Bluestacks Not Working: Why & How To Fix It?

After finally being able to enjoy mobile apps and games on your desktop/laptop through BlueStacks, it is disappointing if you can’t use it.

Generally, it happens due to outdated graphics device drivers, and updating them will solve your issues with the app. However, there are various other factors that can prevent Bluestacks from working smoothly.

From updating your graphics drivers to enabling virtualization, you can apply the following fixes for a Windows system.

Update BlueStacks

If you are using an older version of the BlueStacks application, you can face these issues. So, install the latest updates to resolve problems with the app.

Launch the BlueStacks application.
On the bottom right corner, click on the little gear icon.
Click the About option on the sidebar.
On the right pane, click Check for updates.
Then, click Download update. Then, the app will redirect you to a browser and download the latest update automatically.
After the download is complete, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the application.
Check if the application is working after the installation.

Update Your Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers are one of the main reasons the BlueStacks app is not working. Therefore, updating drivers will likely fix your issue too. Here’s how you can do it.

Press Windows + X and click the Device Manager option.
Expand the Display adapters dropdown and select your device.
Then, right-click on it and click Update driver.
On the Update Drivers window prompt, choose Select automatically for drivers to let Windows search and download the file online.
Follow the on-screen instructions and install the latest graphics drivers.

Alternatively, you can download the latest updates from your respective GPU’s official website.

Enable Virtualization

The newer versions of the BlueStacks application require virtualization enabled on your system. Virtualization is important as it improves performance and allows BlueStacks to utilize multiple CPU cores. So if you haven’t enabled it, you could face issues while running the application.

To check if you have virtualization enabled or not,

Press the Windows + R key, type the command msinfo32 and click OK.
Select System Summary on the left sidebar.
Now, on the right pane, look for Hyper-V – Virtualization Enabled in Firmware, and the value next to it is Yes.

If virtualization isn’t already enabled, follow the steps below.

Press the Windows + R, type the command optionalfeatures, and hit Enter.
On the Windows Features prompt, find Hyper-V and check its checkbox.
Click on OK and wait for the system to enable it.
After completing the process, restart the PC and see if BlueStacks is working smoothly.

Run SFC Scans

Another reason why the app is crashing or not opening is because of the corrupt system files. You can repair them using the SFC scan to fix the app issues. Here’s you can do it.

Press the Windows + R key and type cmd . Then, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt as administrator.
Next, enter the following command:
sfc /scannow

Wait for the system to scan and fix corrupt system files.
Check if you can open and use the BlueStacks application now.

Uninstall Updates

Some users have found BlueStacks not working after updating their operating system. Therefore, you can uninstall the recent updates to fix the current issues. You can do it as follows.

Press the Windows + R and type control to open the Control Panel.
On the top-left corner of the window, click View installed updates.
Select the most recent update and click Uninstall, which appears on the top bar next to Organize.
Click Yes to confirm uninstall on the next prompt.
After uninstalling, restart your PC and check if issues with BlueStacks have been resolved.

Note: If the above solution resolves the issues, great. But in case it’s not, we recommend you always keep your system updated.

Reinstall the Application

If none of the methods worked, you can reinstall the application as a last resort. Here you uninstall the app and install it again.

First, open the control panel.
Next, click Uninstall a program.
From the list of install applications, select BlueStacks and click on Uninstall from the top bar.
After uninstalling, go to BlueStacks’ official site and download the installer.
Install the application and see if it’s working now.

Reach Out to the Support Team

If you still have issues or BlueStacks is not working for a specific application, you can report to their support team. You can do it as follows.

First, open the application.
Click the Help and Support icon next to the hamburger menu in the window’s top right corner.
Select the Report a problem option.
Fill in all the necessary details and click Submit report when done.

Even though the support team tries their best to reach out to you as soon as possible, it can take some time. Therefore, patiently wait for the reply and follow the instructions when you receive the mail.