Football Manager 26 is the latest addition to the FM football management series. Some players report they can’t start the FM26 game on their PCs. For example, one of those players said this on Steam’s forum, “When I try to launch the game [Football Manager 26], firstly, 1 sec white screen, and Unity blabla error 1 sec, and closing the game. How can I fix the issue?” This is how you can fix the Football Manager 26 game not launching on a Windows PC.
Set a Purge Settings Launch Option
One widely confirmed way to fix Football Manager 26 is to set a launch setting that resets the game’s preferences and settings. Setting the –purge_settings Steam launch parameter for FM26 will do that. This is how you can set the launch parameter for the Football Manager 26 game in Steam:
- Open your Steam gaming client and its Library tab.
- Right-click the Football Manager 2026 game to select Properties.
- Enter –purge_settings into the launch text box.
The launch options for FM26
Verify Football Manager 2026
Verifying games is a standard troubleshooting method that might fix Football Manager 26 not launching if it has corrupted or missing files. Steam users can apply this troubleshooting method as covered on this help page. This support page provides guidelines for verifying games with the Epic Games Launcher software.
Verify the integrity of game files
Disable the NVIDIA App Overlay
Some players confirm that disabling the NVIDIA App overlay can fix Football Manager 26 not launching. Is the NVIDIA App installed on your PC? If so, try disabling the overlay setting in it like this:
- Double-click the NVIDIA App icon in your system tray.
- Click on the Settings tab.
- Turn off the NVIDIA overlay option.
The NVIDIA overlay setting
Turn Off Controlled Folder Access
Disabling Controlled folder access is another player-confirmed way to fix Football Manager 26 not launching. Controlled folder access can block FM26 from accessing required folders when enabled:
- Click in the Search box, and enter a Windows Security keyword.
- Next, select Windows Security in the search results.
- Click the Virus & threat protection tab.
- Next, click the Manage ransomware protection option.
- Turn off the Controlled folder access setting.
The Controlled folder access setting
Move the Preferences and/or Cache Folders
Moving the Preferences and or Cache folder for FM26 onto the desktop might clear corrupted game preferences. Football Manager 26 will regenerate new Preferences or Cache folders when you start it. This Sports Interactive page explains how players can move those folders onto the desktop to apply this potential fix.
Apply a Clean Boot
Sports Interactive recommends players disable background programs that can potentially conflict with FM26 to fix Football Manager 26 not launching, such as unofficial FM26 tools, VPNs, and download managers. The best way to do this would be to apply a clean boot, which will disable most third-party startup items. Check out this page on the Microsoft site to apply a clean boot.
The System Configuration utility
Update Graphics Drivers
The Sports Interactive support service also recommends players update graphics drivers to fix Football Manager 26 not launching. There are a few ways you can do that with third-party software or manually. This KeenGamer guide provides guidelines for updating graphics card drivers.
The NVIDIA graphics driver page
Other Possible Ways to Fix Football Manager 2026 Not Launching
There are numerous possible ways to fix Football Manager 26 not launching beyond those troubleshooting methods above. Try applying these additional potential fixes if required:
- Reinstall your Football Manager 26 game.
- Set the Football Manager 26 game to run with administrator rights with full-screen optimizations disabled.
- Clear the download cache for Steam as instructed on this support page.
- Try setting these alternative Steam launch options for FM26: -dx11, -dx12, –no_exclusive_fullscreen, and –config very_low.
The troubleshooting methods above will usually fix Football Manager 26 not launching for most players. So, try applying them before sending a support ticket to Sports Interactive. If the game still doesn’t start, you can send a support ticket to FM26’s help service from this Sports Interactive page.
