Kodi is one of the most popular entertainment programs on our PC. It is a feature-rich open-source multimedia center that is compatible with a wide range of add-ons. Thus, it is a surprisingly capable streaming platform that can also be used for gaming. Cool, right? However, there are times when you encounter issues, such as Kodi keeps crashing on startup and failing to load the start screen. Today, we’ll take a deep dive into the factors that might cause startup instability and also help you fix Kodi crashes on Startup issue in Windows 10.
How to Fix Kodi Keeps Crashing on Startup in Windows 10
Since the majority of add-ons were created by third parties to allow for the installation of a variety of new features, it is susceptible to flaws. Unfortunately, not all programmers are equally adept at debugging, which might lead to Kodi crashes at startup. Following are some disadvantages of using third-party add-ons:
- They are less stable than official add-ons, so keep that in mind.
- They’re infamous for being unpredictable and frequently come with bugs.
- Furthermore, unauthorized materials are frequently used by third-party add-ons.
- They are also liable to be blocked from the platform due to copyright issues.
This issue happens the first time you restart Kodi after installing a new skin, build, or add-on, or after installing a new update to the program. One of the first things Kodi does when it boots up is load user preferences, skins, and add-on information from a folder called user-data. This has nothing to do with the software itself. These are written in Python and made accessible for download. As a result, Kodi is just a shell that loads anything you’ve loaded on it.
Note: Reboot Kodi & your PC after every add-on installation or update or uninstallation.
What Causes Kodi to Crash on Startup?
This is frequently the result of something we’ve done incorrectly in the past.
- Incompatible Skins/Add-ons: The most typical reason for this is that skin or add-on isn’t compatible with your version of the operating system. It could also be that it was downloaded from unapproved sources.
- Old Graphics Drivers: Your PC will not be able to show things correctly if your graphics driver is old or faulty.
- Outdated Software: Another main source of problems is an older version of Kodi app. We recommend you to read our guide on How to Speed up Kodi in Windows 10 for better streaming experience.. We recommend you to read our guide on How to Speed up Kodi in Windows 10 for better streaming experience.. It’s critical to keep it up to date because each update provides bug fixes and new features.
- Hardware acceleration: Hardware acceleration is available in Kodi and is used to improve video quality & speed. This technology, however, can occasionally crash and fail.
- Damaged add-ons: Because add-ons are created by third-party developers, there are many instances where an add-on will not work with Kodi.
- Firewall: Because Kodi is a streaming media player, it talks with the Internet directly and must pass through a firewall. It may fail to connect and crash if the required access is not granted.
Generic All-In-One Solutions
You can attempt a few simple things to try and fix Kodi startup problems.
- Ensure that Kodi is up to date. Download latest updates on your choice of platfrom.
- Check that your device has the most recent operating system patches installed.
Method 1: Disable Windows Firewall (Not Recommended)
Another feature that might harm apps and cause updates to be suspended or crash is the Windows Firewall. The Windows firewall may block the Kodi program after an upgrade, causing the app to fail. You should temporarily disable it, but be sure to enable it again after the application issue has been rectified.
1. Hit Windows key, type control panel, and click on Open.
2. Set View by to Large icons and select Windows Defender Firewall, as shown.
3. Click the Turn Windows Firewall on or off option in the left pane.
4. Select Turn Off Windows Defender Firewall option for both Private and Public network settings.
5. This will show you the notification saying the firewall is turned off. Now, check if Kodi crashes on startup on Windows or not.
Method 2: Disable Third-party Antivirus Protection (If Applicable)
Your antivirus software might cause your Kodi application to crash during startup as it provides live filesystem protection capability. This problem can manifest as app crashes shortly after starting, or it crashes a minute or two later. Real-time protection may usually be turned off easily, either temporarily or permanently.
Note: The procedure for disabling the third-party antivirus app depends on different brands. We have shown Avast Antivirus as an example.
1. Navigate to the Antivirus icon in the Taskbar and right-click on it.
2. Now, select the Avast shields control option.
3. Choose any one of the given options according to your convenience and confirm the prompt displayed on the screen.
- Disable for 10 minutes
- Disable for 1 hour
- Disable until computer is restarted
- Disable permanently
Method 3: Adjust Time and Date
Despite how simple this step appears to be, a wrong time or date can create several issues with online programs like Kodi. Check your time and date settings, and turn on the device’s automatic time setting, if necessary.
1. Right-click on the Time display in the Taskbar.
2. Choose Adjust date/time from the context menu, as shown.
3. In the Date & time menu, choose your accurate Time zone, as depicted.
4. Now, open Control Panel as shown in Method 1 and click on Date and Time.
5. Go to the Internet Time tab and click on Change settings… button, shown highlighted.
6. Uncheck the box marked Synchronize with an Internet time server & click OK.
7. Navigate to Date and Time tab and click on the Change date and time… button
8. Set the time and date on the Date and Time menu and click OK.
9. Return to the Internet Time tab and click on the Change settings… button.
10. Re-check the option titled Synchronize with an Internet time server and click on the Update now button, as illustrated below.
Method 4: Update Graphics Drivers
Follow the steps mentioned below to update your Graphics Drivers to fix Kodi keeps crashing on Startup issue.
1. Press the Windows key, type device manager, and click Open.
2. Double-click on Display adapters to expand it.
3. Right-click on your graphics driver (e.g. NVIDIA GeForce 940MX) and select the Update driver option, as depicted below.
4. Click on Search automatically for drivers.
5A. Wait for Windows to download and install updates and restart your PC.
5B. If no new updates are available, try the succeeding solutions instead.
Method 5: Reset Kodi
Updates affect not just the apps themselves, but also how the device runs them. As a result, the program may crash or malfunction. Here’s how to reset Kodi to fix Kodi keeps crashing on startup issue on Windows 10:
1. Press Windows + I keys simultaneously to launch Settings.
2. Click on Apps, as shown.
3. Choose the faulty program i.e. Kodi and then click on Advanced options.
Note: We have shown Skype for illustration purposes only.
4. Click on the Reset button.
5. Restart your PC and try to launch Kodi.
Method 6: Disable Hardware Acceleration
Kodi has been known to crash due to hardware acceleration. Disable hardware acceleration feature to fix Kodi keeps crashing on startup issue.
1. Launch Kodi and click on the gear icon to open Settings
2. Then, click on Player settings, as shown.
3. Click on the gear icon, as highlighted below, to change to Expert mode.
4. Switch Off the toggle for Allow hardware acceleration -DXVA2 under Processing section
5. Restart Kodi and make sure it’s up and running.
Method 7: Update Kodi Addons
You should upgrade Kodi to the most recent version and check whether it solves the problem of Kodi keeps crashing on startup on your Windows 10 PC or not.
1. Launch Kodi and click on the Settings icon.
2. Select System settings, as shown.
3. Click on the Add-ons menu in the left pane.
4. Select Install updates automatically option shown highlighted.
5. Once again, click Install updates automatically to confirm.
Method 8: Disable Add-on Updates
As previously stated, these program login difficulties are most common when we update various add-ons. These changes might occur without our knowledge and at the most inopportune moments. We may avoid this by stopping automatic updates as follows:
1. Open Kodi app. Navigate to Settings > System > Add-ons as instructed in Method 7.
2. Click on Updates under General section, as earlier.
3. Choose the option Notify, but don’t install updates option as illustrated below.
Method 9: Move or Delete User Data Folder
If you want to retrieve the old configuration before deleting Kodi from your PC, you will need to locate user data folder and transfer it to a different position on the hard drive. Here’s how to fix Kodi keeps crashing on startup issue by moving or deleting the userdata folder.
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to C:\Program Files\Kodi\userdata path.
Note: The above path may vary according to your storage location where you have installed Kodi.
3. Move or delete the userdata folder.
4. Launch Kodi again. If it launches perfectly then content in that folder is the culprit.
5. Create a new userdata folder in the given file location.
6. Move the files and folders one-by-one from the previous userdata folder to the newly created one. After moving each file, check by running Kodi app to determine which add-on, skin or settings are causing issues.
Method 10: Reinstall Kodi
If Kodi crashes at startup even now, we have no alternative but to reinstall it.
Note: You will lose all of the previously installed customizations, add-ons, and skins.
1. Launch Control Panel as earlier.
2. Set View by: as Large icons, choose Programs and Features option.
3. Right-click on the Kodi application and select Uninstall as depicted below.
4. Download Kodi either through the official website or Microsoft Store.
5. Click on the Installer button to download Kodi.
6. Run the downloaded setup file.
7. Now, follow the on-screen instruction to install Kodi. Read our article on How to Install Kodi as a reference for this step.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What should you do if Kodi continues to crash?
Ans. To resolve Kodi crashing issue, try upgrading it by selecting System Preferences from the gear icon on the Kodi home screen. Then go to the Add-ons tab and select Manage Dependencies from the drop-down menu. Update URLResolver by clicking on it.
Q2. What is the problem with my Kodi version?
Ans: If the issue is with the Kodi version, update it or remove and reinstall it from Kodi Download Page.
Q3. How do I log out of Kodi forcibly?
Ans: On Android, tap Kodi, and then tap Force Close. On Windows, press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and force shut it down.
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We hope that this article helped you to resolve the issue of Kodi crashes or keeps crashing on startup in Windows 10. Let us know which techniques worked best for you. Also, if you have any queries/suggestions regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.