‘Could not start the Engine.’ Oh, that dreaded message! Somethings, BlueStacks users are faced with this unusual challenge. This error message is more common than you think but, don’t worry! Hot Wheels Unlimited is an entertaining racing game that allows you to drive 30 uniquely-designed vehicles. You can also create your own race track. Play it now on your PC with BlueStacks. Bluestacks provides a compelling platform for all the gaming enthusiasts to play their favorite Android games on PC. Still, unfortunately, it has one drawback, and that is, it gets stuck in ‘Bluestacks could not start the engine’ issue which can sometimes be very annoying.
I have used Bluestacks Android emulator for a while now. The reason is that I needed access to Android phone applications on my PC. Learning about Bluestacks and using it helped me have the same experience. However, suddenly Bluestacks could not start the engine on my Windows at home and Mac in the office.
Therefore, I sought a solution. To my surprise, the solutions were plenty.
To make the Bluestacks engine to start on Windows 10 and Mac, I had needed to:
- Use an older Windows version
- Change the graphics mode
- Disable anti-virus temporarily
- Uninstall and reinstall Bluestacks
I will show you in detail how I did this.
Before that, let’s talk about Bluestacks. Moreover, about some of its features.
Understanding the features allows us to know whether this android emulator is compatible with our Windows 10 PC or Mac.
Contents
What is Bluestacks?
Bluestacks is an Android emulator. Well, an Android emulator makes your Windows 10 or Mac to behave like an Android device. The result is that on the emulator, you get to run any Android application you want to use on your PC—just the same way as on your Android device.
Occasionally, the Bluestacks emulator engine may not start. One reason could be Bluestacks is not compatible with PC. Therefore, let’s quickly look at the minimum requirement required to install Bluestacks.
Bluestacks Recommended Requirements
- Microsoft Windows and Mac OS
- Intel and AMD Core Multi-Processor with a single thread(score over 1000)
- ATI/Nvidia/Intel graphics(score over 450)
- RAM of 8GB or higher
- An up to date graphics driver
- Fusion, Hybrid, or SSD HDD Drives
- Broadband Internet connection( just reliable internet)
Warning: Do not install BlueStacks App Player if you use a virtual machine like Oracle Virtualbox, VMWare Workstation, or Microsoft Virtual PC.
Well, if your PC meets the above requirements, solving the engine not starting in Bluestack error can be done as below.
1. Use an Older Windows OS version
At one time, my Bluestacks could not start after a Windows update. I learned that a BlueStacks engine might not begin to incase I was using a new windows version. The solution, therefore, might be to go back to the previous Windows OS.
Note; The limited number of days for reverting your Windows 10 to an older version is 10 days. After that, you may need to use another option.
Maybe uninstall and reinstall Bluestacks, I will touch on this later. So how do we revert to the old Windows version?
- Press hold Windows key and press I (This shortcut opens Settings)
- Click on Update and Security
- Click on Recovery on your left side
- Click “Get Started”(Located in the Go back to an earlier build)
Note: If the Get Started button is in grey, then you cannot revert to the previous OS version. In case the Get Started button works, then follow the rest of the instructions on your screen.
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Once the revert is done, re-open BlueStacks. If it fails to open, try changing the graphics mode.
Here’s how.
2. Change Bluestacks Graphics Mode
When you install Bluestacks it runs on an OpenGL engine(by default). I changed my graphics mode on one occasion and Bluestacks opened correctly. Tweaking these settings is easy.
1. Open Bluestacks
2. Click on Settings (Gear icon at the top)
3. Select Engine on the left panel
4. Choose DirectX
5. Then, let’s restart your PC.
Now, verify whether the Stacks engine can starts. Do not restart, try the same engine but change the Core number and implement RAM capacity settings. Click Restart now. Ascertain that Bluestacks start.
If this does not work, then we need to disable the antivirus program on your PC temporarily. Let’s do it.
3. Disable Antivirus Temporarily
Antivirus software is good for PC. If you have software like Avast do not be surprised if your Bluestacks on one occasion do not start. The reason is that Avast tends to see an autonomous Android emulator to pose a threat to PC security. To use your Bluestacks you may just need to temporarily stop antivirus. Here’s how I usually disable my Avast Temporarily.
Note: Do not disable Avast permanently. It is just for a while to check whether your BlueStacks will work with anti-virus disabled.
1. Right Click on Avast icon at the bottom of your screen( On Windows Systems Tray)
2. Place cursor on Avast Shield Control the drop-down menu opens
3. Choose”Disable for 10 minutes” or the one-hour option.
Note: This leaves your PC vulnerable for a short while. However, you get to check whether Avast prevents your Bluestacks from starting.
4. A popup “Do you want to continue” opens. Choose “Yes”
5. Re-launch your Bluestacks
Pro Tip: Choose a different antivirus software in case BlueStack starts correctly. In case the problem persists, turn your Avast back on. Then, try another solution.
This time let’s try to uninstall and reinstall our Bluestacks.
4. Uninstall and Reinstall Bluestacks
This is usually a last resort when everything fails. This method allows you to avoid any bugs that could be affecting Bluestacks in the background. So how do we go about this?
1. Close Bluestacks
2. Head to its icon, right-click it and click Quit
Another approach: Press Ctrl+ Alt+Del. This takes you to Taskmanager. From the list, choose Bluestacks and click End Task.
3. Once done, hold press Windows key and press R.
4. In the run box, type %Temp%, then press Enter
5. Now press and hold Ctrl and A
6. Now press the Delete key on the keyboard and type Yes to any popups that appear (This action clears your Temp folder)
7. Now Download the BlueStacks Uninstall from BlueStacks’ official site. Run the software. This software removes anything Bluestack related to your PC.
8. Now click Yes or OK.
The uninstall is complete. Now let’s move on to installing Bluestacks.
1. Go to BlueStacks’ official website. Download BlueStacks latest version.
Tip: The installation should be in safe mode. Therefore we need to Safe Boot.
2. Hold Press Windows+R (This opens the run box)
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3. Type “msconfig” and press Enter. Choose Boot
4. Select “Safe Boot”, then Minimal option. Click OK.
5. Click Restart on prompt (This brings you to safe mode)
6. Go to downloads. Run Bluestacks to install.
Tip: To run installed Bluestacks, get out of safe mode. Here’s how.
7. Use keyboard shortcut Windows+R. Type “msconfig.”Then press Enter.
8. Choose Boot and uncheck the Safe Boot tab.
9. Click and restart once prompted
10. Open Bluestacks. By now it should run properly. In case it fails to work, then you may need to check whether your PC has the minimum requirements required.
The solutions to BlueStacks engine not starting are numerous. The above should be able to get you started. If not, then you could revisit other available options. Good luck!
Summary :
BlueStacks enables Android applications to run on PCs. If you come across BlueStacks Engine won't start error on Windows 10/8/7, don't worry. This guide from MiniTool Software will show you how to fix the error step by step.
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BlueStacks is an Android emulator which enables you to play Android mobile games on your desktop PC. However, sometimes, when you try to start the BlueStacks on your PC, you may encounter the following error message:
Could not start the Engine
You can try restarting either the Engine or your PC.
When users encounter this error, they are unable to start the Engine and play Android games on their PC. How to fix the BlueStacks Engine won't start Windows 10 issue? Is there a reliable solution? Well, after analyzing several posts on how to fix BlueStacks Engine won't start issue, here I have summarized some top solutions that may get rid of the error.
If you don't know how to resolve BlueStacks Engine won't start problem on your PC, try the following solutions one by one.
Solution 1. Change Graphics Mode to DirectX
Normally, BlueStacks will choose the OpenGL as the default graphics mode. You can manually change the graphics mode from OpenGL to DirectX in engine settings of BlueStacks and then reboot the Bluestacks, which should help you to fix the BlueStacks Engine won't start issue.
If you don't know how to change graphics mode to DirectX, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Launch Bluestacks, and click on the options button on the top right corner which is next to the minimize and close buttons.
Step 2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Select Engine from the left pane and choose DirectX under Change graphics mode.
Step 4. Click the Restart button to reboot the BlueStacks. After rebooting, check to see if this gets rid of the BlueStacks Engine won't start error.
Start Engine Button
If this method doesn’t work for you, try the next one now.
Solution 2. Turn off Antivirus Software Temporarily
The BlueStacks Engine won't start issue could be caused by antivirus software due to software conflicts. So you'd better temporarily turn off the antivirus software on your PC.
You can simply right-click the antivirus software icon in the system tray, find and click the Disable option to disable the software for a short time. Then try starting BlueStacks and check if this can resolve BlueStacks Engine won't start error.
Is antivirus necessary for Windows 10/8/7 to keep your PC safe? Read this post to get the answer, and you can also know some ways to prevent malware.
Solution 3. Reinstall the BlueStacks
If the above methods don't work for you, you may need to try reinstalling the BlueStacks.
Follow the steps blew to start the reinstall now.
Step 1. Open Task Manager, right-click on Bluestacks-related process from the list and click on End Task.
Step 2. Press Windows + R keys on the keyboard to bring up the Run dialog box. Type %temp% into the Run box and hit Enter to open the temp folder.
Step 3. Select all the files in the temp folder, then right-click and choose the Delete button.
Step 4.Click here to download the BlueStacks uninstaller. Then run the uninstaller to completely remove Bluestacks. Follow the prompts to finish the uninstalling process.
Step 5. Then you can click here to download the latest BlueStacks version. Run the installer and follow the prompts to install it. When it is finished, click the Complete button.
Bluestacks Won T Start
After Bluestacks starts automatically, the BlueStacks Engine won't start error message should disappear from the software.
This article will show you some top solutions to fix Origin won't open issue. If you encounter Origin won't open issue, check out this post for solutions now.
Conclusion
Bluestacks Couldn't Start The Engine
After reading this post, now you should know how to fix the BlueStacks Engine won't start Windows 7/8/10 error on your PC. Which method works for you? Do you have better solutions? We are glad to have you share it with us.