7 Ways to Fix Destiny 2 Not Launching on a Windows 11/10 PC

Destiny 2 is a great multiplayer shooter, but it can still have technical issues like any other. Some players have reported Destiny 2 getting stuck on or crashing at the loading screen. One player’s Reddit post said this, “I’ve been trying to log into Destiny 2 on Steam, but I cannot get past the initial loading screen.” Players can’t play D2 because of startup issues like that. These are some of the ways you can fix Destiny 2 not launching on a Windows PC.

Run Destiny 2 in Compatibility Mode With Admin Rights

First, try setting Destiny 2 to run in compatibility mode with administrative rights. This can address compatibility issues and will give D2 maximum system rights. You can set Destiny 2  to run in compatibility mode with admin rights like this.

1. Press Explorer’s Windows logo + E keyboard shortcut and open the Destiny 2 installation folder on your PC.
2. Click the destiny2.exe file with your mouse’s right button to select Properties.
3. Select Compatibility within Destiny 2’s properties window.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

4. Next, select Run this program in compatibility mode for and Windows 8 on the drop-down menu for that setting.
5. Click Run this program as an administrator to select the checkbox for that setting.
6. Remember to click Apply and OK to save selected settings and exit the tab.
7. Also, repeat the above steps to set Steam (or Epic Games Launcher) and the destiny2launcher.exe file to run in compatibility mode with admin rights. If there’s an Epic Games or Steam shortcut on your desktop, right-click on it to access the required settings.

Verify Destiny’2 Game Files

Steam

1. Start Steam to select Library within that software.
2. Right-click the Destiny 2 game to select a Properties option.
3. Next, click on Local Files.
   
   

   The Verify integrity of game files option in Steam

4. Press the Verify Integrity button to run a Destiny 2 file repair scan and wait for it to complete.

Epic Games Launcher

1. Start Epic Games Launcher and click on the Library tab.
2. Click the three-dot menu button below Destiny 2.
3. Select Manage on the menu.
4. Click Verify to run the scan.
   
   

   The Verify option

Opt-Out of Steam Beta

Many players confirm opting out of Steam Beta can fix Destiny 2 not launching. So, that’s definitively a potential fix worth trying for Steam users. This is how you can opt out of Steam Beta.

1. Open the Steam software.
2. Click the Steam menu at the top-right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings on the menu.
4. Click the Interface tab.
5. Select No beta chosen on the Client Beta Participation drop-down menu.
   
   

   The No beta chosen option

Set Audio Devices to Default for Destiny 2 and Steam

Setting audio devices is a widely confirmed way to fix Destiny 2 not launching when it gets stuck on the loading screen. So, try setting audio devices to default for Destiny 2 and Steam as follows.

1. Run Steam (or Epic Games) and launch Destiny 2.
2. Press the Windows logo key to access the desktop and taskbar.
3. Bring up the file finder utility with its Windows logo key + S hotkey.
4. Enter volume mixer inside the file search box.
5. Select Sound mixer options in the search results.
6. Next, select Default on the Output and Input device drop-down menus for Steam (or Epic Games).
   
   

   The Default sound option

7. Click on the Output and Input device drop-down menus for Destiny 2 to select their Default options.
8. Right-click on the Windows taskbar and select the Task Manager option.
9. Select Destiny 2 on the Processes tab and click End task. Then you can restart the game to see if it starts okay with default audio settings.

Increase Virtual Memory

Virtual memory is a page file where Windows can move data to free up RAM. Increasing the virtual memory allocation can sometimes address gaming performance issues. This is how you can increase virtual memory on a Windows PC.

1. Open the file search box and input an advanced system settings keyword there.
2. Click View advanced system settings to access a System Properties window.
3. Press the performance Settings button.
   
   

   The Settings button

4. Click Advanced on the tab bar in the Performance Options window.
5. Press the Change button to view a Virtual Memory window.
6. Select the Custom size radio button.
7. Enter 4096 in the Initial size and Maximum size boxes.
   
   

   The Virtual Memory window

8. Click Set to save the virtual memory settings.
9. Select OK to exit the Virtual Memory window.

If Destiny 2 still doesn’t start, you can try inputting different values in the size boxes. Enter a megabyte value 1.5 times the size of your PC’s total RAM in the Initial size box. Input a megabyte value three times that of your PC’s total RAM into the Maximum size box. For example, those minimum and maximum values would be 24,574 MB and 49,152 MB for a 16 GB PC. Multiply your PC’s GB RAM specification by 1,024 to calculate how many megabytes of memory that amounts to.

Allow Destiny 2 Through Microsoft Defender Firewall

Destiny 2 can’t establish a connection if it’s blocked by a firewall. So, make sure Destiny 2 is allowed through Microsoft Defender Firewall like this.

1. Open the Windows tool for finding files and input firewall in that search box.
2. Click the Windows Defender Firewall search result to access that Control Panel applet.
3. Next, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
   
   

   The Windows Defender Firewall applet

4. Press the Change Settings button.
5. Click the Allow another app > Browse buttons.
   
   

   The Browse button in the Add an app window

6. Select the destiny2.exe file and click Open.
7. Click the Add button.
8. Select the Private and Public checkboxes for Destiny 2.
   
   

   The allowed app permission settings

9. Repeat the previous four steps for the destiny2launcher.exe file.
10. Click OK in the Allowed app window.

If you have any alternative third-party installed on your PC, check that Destiny 2 is allowed through it. Or you could try launching Destiny 2 with that firewall disabled to see if that makes any difference.

Reinstall Steam and Destiny 2

Some Destiny 2 players have fixed that game not starting by reinstalling Steam. Doing that also means you must reinstall Destiny 2. You can reinstall Steam and D2 as follows.

1. Click the Start menu icon with the right mouse button and select Run.
2. Type appwiz.cpl into Run and press the Enter key to access the program uninstaller tool.
3. Select Steam and click its Uninstall option to remove that software.
   
   

   The Programs and Features Control Panel applet

4. Open this Steam page and click the Install button there.
5. Double-click on the Steam setup file in whatever folder includes it to run the setup wizard and reinstall the software from there.
6. Open Steam and select to reinstall the Destiny 2 game from the Library tab.

I can’t promise those potential resolutions will fix Destiny 2 not launching for everybody. However, players have been able to kick-start Destiny 2 on their Windows PCs by applying some of those potential solutions. So, maybe one of them could get that game to launch on your PC as well.