DS4Windows Not Working? Here’s What to Do

DS4Windows might not work on your PC or laptop because of a number of reasons. You can troubleshoot the issue and try the following fixes to resolve the problem. 

Update Your Windows

DS4Windows is constantly updated. So, it might not be working with your current Windows version because your Windows is not updated.

Check to see if updates are available for Windows. Updating your Windows will resolve the issue. 

Install or Update All the Required Drivers

If you don’t have all the prerequisites installed, then DS4Windows will not work on your system. Make sure you have the following installed and updated to the latest version.

• Microsoft .NET 6.0.6 Runtime Desktop.
• Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable.
• ViGEmBus driver
• Microsoft 360 Driver

Most of these drivers are installed by default on Windows 10 and 11. If some of these drivers are not installed, DS4Windows will give you a prompt to install them when you are installing the software. 

Some users have reported that the .NET runtime doesn’t resolve the issue. If that is the case on your system too, then you should install the .NET SDK version. 

Make Sure DS4Windows Folder isn’t Write-Protected

Never install DS4Windows in a write-protected folder. A write-protected folder requires higher privileges to be able to save and edit data. So, if you have installed DS4Windows in such a folder, it might not be working because of that issue. 

Windows folders, Program Files, and sometimes Desktops are considered write-protected folders. 

You can install this software in any other folder to prevent this issue. 

Inspect Log and Windows Event Viewer

DS4Windows log is responsible for issuing important warnings when there is a problem. So, you must locate and inspect the log to find out the problem. 

The log is most commonly located in two places. You should check out both of them and inspect the log that is latest. 

Find log and windows event viewer in the following locations:

• DS4Windows Main Folder
• DS4Windows Folder inside App Data Folder

There can be a number of issues listed in that directory that are preventing your DS4Windows from starting. 

Here are a few of them:

1. ViGEmBus is not installed

While inspecting DS4Windows and Event Log, if you come across the message that ViGEmBus is not installed, then you must verify it is working properly. 

If the driver is not working, then you must uninstall it, perform a full clean-up and then install it again. Learn How to install/remove page (ViGEmBus) .

Normally, DS4Windows installs this driver automatically. But if there is a problem with it, you might have to download it and install it manually. 

2. Winmgmt failed or not found

Windows Management Interface failed to run or was not found by DS4Windows may also prevent its launch. You can solve this issue by repairing the Windows installation or by running Win OS “WMI repository repair” commands.

Repairing your windows using a Microsoft Windows Installation media will resolve this issue. 

3. ScpVBus driver installed

The ScpVBus is an older version of ViGEmBus. So, if you have it installed on your system, then it might prevent the starting up of DS4Windows. 

Most of the time, the program ignores the ScpVBus driver, because it is outdated. But sometimes, it can cause an issue.

So, you must properly uninstall this software and remove all traces of its presence from your system. You might need to access a detailed guide in order to fully remove this driver. 

4. “Visual-C++ 2017 runtime libraries” Not Found

ViGEmBus driver requires Visual-C++ 2017 runtime libraries to run. You will need the x64-bit version of the drivers. 

So, if you don’t have these drivers, then you must download and install them. 

Make Sure User Data Isn’t Corrupted

One of the reasons why the DS4Windows isn’t opening or working is the corruption of User Data. 

You can easily detect user data corruption by turning DS4Windows off, then backing up the user data, and then erasing.

If after erasing the user data, the program works normally, it means the user data was corrupted. 

You can copy each file of user data one by one back into the DS4Windows folder to find out which file is corrupted and causing the problem.

You’re Running MSI Afterburner and/or MSI RTSS RivaTuner

The WPF version of DS4Windows is not compatible with MSI Afterburner and MSI RTSS RivaTuner. So, they might be the primary cause of your software not launching. 

You can resolve the issue by opening the RTSS application and then altering some settings. Add the DS4Windows.exe file to the RTSS application list and add the set app option as “Application Detection Level=NONE”. 

Doing this will resolve the issue quickly and you will be able to run the DS4Windows program. 

Frequently Asked Questions