Even though it is continuously updated, it occasionally encounters problems. In some cases, it fails to play certain games, starts lagging, or shuts down automatically, while other times, it just raises its hand to run. If BlueStacks isn’t working on your computer, we will cover nine fixes to help you get it working again.
Does Your Computer Meet the Minimum System Requirements?
Before we jump into the fixes, it’s worth double-checking that your PC meets the system requirements. You can check them out by visiting the Bluestacks official website, which explains its minimum and recommended requirements.
You’ll need to upgrade your computer if it doesn’t meet these requirements. Nevertheless, if it’s more powerful than what is required, implement the following fixes:
1. Check BlueStacks Is Up and Running
The first step is to ensure that BlueStacks backend isn’t facing downtime. For that, go to the updownradar’s official website and check the app’s status and any errors reported there.
If an issue lies in BlueStacks backend, wait and relax until the problem goes away on its own. However, if everything seems to be working there, the issue may be with your computer that needs to be looked into.
2. Turn Off Your Antivirus
Depending on how you set up your antivirus, BlueStacks may be interpreted as a threat to your system, preventing the app from running. So, temporarily turn it off to avoid the antivirus halting its execution.
Additionally, you can temporarily disable Windows Defender Firewall to ensure it’s not interfering with the app’s execution. If Firewall is to blame, add BlueStacks to the exclusion list as per Microsoft support’s instructions.
3. Give Your Device and BlueStacks a Fresh Start
If neither of the first two fixes resolves the issue, try restarting BlueStacks and see if it works. If that doesn’t work, you can give your computer a fresh start to ensure a temporary glitch isn’t causing the problem.
If restarting your computer and app does not resolve the issue, it’s time to ensure BlueStacks has enough memory to do its job.
4. Close Resource Hungry Processes Running in Parallel
Every process you run on your computer strains your system memory. When many resource-hungry programs consume memory simultaneously, there might not be enough resources for other computer programs to function effectively.
You’re more likely to encounter this problem if your computer isn’t powerful enough. Hence, it’s imperative to rule it out first. To do so, click on the Windows Start icon and open Task Manager.
On the Processes tab, check the Memory percentage. If it is 100% or close, filter out all processes that contribute the most to memory usage. Shut down all of those processes, and you’re good to go.
You can close any process by right-clicking it and choosing End task.
Besides monitoring memory usage, keep an eye out for disk and CPU usage, and troubleshoot high disk and CPU usage to ensure enough resources are available for BlueStacks to function properly.
When freeing up memory doesn’t help, you should update your graphics driver.
5. Update Your Graphics Driver
An outdated graphics driver can also halt the app’s execution. Thus, make sure to update your graphics driver before continuing. We’ve previously covered updating graphics drivers properly if you don’t know how to do it.
6. Enable Virtualization
BlueStacks recommend enabling CPU virtualization for the program to run efficiently. Depending on what type of CPU you have, you will need to enable virtualization differently.
Check out this comprehensive guide by BlueStacks support to learn more about how to enable virtualization for Intel and AMD CPUs.
7. Run an SFC Scan
If enabling virtualization doesn’t make any difference, run an SFC scan to ensure no broken or corrupt Windows files are causing the issue.
You can run an SFC scan by following these steps:
Type “cmd” in the Windows search bar. Right-click on the Command Prompt app and click on Run as administrator. Type “SFC /scannow” and hit Enter.
Wait for the scan to finish. After that, follow the onscreen instructions to manually repair the damaged files unless the operating system automatically does it.
8. Upgrade or Downgrade Windows OS
A dated operating system can also cause compatibility issues with apps. Thus, if BlueStacks is updated to the latest version, Windows must also be fully updated.
To check for updates, follow these steps:
Open the Windows Settings app. Go to Update & Security. Navigate to Windows Update in the left sidebar. Click on Check for updates in the right-hand pane.
Windows will automatically look for the most recent update and install it on your computer. However, if BlueStacks has started malfunctioning after updating your computer to a recent version, you may want to revert the update.
If you need some help, here’s how to revert a Windows update to an earlier version.
9. Uninstall and Reinstall BlueStacks
If implementing all the fixes in the list does not resolve the problem, you should reinstall BlueStacks as a last resort. Uninstall BlueStacks existing installation before you do that. To do that, follow these steps:
Go to the Windows Control Panel. Navigate to Programs > Programs and Features. Right-click on the BlueStacks program and hit Uninstall.
Delete BlueStacks from your computer, go to BlueStacks’ official website, grab a fresh copy of the program, and install it.
Hopefully, with a fresh installation, you can resolve the issue you’re experiencing and any hidden issues within the program files.
Is BlueStacks Still Not Working? Go for an Alternative
The fixes in the list should help BlueStacks get back on track and allow you to run your favorite apps again. If these fixes do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider resetting your computer once.
However, if that does not work, it’s best to switch to the BlueStacks alternative temporarily. Andy, NoxPlayer, and Phoenix OS are some of the best alternatives to BlueStacks.
