FiveM crashes on startup: fixes and how to share the crash report

You double-click FiveM, the window flashes and closes. Or the loading bar gets to the end, a crash window appears, and you are back on the desktop. This guide goes through the causes in the order they are most likely, so you stop guessing and start fixing.

The crash window itself matters: do not just click it away. At the end you will see how to save the information and share it so someone can actually help.

#1. Clear the FiveM cache

Stale or half-downloaded cache files are the most common cause of a crash after an update or a dropped connection. Close FiveM fully, then delete the cache folders. The exact steps, and which folders to keep, are in How to clear the FiveM cache.

If FiveM starts fine afterwards but crashes on one server only, the problem is likely that server's streamed content, not your PC.

#2. Verify your GTA V files

FiveM runs on top of your own copy of GTA V. A corrupted or modified game file is enough to crash it. Use the verify option of your launcher (Steam, Epic Games or Rockstar Games Launcher). The steps for each are in Verifying GTA V files.

Also remove old single-player mods from the GTA V folder, such as dinput8.dll, ScriptHook files or a mods folder. They have no place in a FiveM setup.

#3. Turn off overlays and capture tools

Anything that hooks into the game's rendering can crash it at startup. Close or disable these, then test:

• Discord overlay
• Steam overlay and the NVIDIA or AMD in-game overlay
• MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server
• Xbox Game Bar and screen recorders (OBS game capture, for example)
• RGB or "boost" utilities that inject into games

Disable one at a time if you want to know which one it was. In practice, RivaTuner and the Discord overlay are the usual suspects.

Tip: do a clean test. Close everything you do not need, start FiveM, and join a server. If it works, add your tools back one by one.

#4. Antivirus exclusions

Antivirus software sometimes quarantines or blocks FiveM files, because FiveM modifies a running game. That looks like a random crash or a "file not found" at startup. Add the FiveM folder as an exclusion in your antivirus. The folder is:

%localappdata%\FiveM

With Windows Defender you can also add it from an elevated PowerShell:

Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\FiveM"

Only exclude the FiveM folder, not your whole drive. Check the antivirus history for blocked or restored files too, and restore anything FiveM related.

#5. Update your GPU drivers

Outdated or broken graphics drivers cause a large share of startup crashes. Download the latest driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel and install it. If the crash began right after a driver update, try the previous version instead.

A clean install option exists in the NVIDIA and AMD installers. Use it if you have had several driver versions on the PC. If the crash shows a graphics error, see ERR_GFX_D3D_INIT.

#6. Admin rights, only if needed

FiveM does not need to run as administrator. If it only works when you right-click and run as admin, something is blocking it in normal mode: usually antivirus, controlled folder access or a folder with wrong permissions. Fix that, then go back to a normal start.

#7. Update Windows and reboot

Pending Windows updates, a PC that has been on for weeks, or a half-installed update can all produce a crash on launch. Install updates and restart before you spend more time on it.

#Read and share the crash report

When FiveM crashes, it shows a crash window. It shows a short message, and usually a crash hash and a way to save or upload the information. Do not close it before you have used it.

1. Save the crash information from the window (the button label varies by version). Keep the file.
2. Note your GPU model, driver version and Windows version.
3. Open the Cfx.re forum, go to the support category, and search for the crash hash first. Often the same crash has an answer already.
4. If not, create a topic with the saved information, the steps that lead to the crash, and what you already tried.

Logs are also written to the FiveM application data folder, in %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\logs. A recent log is useful when you ask for help.

Warning: do not install "crash fixers" from videos or random sites. FiveM is open about what it needs, and those downloads are a common way to get malware.

#Checklist

If FiveM does not open at all and there is no crash window, read FiveM won't launch.