How to Fix Paradox Launcher Not Working

It must feel like forever when you can’t wait to immerse yourself in Cities: Skylines 2, but have to wait for Paradox Launcher to work first. To make things worse, Paradox Launcher just stops working out of the blue, so you have no way to play the game whatsoever. If this is also you, don’t worry, things don’t have to work this way.

Here are some fixes that have helped many other gamers with their Paradox Launcher not working problem, and you may want to give them a try as well.

Try these fixes for Paradox Launcher not working problem

You don’t have to try all the following methods, just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick to fix the Paradox Launcher not working problem for you.

1. Reinstall Paradox Launcher
2. Disable conflicting processes in the background
3. Make sure your Windows is updated
4. Modify your antivirus program settings
   1. Add Steam and the game to the antivirus exception list
   2. Make sure bootstrapper-v2.exe is not flagged as a virus
5. Repair damaged system files
6. Bypass Paradox Launcher

1. Reinstall Paradox Launcher

If your Paradox Launcher refuses to launch, it’s possible that there are some damaged or corrupt program files. To fix this sort of problem, a clean reinstallation is almost the quickest and the easiest way. To make sure that the reinstallation is done correctly, here’s what you can do:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the R key at the same time. Copy and paste %localappdata% and hit Enter.
   
2. Select the Paradox Interactive folder here and click Delete.
   
3. Scroll down a bit to find the Programs folder, and delete the Paradox Interactive folder in it as well.
   
4. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the R key at the same time. Copy and paste %appdata% and hit Enter.
   
5. Double-click the Paradox Interactive folder, and delete the launcher-v2 folder in it.
   
6. Then press the Windows key and R key at the same time. Type control panel and hit Enter.
   
7. View by Categories, then select Uninstall a program under Programs.
   
8. Click Paradox Launcher v2, then Uninstall.
   
9. Restart your computer afterward.
10. Then download Paradox Launcher again.

Run Steam and try to play the game via Paradox Launcher again to see if it launches well. If not, please continue.

2. Disable conflicting processes in the background

If there is more than one Paradox Launcher-related service and program running in the background, Paradox Launcher itself may not work as intended, and thus with the refusing to launching problem. To see if this is your case, make sure to close all likely conflicting applications.

1. Right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
   
2. Select each Paradox Launcher related program you see here and click End Task to close them one by one.
   

Then try to play your game via Paradox Launcher again and see if its launching problem is fixed. If the problem still remains, please move on to the next fix below.

3. Make sure your Windows is updated

If your system isn’t updated regularly, there could be missing redistributables and outdated .NET Framework, which are essential to game launchers like Paradox Launcher. Luckily, most of these required files can be downloaded and installed via Windows Update. So you should make sure that you have the latest available updates installed:

1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows key, then type check for updates, then click Check for updates.
   
   
2. Click Check for updates, and Windows will scan for any available updates.
   
3. If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Restart your computer for the update to take effect if needed.
4. If there are no available updates, you’ll see You’re up to date like this.

Then try to play your game via Paradox Launcher again to see if it can launch. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.

4. Modify your antivirus program settings

Windows Defender, or a third-party antivirus program, could mistake your Paradox Launcher as a threat, as it usually consumes a lot of memory and CPU usage when a game is running. To make sure that your antivirus program is not the culprit to the Paradox Launcher not working problem, here are two things that you can do:

4.1 Add Steam and the game to the antivirus exception list

Third-party antivirus applications hook very deep into your system, so it may interfere with Steam and Paradox Launcher. To avoid this problem, you can try adding both Steam and Paradox Launcher as exceptions to your third-party antivirus application. 

If you’re not sure how to do it, please consult your antivirus documentation for further instructions.

4.2 Make sure bootstrapper-v2.exe is not flagged as a virus

It was reported by some users that their antivirus program accidentally flagged bootstrapper-v2.exe as a virus or PUA (potentially unwanted application), and thus with the Paradox Launcher not working problem.

In this case, the fix is rather straightforward, just restore bootstrapper-v2.exe from the quarantine section in your anvirus program.

If Windows Defender is marking this file as a potential threat, you can do the following to restore the file:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and type windows security. Then select Windows Security from the list.
   
2. Select Virus & Threat protection.
   
3. Under Current threats, select Protection history.
   
4. If you can see bootstrapper-v2.exe or other Paradox Launcher-related services and programs here, click the Actions button and select Restore.
   

When you finish the above settings, but your Paradox Launcher still doesn’t work, please move on to the other fixes.

5. Repair damaged system files

If your Paradox Launcher still doesn’t work after the above, you may need to try repairing corrupted or damaged system files. This is because the integrity of Windows system files is essential for proper operation and stability of the overall performance of your computer programs, game launchers included of course.

By repairing the core Windows system files, it may resolve conflicts, missing DLL issues, registry errors, and other problems that contribute to program problems. Tools like Fortect can automate the repair process by scanning system files and replacing corrupted ones.

1. Download and install Fortect.
2. Open Fortect. It will run a free scan of your PC and give you a detailed report of your PC status.
   
3. Once finished, you’ll see a report showing all the issues. To fix all the issues automatically, click Start Repair (You’ll need to purchase the full version. It comes with a 60-day Money-Back Guarantee so you can refund anytime if Fortect doesn’t fix your problem).
   

Still unsure if Fortect is what you need? Check this Fortec Review!

6. Bypass Paradox Launcher

If Paradox Launcher still doesn’t work after all the above, there’s still one way out: bypassing it altogether.

There’s a fun little tool called Not Paradox Launcher (you can download it from GitHub) that can help to bypass Paradox Launcher when you want to play games like Cities: Skylines. If you’re interested in this little tool, here’s its GitHub link: https://github.com/shusaura85/notparadoxlauncher

The above is what we have to offer regarding the Paradox Launcher not working problem. If you have other constructive suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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