League of Legends Unable to Connect to Server: Causes and Fixes

The “League of Legends unable to connect to server” error most often occurs due to issues with your network, firewall, DNS, or game files. Whether you are stuck on the loading screen or disconnected before the game even starts, this error can ruin your experience.

In this guide, we’ll look at the most common causes of this problem and how to troubleshoot and fix the “League of Legends unable to connect to server” error on your Windows PC.

Common Reasons League of Legends Can’t Connect to the Server

Before jumping into fixes, let’s first understand why this error happens. In most cases, the issue is not with the game itself but with something in your network or system.

Here are the most common causes:

1. Riot / League servers are down: Sometimes, the problem is on Riot’s side. If the servers for your region are down or under maintenance, you won’t be able to connect no matter what you try locally.
2. Internet connection issues: Slow, unstable, or frequently disconnecting internet can prevent League from staying connected to the game servers.
3. Firewall or antivirus blocking League of Legends: Your firewall or third‑party antivirus might mistakenly block the game or Riot Client from accessing the internet.
4. DNS or network configuration problems: A corrupt DNS cache, an incorrect DNS server or network settings can cause connection failures.
5. Outdated or corrupt game files: If some League of Legends files are missing or damaged, the client may fail to establish a proper connection.
6. Background applications interfering: VPNs, proxy apps, or other network-heavy programs can interfere with League’s connection.
7. Router or modem problems: A misconfigured or overloaded router can cause packet loss, high ping, and connection drops.

Next, we’ll go through practical fixes, starting from the simplest ones.

Check League of Legends Server Status

Before changing anything on your PC, confirm that Riot’s servers are actually online.

How to check server status

1. Open your web browser.
2. Go to the official Riot Games Server Status page: search for League of Legends server status on Google and open the Riot support link.
3. Select your region (for example: EUW, NA, EUNE, etc.).
4. Look for any ongoing incidents, outages, or maintenance.

If there is a known issue, you will need to wait until Riot fixes it. None of the local fixes will work while the servers are down.

If everything looks fine, move on to the next method.

Test Your Internet Connection

A weak or unstable internet connection is one of the most common reasons for this error.

Quick connection checks

• Try visiting a few websites in your browser. Are they loading quickly?
• Run a speed test (for example, using speedtest.net).
• Check if other online games or apps are working properly.

If everything else is slow or disconnecting, the issue is likely with your internet connection, not just League.

Basic network troubleshooting steps

1. Restart your router and modem
   • Turn off your router and modem.
   • Wait for 30–60 seconds.
   • Turn them back on and wait until all lights stabilize.
   • Try launching League again.
2. Use a wired connection (Ethernet)
   Wi‑Fi can be unstable, especially if you’re far from the router. If possible:
   • Connect your PC to the router using an Ethernet cable.
   • Disable Wi‑Fi on your PC while testing.
   • Launch League and check if the error persists.
3. Avoid mobile hotspots or VPNs
   Mobile data and some VPNs can cause high ping and dropped connections. For testing, turn off VPNs and avoid hotspots if you can.

If your internet works well for everything else but League still cannot connect, continue with the next fixes.

Run League of Legends as Administrator

Sometimes, the League or Riot Client needs administrative permissions to access certain network features or update files.

Steps to run as administrator

1. Close League of Legends and Riot Client completely.
2. On your desktop or in the Start menu, right‑click on the Riot Client or League of Legends shortcut.
3. Click Run as administrator.
4. Confirm the User Account Control (UAC) prompt if it appears.

Try connecting again. If this helps, you can set it to always run as administrator:

1. Right‑click the Riot Client icon and choose Properties.
2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
3. Check Run this program as an administrator.
4. Click Apply > OK.

Allow League of Legends through the firewall and Antivirus

Windows Firewall or a third‑party antivirus can sometimes block League of Legends and the Riot Client from accessing the internet.

Allow League through Windows Defender Firewall

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
2. Type control and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
3. Go to System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.
4. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall on the left.
5. Click Change settings (you may need admin rights).
6. Look for entries like League of Legends, Riot Client, or Riot Games.
   • Make sure both Private and Public checkboxes are selected.
7. If you don’t see them, click Allow another app…, browse to the League/Riot Client installation folder, and add them manually.
8. Click OK and try launching the game again.

Check third‑party antivirus

If you use software like Avast, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, etc.:

• Open your antivirus program.
• Go to Firewall or Internet protection settings.
• Add League of Legends and Riot Client to the exceptions / whitelist / trusted applications list.
• Alternatively, temporarily disable the antivirus and test if League connects (only for testing, then enable it again).

If the game connects only when the antivirus is disabled, adjust the antivirus settings or switch to a less restrictive solution.

Reset DNS and Network Settings (Windows)

Corrupt DNS cache or problematic network configuration can lead to the “unable to connect” error. You can reset these using Command Prompt.

Flush DNS cache

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd.
2. Right‑click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each:

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Wait until each command finishes.

Reset Winsock and TCP/IP

In the same Command Prompt window, run:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

After the commands complete, restart your PC and try launching League again.

Change DNS Server to a Public DNS

Sometimes your ISP’s DNS servers are slow or unstable. Switching to a public DNS (like Google DNS) can improve connection reliability.

How to change DNS on Windows

1. Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
2. Right‑click on your active network connection (Ethernet or Wi‑Fi) and select Properties.
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
4. Choose Use the following DNS server addresses.
5. Enter:
   • Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
   • Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
6. Click OK, then Close.
7. Restart your PC and test League again.

You can also try other public DNS services like Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).

Repair League of Legends Game Files

If some game files are missing or damaged, the client might fail to connect properly. Riot provides a built‑in repair tool.

Use the Riot Client repair tool

1. Open the Riot Client.
2. Click the profile icon or gear/settings icon (top‑right corner).
3. Go to Settings.
4. Select League of Legends from the sidebar.
5. Look for Repair or Initiate Full Repair and click it.
6. Wait while the client scans and repairs files. This can take several minutes depending on your system and internet speed.

After the repair completes, restart your PC and try connecting again.

Close Background Apps That Use the Network

Heavy background apps can consume bandwidth or conflict with League. Examples include:

• Download managers
• Torrent clients
• Streaming apps (YouTube, Netflix, Twitch)
• VPNs or proxy tools
• Other online games or launchers

Close unnecessary apps

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Go to the Processes tab.
3. Look for apps using a lot of Network resources.
4. Select them and click End task (be careful not to close system-critical processes).

Once you close these apps, try launching League again.

Disable VPN or Proxy (If You Use One)

While a VPN or proxy can sometimes help with routing issues, it can also cause higher latency and connection failures.

Turn off proxy settings in Windows

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Network & Internet.
3. Click Proxy in the left panel.
4. Under Manual proxy setup, turn Use a proxy server Off (if enabled).
5. Under Automatic proxy setup, you can turn off Automatically detect settings for testing.

If you are using a separate VPN application, exit or disconnect from the VPN and retry the game.

Check Your Region and Account Settings

In rare cases, selecting the wrong server region or logging into a different region’s client can cause connection errors.

• Make sure you are logging into the correct region where your account is registered.
• If you use multiple Riot accounts, check that you’re using the right one.
• Avoid using third‑party tools that modify the client or attempt to change your region unofficially.

Update Windows and Network Drivers

Outdated network drivers or system components can sometimes cause connectivity problems with online games.

Update network drivers

1. Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right‑click your main network adapter (Ethernet or Wi‑Fi) and choose Update driver.
4. Click Search automatically for drivers.
5. Follow the prompts and restart your PC if updates are installed.

Check Windows updates

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Update & Security.
3. Click Check for updates.
4. Install any available updates and restart your PC.

When Nothing Works: Contact Riot Support

If you have tried all the steps above and League of Legends still shows “unable to connect to server”, it’s time to contact Riot’s support team.

Before contacting support, prepare this information

• Your region and server (e.g., EUW, NA).
• Your Riot account name (do not share your password).
• A brief description of when the error appears (at login, champion select, loading screen, in‑game, etc.).
• A screenshot of the error message if possible.
• Details of the fixes you already tried (restarted router, flushed DNS, repaired game, etc.).

Go to Riot’s official support website, submit a ticket, and include as much detail as you can. This helps them identify the problem faster.

If the issue continues even after you try everything, the problem might be more specific to your ISP, hardware, or Riot’s infrastructure. In that situation, reaching out to Riot Support and, if needed, your internet provider is the best next step.

Frequently Asked Questions