League of Legends is undoubtedly a famous online multiplayer game, but many users complain that they face League of Legends error code 003 when they try to log in to the LoL servers. If you want to fix League of Legends error 003 on your Windows 10 PC, you have to know the reasons that cause this problem. This covers all the reasons that cause the problem that helps you understand how to fix error code 003 League of Legends on your Windows 10 PC.
How to Fix League of Legends Error Code 003
Several reasons contribute to League of Legends error code 003 on your Windows 10 PC. Here are a few of them.
- The launched game does not have administrative rights. Hence, your PC does not allow it to patch.
- There is not enough space on your PC. Patching (the act of including additional codes to enhance gaming) needs some space.
- The installation files and configuration files of the game are corrupt and have to be replaced.
- The game client is corrupt or broken on your PC.
- The overprotective antivirus program or firewall is blocking the game.
- Outdated Windows 10 operating system and network drivers.
- There is no stable internet connection to launch and play the game.
- There might be misconfigured game installation files.
- It can be due to inappropriate network settings and DNS address configurations.
Continue reading this article to fix League of Legends error 003.
Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Steps
Firstly let us perform some of basic methods to solve the error.
1A. Restart PC
The general trick to resolve all the temporary glitches associated with League of Legends is to restart your computer. You can restart your PC by following the steps as instructed in our guide 6 Ways to Reboot or Restart a Windows 10 Computer.
1B. Monitor Server Uptime
Very often, you may face League of Legends error code 003 due to problems from the server side. To check whether the server is offline or it has some technical problems, follow the below-mentioned steps.
1. Visit the official Riot server status update page.
2. Then, scroll down and select League of Legends.
3. Then, select your Region and Language to continue.
On the next page, you can see any notifications for server-end errors. If there are any, you have to wait until they are resolved.
Also Read: Fix League of Legends Error Code 900 on Windows 10
1C. Re-sign into Game
You can also fix the discussed error by signing out of the game before any error message prompts up. You can then wait for a while or restart your computer. Then, sign in again as instructed below.
1. When you are in the game, press Alt + F4 keys.
2. Now, click on Sign Out.
3. Exit the game and restart your PC.
4. Enter your credentials and log in to the game again.
1D. Troubleshoot Internet Connection
There may be some network or bandwidth issues that reduce your internet speed and disrupt your connection. Make sure your connection is stable and has good speed. Visit the Speedtest site and run speed test to check your speed. To resolve this error, you must have a connection speed of at least 5-10 MBPS. Follow our guide to troubleshoot network connectivity on Windows 10.
1E. Set Proper Date & Time Settings
Incorrect date and time settings in your computer may contribute to League of Legends error code 003 on Windows PC. To sync the date, region, and time settings in your Windows 10 computer, follow the below-listed instructions.
1. Press the Windows + I keys together to open Windows Settings.
2. Now, select the Time & Language option as shown.
3. Next, in the Date & time tab, ensure the two values Set the time automatically and Set the time zone automatically options are toggled on.
4. Then, click on Sync now as highlighted above. Check if the issue is resolved or not.
Also Read: How to Delete Your Riot Account
1F. Close All Background Processes
If there are too many background processes on your Windows 10 PC, you cannot access your network connection that easily, since all those tasks will take a share of the network. Also, RAM consumption will be more and the performance of the game will slow down apparently.
Follow our guide How to End Task in Windows 10 to close all other background processes on your Windows 10 PC.
After closing all the background processes, check if the discussed error in League of Legends is fixed or not.
1G. Update Windows OS
All the bugs and erroneous patches in your computer can be fixed by Windows update. Microsoft releases frequent updates to fix all these problems.
Hence, make sure whether you are using the updated version of the 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 if you are able to fix League of Legends Error code 003.
1H. Update Network Drivers
If you want to enjoy any games without any errors, your drivers must be in a perfect state. 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 on How to Update Network Adapter Drivers on Windows 10 to update your driver and check if you have fixed the discussed issue in LoL.
Also Read: Fix League of Legends Error 004 in Windows 10
1I. Roll Back Network Drivers
Sometimes, the current version of your network drivers may cause conflicts in your game, 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.
1J. Reinstall Network Drivers
If you do not know how to fix error code 003 League of Legends after updating your network drivers, then reinstall the drivers to fix any incompatibility issues. There are several ways to reinstall drivers on your computer. Yet, you can easily reinstall network adapter drivers as instructed in our guide How to Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers on Windows 10.
After reinstalling network drivers, check if you can access League of Legends without any errors.
1K. Disable Antivirus Temporarily ( if applicable)
One other possible reason that causes the discussed issue is your security suite. When your antivirus programs detect LoL files and folders as a threat, you will face several conflicts. So, 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.
After you fix League of Legends error code 003 on your Windows 10 PC, make sure to re-enable the antivirus program since a computer without a security suite is always a threat.
Also Read: Fix Avast Blocking League of Legends (LOL)
1L. Disable Windows Defender Firewall
At times, Windows Defender Firewall in your computer may prevent the game from being opened due to some security reasons. If you don’t know how to disable the Windows Defender Firewall, go through our guide How to Disable Windows 10 Firewall, and follow the instructions that are given.
You can follow this guide Allow or Block Apps through the Windows Firewall to allow the app.
Make sure to enable the Firewall suite again after fixing the issue in LoL as a computer without a firewall program is a threat.
Method 2: Run League of Legends as Administrator
To avoid League of Legends Error Code 003 on your Windows 10 computer, run League of Legends as an administrator as instructed below.
1. Right-click on the League of Legends shortcut on the desktop or navigate to 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.
Method 3: Delete LoL_air_client Folder in File Explorer (If Applicable)
Another simple way to fix League of Legends Error 003 is to delete a specific folder in File Explorer. This removes the corrupt components in your Windows 10 associated with the game. Here are a few steps to delete the folder.
1. Hit the Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer.
2. Now, navigate to the following location and open it.
C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\RADS\projects
Note: You may also find the lol_air_client folder in some other location too. Pay a bit extra attention to finding the folder.
3. Now, right-click on the lol_air_client folder and click on the Delete option.
Once you have deleted the folder, restart your computer and check if you have fixed the issue in League of Legends.
Also Read: Fix League of Legends Directx Error in Windows 10
Method 4: Tweak File Hosts
If the host file has edited entries of League of Legends, you will face fix League of Legends error 003 issue. Hence, you have to remove the entries to resolve the same. Here are a few instructions to tweak hosts entries.
1. Press Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer.
2. Now, switch to the View tab and check the Hidden items box in the Show/hide section.
3. Now, copy and paste the following path into the navigation path of File Explorer.
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
4. Now, select and right-click on the hosts file and select the Open with option as shown.
5. Now, select the Notepad option from the list and click on OK as depicted.
6. Now, the hosts file will be opened in Notepad as follows.
7. Add this line 67.69.196.42 l3cdn.riotgames.com to the bottom of the file.
8. Now, save the file by clicking on Ctrl+ S keys together.
9. Exit Notepad and check if you have fixed the discussed issue.
Method 5: Clear DNS Cache & Data
Few users have suggested that clearing the DNS cache and data on your PC has helped them fix attempt to join queue failed issue. Follow as instructed.
1. Hit the Windows key and type cmd. Then, click on Open.
2. Now, type the following commands one by one. Hit Enter key after each command.
ipconfig/flushdns ipconfig/registerdns ipconfig/release ipconfig/renew netsh winsock reset
3. Wait for the commands to be executed and restart your PC.
Also Read: Fix League of Legends Sound Issues
Method 6: Clear Drive Space
If your PC does not have any drive space to install any new patches from the game, you cannot fix League of Legends error code 003. Hence, firstly check the drive space and clean the temporary files if necessary. To check the drive space in your Windows 10 PC, check the disk space under Devices and drivers as shown. If they are in red, it indicates the minimum available space.
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 in your computer.
Method 7: Change DNS Address
Several users have suggested that switching to Google DNS addresses may help you fix League of Legends error 003. If you launch the game properly and face an error prompt, follow our guide to change the DNS address. This will help you fix all DNS (Domain Name System) problems so you can launch the game without any hustles.
After changing your DNS address, check if you can launch LoL without an error screen.
Method 8: Use Virtual Private Network
Still, if you are unable to fix your problem, you can try using Virtual Private Network. It ensures to keep your connection is more private and encrypted. You can change the geographic region with the help of VPN settings so you can fix the discussed issue easily. Although there are so many free VPNs available over the internet, you are advised to use a reliable VPN service to enjoy premium versions and features.
Have a glance at our guide What is a VPN and how it works? to learn more about Virtual Private Limited.
If you are confused about how to set up a VPN on your Windows 10 computer, follow our guide on How to set up a VPN on Windows 10 and implement the same.
Once you have set up a VPN connection, check if you have fixed the discussed issue.
Also Read: Fix League of Legends Black Screen in Windows 10
Method 9: Reset Network Settings
Several users have declared that resetting network settings will resolve strange network connection issues. This method will forget all the network configuration settings, saved credentials, and a lot more security software like VPN and antivirus programs.
To do so, follow our guide on How to Reset Network Settings on Windows 10
Method 10: Reinstall Game
Any misconfigured files in League of Legends will lead to an error code 003 League of Legends issue 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. The game is tied up with your account and when you reinstall the game, you will not lose your progress. Here is how to reinstall League of Legends.
1. Hit the Windows key and type apps and features. Then, click on Open.
2. Scroll down and click on League of Legends. Then, select Uninstall.
3. If you are prompted, again click on Uninstall.
4. Now, click on Done.
5. Hit the Windows key, type %localappdata% and click on Open.
6. Double-click on Riot Games to open the folder.
7. Now, right-click on the Install League of Legends euw folder and select Delete.
8. Press the Windows key, type %appdata% and press the Enter key.
9. Delete the League of Legends folder as done previously.
10. Now, reboot the PC.
11. Then, go to the League of Legends official website download page and click on the PLAY FOR FREE option.
12. Enter your Email address and click on START.
13. Select your Date of birth in the next step and click on NEXT.
14. Now, fill in the USERNAME, PASSWORD, and CONFIRM PASSWORD fields.
15. Check the option I agree to the Terms of Service and I have read and acknowledge the Privacy Notice.
16. Then, click on NEXT.
17. Now, click on the DOWNLOAD FOR WINDOWS button.
18. Click on the downloaded installer file to install and run the game.
19. Click on the Install button in the prompt.
20. Finally, relaunch the game and now you will have a fix for the discussed issue.
Note: Many users and online forums have reported that reinstalling the game with the Hextech Repair tool helped fix the error. Visit the official Hextech Repair tool site and download the program. It is free of cost, hence when you install and launch the tool, you will see an option to reinstall the game. Follow the instructions to fix the problem.
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We hope that this guide was helpful and you could fix League of Legends error code 003 on your device. Let us know what you want to learn about next. Also, if you have any queries/suggestions regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.
