Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game still in Early Access (at the time of writing). So, maybe it’s not surprising some players have reported startup issues for this game. A Manor Lords player said this on Reddit: “Hey lovely people. I keep getting a crash when trying to start Manor Lords.” Manor Lords can fail to start in different ways, with or without error messages. This is how you can fix Manor Lords not launching on a Windows PC.
Verify the Integrity of Manor Lords
A simple potential fix for Manor Lords not launching (which has worked for some players) is to verify the integrity of that game’s files. Verifying scans a game and repairs corrupted or missing files detected. Go through the steps on this Steam help page to verify the integrity of Manor Lords.
The Verify integrity option in Steam
Add a DirectX 11 Launch Options
Players who’ve needed to fix Manor Lords not launching confirm they did so by adding a DirectX 11 launch parameter for the game. Applying this possible fix configures the game to utilize the DirectX 11 API rather than DX12. These are the steps for adding a DX11 launch parameter for Manor Lords in Steam:
- Start Steam and click Library within that software’s tab bar.
- Right-click the Manor Lords game to select Properties.
- Input –dx11 into the text box for launch options.
The -dx11 launch parameter
Start Manor Lords From its Installation Folder
Some players have found Manor Lords starts just fine outside of Steam. You can start Manor Lords outside of Steam from its installation folder like this:
- Open File Explorer by clicking the pinned shortcut for that folder navigation tool on the taskbar.
- Go to the default Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Manor Lords game folder.
- Double-click the ManorLords EXE file in that folder to start the game.
The Manor Lords folder
Run Manor Lords in Compatibility Mode
Running the game in compatibility mode is another potential resolution players confirm can fix Manor Lords not launching. This possible fix sets Windows to emulate an older platform of its series for a selected game. You can run Manor Lords in compatibility mode like this:
- Bring up the Manor Lords installation folder as instructed in the first two steps of the previous resolution.
- Right-click the ManorLords EXE file and select Properties > Compatibility.
- Click the checkbox setting for Run this program in compatibility mode to select it.
- Select the Windows 7 platform.
The Run this program in compatibility mode for
- Click on Apply to save the selected compatibility mode option.
- Exit the properties window for Manor Lords by clicking OK.
Set Automatic Windows Time Options
If you’ve installed Manor Lords via MS Store or the Xbox app, check your PC’s date and time settings. Incorrect time and date settings can cause startup issues for MS Store or Xbox game apps. Try setting automatic Windows time options like this:
- Activate the file search box with its Windows logo + S key combination.
- Enter a date & time search phrase in the box, and select Date & time settings.
- Turn on the Set time zone automatically option if disabled.
- Click the Set time automatically option to turn it on.
The Set time automatically option
- Press the Sync now button.
- Next, click Language & region or Region in Settings.
- Make sure your nation is selected in the Country region drop-down menu.
Change the ML.aaMode Setting
Some players confirm changing the ML.aaMode option in the Settings.ini fix can fix Manor Lords not launching. You can adjust that setting in these quick steps:
- Open File Explorer and the C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\ManorLords\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Settings.ini folder path.
- Right-click Settings.ini to select Open with and Notepad.
- Change the ML.aaMode=fsl setting to ML.aaMode= by deleting fsl.
- Press Ctrl + S to save the file.
Temporarily Disable the Windows Antivirus (or Alternatives)
Antivirus software can sometimes cause game startup issues by flagging files. To check if Microsoft Defender is the culprit, try temporarily disabling that antivirus before starting Manor Lords. These are the steps for disabling Microsoft Defender via Windows Security:
- Double-click the Windows Security icon inside the system tray on the right side of the taskbar.
- Select Virus & threat protection and Manage settings in Windows Security.
- Toggle off the Real-time protection setting.
The Real-time protection option
- Try starting Manor Lords again.
If you have a third-party antivirus installed, temporarily disable its antivirus shield before starting the game. Turn the antivirus back on when you’ve finished playing Manor Lords if this potential fix works. Or add the game’s installation directory to your antivirus exclusion list.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Manor Lords Not Launching
If Manor Lords still doesn’t start on your PC, there are more troubleshooting methods that could get that game up and running. Try applying these extra potential fixes for that game not starting:
- Disable overlays in Steam, Discord, GeForce Experience, etc.
- Download and install your GPU’s latest driver, as instructed in this KeenGamer guide.
- Set Manor Lords to run with the high-performance graphics option.
- Run the Manor Lords game with administrator rights.
The potential resolutions above are player-confirmed confirmed ways to fix Manor Lords not launching on Windows PCs. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll work for everybody, but they’ve got to be worth trying at least. Players who’ve found other ways to fix Manor Lords not starting are most welcome to let us know about them in the comments below.
