop).
- Right click on it and select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab from the list of available tabs (General, Details etc.).
- Locate the Try Recommended Settings option in order to set recommended options to run this program.
- If the problem still continues to exist, you will have to run the Program Compatibility Troubleshoot once again. Select the option that best suits you and gets rid of the problem you’re facing.
- If the problem still persists, you’ll have to adjust the settings manually and hit OK at the end.
Compatibly Mode: This is the most common type of fix that works 99% of the time. Right-click and go to properties and there you will find the mode. Select an earlier version of Windows to make it work.
Disabling Full-Screen Optimisation: A number of games often get low FPS and it is common with a number of people. Simply disable the full-screen optimisation and see if it works or not.
Try Running Origin as Administrator: This is yet another common fix for most programs that do not respond. Just right-click on the program icon and go to Run-as Administrator option.
-
Try a Clean Boot
This one is really effective and a lot more convenient for many people. A clean boot process has proven to be working for many and is also not so difficult to carry out. But wait, what does clean boot mean? Well, it is a troubleshoot methods that disables all of the unnecessary start-up programs that may cause hindrance with Origin. If a program is too nosy and still doesn’t prevent its start-up at runtime, then simply uninstall it in the first place. In order to prevent a service from starting up in the first place, here are the steps to perform clean boot.
- Press Windows + R keys in order to open the Run Dialog box.
- Over there type msconfig and hit enter.
- Go to the services tab and tick the Hide all Microsoft Services
- From the remaining services, select all of them and select the Disable All
- Press OK.
- It will ask you to restart your computer for the effects to take place. Restart your system and it should work fine.
A lot of times, the issues with Origin get fixed like this. However, if the problem still persists, you might have to try something else.
You can also try to uninstall some other software that is starting up no matter what. In order to do that, do the following steps –
- Go to Start and type Control Panel.
- Once in the Control Panel, look for Add or Remove Programs
- Find the program that you wish to uninstall.
- Click on Uninstall and wait until it gets uninstalled.
- You may have to restart your system once in order for it to be effective.
-
Cleaning Origin’s Temporary Files
Temporary files are maintained by each and every single application program. These are a type of backup files or records that are often used whenever reinstalling certain files. Just like every other program, Origin too keeps creating these files in a folder known as AppData. A lot of times there is some issue with these temporary files and this often causes Origin to not open. The AppData folder contains temporary files for every other application that is installed on the system.
But wait, how can I clean temporary files you ask?
Here are the easy steps to do that –
- Since these temporary files are hidden by default, you are required to unhide them first.
- In order to unhide these files, hover near the search bar and look for the folder option.
- Go to advanced settings tab and select show hidden files/folders/drives and then press OK.
- Press Windows + R keys for the Run box to pop up.
- Type %AppData% and then hit Enter.
- Enter the folder and simply delete the Origin folders.
Once you would have done that – just restart your system first. Try restarting Steam now and your problem will get solved.
-
Reinstalling the Origin Application
This is the final step that works 99.99% of the times whenever it comes to fixes. A simple reinstallation of this application can also make it work at times. First and foremost, you need to ensure that you have the latest Origin Thin Client setup downloaded on your systems. Once you have downloaded the latest client, you need to uninstall Origin. In order to do that –
- Go to Control Panel.
- Open Add or Remove Programs.
- Search for Origin.
- Click on it and you will notice two options – Modify & Remove.
- Select Remove and this would start the uninstallation process.
- Once it gets uninstalled, restart your system.
Okay, since you have now uninstalled Origin, you have to reinstall it now. Remember I asked you to download the latest setup file earlier? Yeah, we’ll put that to some use now. Open it and install it on your system. After the installation gets completed, open Origin and sign-in using the credentials.
Final Verdict
Origin is a great tool that connects us to the EA world. I also play games like FIFA and Apex Legends over there and it hardly ever gets boring. There is some server load (however) but that can be neglected unless you’re playing a real-time shooter title. Anyway, applications going haywire on Windows is not a big thing. It keeps happening all the time and you shouldn’t be bothered about it much. The fixes that have been mentioned above make the errors and issues go away (usually). On the other hand, a number of times, the issues just don’t seem to get resolved. This causes the members to lose trust and get annoyed oftentimes.
Jumping to conclusions is never the optimal solution here. Simply uninstalling an application is just too mainstream. You should try using other hacks in order to fix an issue. Origin not opening games is a big issue for many people (players). However, this shouldn’t be a reason for you to stop using the application entirely. I really hope that the fixes that have been stated above help you in getting rid of the issues.
In case the issues are quite predominant, what you can do is that – you can always contact customer support. Simply write to them and the Origin guys will get back to you. Or you can also wait for an update that gets rolled off whenever a bunch of people start facing an issue. Anyway, no software is perfect, there can be issues with your system as well. There are also instances where some virus or program doesn’t let Origin rub. So make sure that you run an anti-virus scan (just to be sure that your system is safe). Kudos!
