World of Warcraft, also known as Wow is loved by millions of gamers. It is a multiplayer role-playing game published by Blizzard Entertainment. This game can be enjoyed in both Windows and Mac operating systems. Like all games, World of Warcraft is not perfect without any errors and problems. Few Windows users report WoW takes forever to launch issue. If you are also facing the same problem, this guide will help you fix the same. So, continue reading!

How to Fix WoW Takes Forever to Launch in Windows 10

Here are some common reasons that cause WoW not launching issues on your Windows 10 PC.

• The game requirements are not met by your PC
• The Internet connection is not stable
• Some other background task is interfering with the game
• Few corrupt program files are preventing the game from its launch
• Presence of corrupt files on PC
• Your PC does not have adequate space and hence RAM storage is causing you trouble
• Outdated operating system, and drivers
• Antivirus and firewall protection are blocking the game
• Misconfigured game files on PC

In this section, we have compiled a list of troubleshooting methods that will help you fix WoW not launching issue.

Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods

1A: Ensure Basic System Requirements

If you are facing World of Warcraft not launching issue on startup, you have to check the basic requirements of the game and ensure that your PC satisfies them.

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit.
• CPU: Intel Core i5-760, AMD FX-8100.
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB, AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB, or Intel HD Graphics 530 (45W TDP with 8 GB System RAM).
• RAM: 4 GB RAM (8GB for integrated graphics like Intel HD Graphics series).
• Storage: 70GB available space 7200 RPM HDD.

1B. Ensure Proper Network Connection

An unstable internet connection leads to WoW takes forever to launch 51900101 error, also if there are any obstacles between your router and your computer, they may interfere with the wireless signal and will cause intermittent connection problems. You can run a Speedtest to know the optimum level of network speed required for the proper connection.

Ensure that your device satisfies the below criteria.

• Find the signal strength of your network and if it is very low, clear all the obstructions in between the way.
• Avoid too many devices connected to the same network.
• Always buy a modem/router verified by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and they are free of conflicts.
• Do not use old, broken, or damaged cables. Replace the cables if necessary.
• Make sure the wires from the modem to the router and the modem to the wall are stable and out of disturbance.

If there are any internet connectivity issues, check our guide How to Troubleshoot Network Connectivity Problems on Windows 10 to troubleshoot the same.

1C. Run Blizzard Battle.net as Administrator

This is one of the most common reasons that cause WoW not launching on your Windows 10 PC. Certain permissions and features can only be accessed if you have granted admin rights to the World of Warcraft game. In this scenario, you can fix the discussed error by following the below-listed instructions.

1. Right-click on the World of Warcraft shortcut on the desktop or navigate the installation directory and right-click on it.

2. Now, select the Properties option.

3. Then, switch to the Compatibility tab and check the box Run this program as an administrator.

4. Finally, click on Apply and OK to save the changes. Check if you have fixed World of Warcraft not launching issue.

1D. Close Background Processes

Several users have confirmed that WoW takes forever to launch can be resolved by closing all the background tasks running on your PC. To implement the task, follow our guide How to End Task in Windows 10 and proceed as instructed.

Once you have closed all the background processes, check if you were able to resolve WoW not launching issue.

Method 2: Rename Cache, Interface and WTF Folders

There are a few gaming files residing in folders like Cache, Interface and WTF that are responsible to store the basic information on the game, progress and settings. If they are corrupt, you will face WoW not launching issue. So, you are advised to rename the folders and check if it works.

1. Close all processes running in the background as instructed in method 1D and press Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer.

2. Now, navigate to the given path as depicted.

C:\Program Files (x86)\World of Warcraft

3. Now, find the following folders and right-click on them. Then, select Rename as shown.

4. Now, rename the folders to something like Cacheold, Interfaceold, WTFold respectively.

5. Once you have renamed these folders, relaunch the game and check if WOW not launching issue on your Windows 10 PC is fixed.

Also Read: Where are Steam Games installed?  

Method 3: Delete WOW Cache Folder

Several users face WoW takes forever to launch during the startup and this issue could be resolved when the cache folder is removed completely from your computer. All the temporary files of the game will be deleted and the next successive startup will launch the game without any errors. If renaming the folders doesn’t work for you, the below-listed instructions will help you do so.

1. Repeat the Steps 1-2 as instructed in the above method.

2. Then, right-click on Cache folder and select the Delete option as shown.

Then, check if you have fixed World of Warcraft not launching issue.

Method 4: Change Read-Only Attribute

The World of Warcraft game will run without any errors when you have granted proper custom attributes settings in UAC (User Account Control). If in case, the game and its components have only read-only components, you cannot modify or update World of Warcraft. This results in WoW takes forever to launch on your PC. In this event, change the read-only attribute for the game as instructed below.

1. Launch File Explorer by pressing Windows + E keys together and navigate to the following location path.

C:\Program Files (x86)\World of Warcraft

2. Now, right-click on the Wow.exe setup file and select the Properties option.

3. Now, switch to the General tab and uncheck the box next to Read-only next to Attributes section as shown.

4. Then, click on Apply and OK to save the changes. Now, check if World of Warcraft not launching issue is resolved.

Also Read: 17 Ways to Fix Dota 2 Disk Write Error

Method 5: Repair System Files

If there are any missing or damaged files on your Windows 10 PC, you will face WoW takes forever to launch. Yet, you are repairing these corrupt files by using inbuilt utilities namely, System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management. Read our guide on How to Repair System Files on Windows 10 and follow the steps as instructed to repair all your corrupt files.

Once After completing the scan, it will show either of these messages:

• Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

Wait for the Verification 100 % completed statement and check if your computer is capable of fixing WoW not launching issues.

Method 6: Run Disk Cleanup

Few users have suggested that clearing some disk space on PC has helped them sort out WoW not launching. This will enable your computer to install new files whenever needed which will help you fix the problem. If there is minimum available space in your computer contributing to the discussed problem, follow our guide 10 Ways to Free Up Hard Disk Space On Windows which helps you clear all unnecessary files on your computer.

Also Read: Fix WaasMedicSVC.exe High Disk Usage in Windows 10

Method 7: Run Blizzard Repair Tool

If you still couldn’t fix WoW takes forever to launch, there may be some chances that your PC has some damaged gaming files in it. Damaged files may fill your computer due to an over protective antivirus suite or due to an update failure. Fortunately, you can resolve all these corrupt gaming files automatically with the help of a built in tool of Blizzard. Here are a few instructions to run Battle.net Repair tool.

1. As you did earlier, navigate to the directory of Wow.exe setup file and select the Run as administrator option as shown.

2. If you are prompted by the User Account Control window, click on Yes to proceed.

3. Now, switch to the Games tab at the top corner of the window and then select World of Warcraft from the list.

4. Then, click on Options followed by Scan & Repair from the drop-down list.

5. In the next prompt, click on Begin scan and wait until the process gets completed.

6. Finally, restart your game and check if you can fix World of Warcraft not launching issue.

Method 8: Update Windows

You can also eradicate bugs in your computer and game by updating your Operating System. Always ensure if you have updated your Windows Operating System and if any updates are pending in action, use our guide How to Download and Install Windows 10 Latest Update

After updating your Windows Operating System, check whether you can fix WoW not launching issue.

Also Read: Fix Windows 10 Activation error 0x80072ee7

Method 9: Update Graphics Drivers

World of Warcraft is a graphically intensive game, your graphics driver is essentially important for your gaming experience. If the drivers are outdated or faulty, make sure you update them. You can search for the newest releases of drivers from its official websites or you can update them manually. Follow our guide 4 Ways to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 10 to update your driver and check if you have fixed WoW takes forever to launch issue.

Method 10: Roll Back GPU Drivers

Sometimes, the current version of GPU drivers may cause any launching conflicts and in this case, you have to restore previous versions of installed drivers. This process is called rollback of drivers and you can easily roll back your computer drivers to their previous state by following our guide How to Rollback Drivers on Windows 10. This helps you fix WoW takes forever to launch issue.

Method 11: Reinstall Graphics Drivers

If you still face World of Warcraft not launching after updating your Graphical drivers, then reinstall device drivers to fix any incompatibility issues. There are several ways to reinstall drivers on your computer. Yet, you can easily reinstall Graphical drivers as instructed in our guide How to Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers on Windows 10.

After reinstalling GPU drivers, check if you can access World of Warcraft without any errors.

Also Read: Fix Graphics Card Not Detected on Windows 10

Method 12: Modify Windows Defender Firewall Settings

You will also face WoW not launching, due to an over-reactive or over-protective antivirus suite in your Windows 10 computer. This prevents the connection link between the game launcher and the server. So, to fix this problem, you can whitelist World of Warcraft in your Firewall settings or disable the problem temporarily.

Option I: Whitelist World of Warcraft

To allow World of Warcraft in your Windows Defender Firewall, follow our guide Allow or Block Apps through the Windows Firewall and implement the steps as instructed.

Option II: Disable Windows Defender Firewall (Not Recommended)

If you do not know how to disable Windows Defender Firewall, our guide on How to Disable Windows 10 Firewall will help you do so.

Option III: Create New Rule in Firewall

1. Hit the Windows key and type Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, then click on Run as administrator as shown.

2. Now, in the left pane, click on Inbound Rules as depicted.

3. Then, in the right pane, click on New rule… as shown.

4. Now, make sure you select the Program option under What type of rule would you like to create? menu and click on Next> as shown.

5. Then, click on the Browse… button corresponding to This program path: as shown.

6. Then, navigate to the C:\Program Files (x86)\World of Warcraft path and double-click on the setup file. Then, click on the Open button.

7. Then, click on Next > in the New Inbound Rule Wizard window as shown.

8. Now, select the radio button next to Allow the connection and click on Next > as depicted.

9. Make sure Domain, Private, Public boxes are selected and click on Next > as shown.

10. Finally, add a name to your new rule and click on Finish.

Finally, check if you have fixed World of Warcraft not launching issue or not.

Also Read: How to Uninstall McAfee LiveSafe in Windows 10

Method 13: Disable Third-party Antivirus Temporarily (If Applicable)

Some incompatible antivirus programs installed on your computer will cause WoW takes forever to launch issue. To avoid conflicts, you must ensure the security settings of your Windows 10 computer and check if they are stable or not. To find whether the antivirus suite is the reason for the launching problem, disable it once and try connecting to a network. Read our guide on How to Disable Antivirus Temporarily on Windows 10 and follow the instructions to disable your Antivirus program temporarily on your PC.

If it works, you are advised to uninstall the program completely from your PC. Read our guide Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall In Windows 10 to uninstall your antivirus program on your computer.

Method 14: Reinstall World of Warcraft

Any misconfigured files in World of Warcraft will lead to opening issues even if you have followed all the above-discussed methods and updated all the pending actions. So, in this case, you have no other option than to reinstall the game. Here is how you do it.

1. Hit the Windows key and type apps and features, then click on Open.

2. Now, search World of Warcraft in the list and click on it. Then, select the Uninstall option.

3. If you are prompted, again click on Uninstall.

4. Once the game is completely uninstalled from your computer, press and hold Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer.

5. Now, navigate to the following paths and delete the folders related to WOW.

C:\Windows\Temp
C:\Program Files\gametitle
C:\Program Files (x86)\gametitle
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blizzard Entertainment
C:\Users\Public\Games\gametitle
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Blizzard Entertainment\gametitle

Note: Make sure you find something related to World of Warcraft instead of gametitle in the above locations.

6. Then, empty all the data in Recycle bin and permanently delete the files/folders you have deleted now.

7. Then, visit Blizzard official site to download World of Warcraft for Windows PC.

8. Then, click on Download for Windows and wait until the game gets installed on your PC.

9. Navigate to My downloads in File Explorer and double-click on the setup file to run the application.

10. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the game on your Windows 10 PC.

Finally, relaunch the game and now you will not have WoW not launching issues.

Also Read: Fix Blizzard Another Installation in Progress in Windows 10

Method 15: Perform System Restore

If you have recently updated your Windows 10 operating system and later facing WoW takes forever to launch issue, the latest Windows update components may interfere with any software present in your computer and may cause the discussed issue. So, in this case, you must restore your computer to the previous version when it was working fine. To do so, follow our guide on How to use System Restore on Windows 10 and implement the instructions as demonstrated.

After restoring your Windows 10 PC, check if you can connect to the game without any problems. If none of the methods has helped you fix World of Warcraft not launching issue, then you have to clean install your Windows Operating System. To clean boot your computer, implement the steps as instructed in our guide How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10

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We hope that this guide was helpful and you could fix WoW takes forever to launch issue on your Windows 10 PC. Let us know which method worked for you the best. Also, if you have any queries/suggestions regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.