Many players have reported they can’t play Fortnite because of a “Failed to connect to network backend services” error. A player’s Reddit post said about that error: “Fortnite will not load on new Intel 265K/Z890 system. Kicks out of multi-player with message… ‘Failed to connect to network backend services.’” Thus, this is not necessarily a startup issue because it occurs when players jump from the Battle Bus. This is how you can fix the Fortnite “Failed to connect to network backend services” error on Windows PCs.
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Clear the Hosts File
A widely confirmed way to fix the Fortnite “Failed to connect to network backend services” error is to clear the hosts file. Hosts is a file for mapping domain names with IP addresses. This is how you can clear the hosts file.
- First, press the Windows logo + S key combination to open the file finder utility.
- Enter Notepad to find that app.
- Right-click on Notepad to select Run as administrator.
- Next, click on File > Open in Notepad.
- Navigate to the Windows\System32\Drivers\etc folder path in the Open window.
The hosts file location
- Select All Files in the drop-down menu.
- Then click on the hosts file to select it.
- Press the Open button.
- Select all the text in the hosts file and press Delete to erase it.
The hosts text file
- Click File to select the Save option.
Disable Public Windows Defender Firewall Settings for Fortnite
One thing this Fortnite failed error message says is, “It’s possible that a firewall may be the cause.” That’s more than a subtle troubleshooting hint for this error. Some players say they’ve fixed this gaming issue by adding Fortnite to Windows Defender Firewall’s allowed list, but also disabling Public settings for them. You can disable the Public firewall settings for Fortnite like this:
- First, activate the search tool for finding apps and files.
- Enter Windows Defender Firewall and click the matching result in the search box.
- Click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall option to access the allowed app settings.
The Windows Defender Firewall applet
- Press the Change Settings button.
- Next, click the Allow another app option.
- Press Browse to select files.
- Go to the Epic Games > Fortnite > FortniteGame > Binaries > Win64 folder in the Browse window.
- Select the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping file and click Open.
- Press the Add button.
The Win64 folder
- Select the Private box for the Fortnite entry added to the allowed list.
- Unselect the Public box for Fortnite.
The allowed apps list
- Repeat the steps above for the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_BE, FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_EAC, FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_EAC_EOS, and FortinteLauncher file.
Flush DNS and Reset Winsock
Flushing the DNS and resetting Winsock is another troubleshooting method for the Fortnite “Failed to connect to network backend services” error that some players confirm can work. This is a straightforward potential resolution to apply that can address network issues causing the error. You can execute flush DNS and Winsock reset commands like this:
- Activate the Windows search box for finding files, and input a cmd keyword there.
- Right-click the Command Prompt app found to select the Run as administrator option for it.
- Input these network commands, pressing Enter after each:
ipconfig /flushdns
netsch winsock reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
The ipconfig /flushdns command
The potential fixes discussed in this guide have fixed the Fortnite “Failed to connect to network backend services” for many players. There aren’t lots of confirmed ways to fix this gaming issue, but the troubleshooting methods usually resolve it. If you need more possible fixes, click Contact Us on this Epic page to send a support ticket to Fortnite’s help service.
