Fix: Razer Synapse Not Opening

Razer Synapse is a software owned by Razer Inc. which allows users to rebind control or assign macros to any of Razer peripherals. It also has a feature that saves all your configurations in cloud-based storage. This makes it particularly easy to switch between configurations. It also has other features such as stats, heat maps, hardware configurator, etc.

Many people using this software reported that their Synapse stopped working after its update. It refused to pop up even when Razer devices were plugged into the system. This problem is very common and there are very simple steps for its fix. Take a look.

Solution 1: Reinstalling the Software

The most efficient and working solution to this problem was reinstalling the software after uninstalling it first from your computer. These folders are mainly hidden in your File Explorer so we need to make sure that you are logged in as administrator and have access to hidden files. We will make sure that there are no residual files when you install the latest software.

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box and press Enter. A new window will pop up consisting of all programs installed on your computer.
2. Perform the following actions for both Razer Synapse and Razer Core. Right-click on the application and select “Uninstall”.

3. Once you have uninstalled the application, press Windows + E to launch the file explorer. Navigate to the following location:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Razer

4. Since all the folders in this directory are hidden, we need to unhide them first. Click on the View tab present at the top of the screen and check “Hidden items”.

5. Delete all the files present in this folder location. A UAC might pop up confirming your actions, if prompted, select Yes. Also, delete all the files present in the following directory:

C:\ProgramData\Razer directories

Restart your computer after deleting the files.

6. Press Windows + R and type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box. Once in the device manager, expand the category of Razer device you are using. In this case, we select Keyboards. Right-click on the device and select “Uninstall device”.

7. A warning might flash in front of your screen asking you to confirm your actions. Click “Uninstall” and make sure you check the option “Delete the driver software for this device”.

Carry out the same procedure for all Razer devices installed on your computer. If you are in doubt about some device, just uninstall it. After uninstalling (and deleting all the drivers), restart your computer. Your computer will automatically install the default drivers stored for these devices.

Note: Make sure to unplug all devices when you are restarting the computer.

8. Turn off all firewall/antivirus applications. You check our article on disabling Windows Firewall. We are doing this to avoid all conflicts when installing the new software on your computer.
9. Now install the latest version of Microsoft .NET Framework from its official website. Reboot your computer after installing the framework to implement all the changes.
10. Now download the Razer Synapse from its official website and install the package. After installing, check if it opens correctly. Although Razer Synapse should automatically download when you plug in Razer products, you can also download it from its website.

Note: Make sure that you are logged in as an administrator throughout the process. Furthermore, if the problem still persists, you can try not logging into your existing Razer account. Select the option of “New Account” and start fresh.

Solution 2: Disabling Razer SurroundRazer

Surround considered a feature of Razer Synapse which enhances the sound quality whenever you are playing games. However, many users recently reported that it was because of this module their Synapse failed to load/open/disappeared from the tray. We can use a workaround to solve this issue.

1. Carry out steps 1-5 from Solution 1 (uninstalling Synapse and deleting the residual files).
2. Download Razer Synapse software using the official website. Download it to an accessible location.
3. Install the software. After the installation, log into your account and let Synapse connect to the internet.

When the feature update pops up, ignore it. Cancel it. We are not updating the software at this point. Now wait till Synapse shows a picture like this:

4. After it is done installing completely and fetching data from the internet, two notifications will appear on the top-left side:

• Razer Surround
• Synapse Update

5. Click on “Razer Surround” on that notification and then immediately cancel. Do not in any case update/upgrade/install Razer Surround as it is considered to be the core of the problem in this case.

6. After canceling the surround, you can update the Synapse software by clicking the “Synapse Update” notification.
7. Restart your computer after the update is complete and check if the problem is solved.

Note: You can also try running the software in compatibility mode and check.

Note for CS: GO players: Razer Synapse can block CS: GO from launching correctly in some cases. In this case, only launch Synapse after CS: GO is fully launched using the Steam client.

Solution 3: Install the latest Windows updates

Windows roll out important updates targeting the bug fixes in the operating system. If you are holding back and not installing the Windows update, we strongly recommend that you do. Windows 10 is the latest Windows operating system and new operating systems take a lot of time to get perfect in every regard.

1. Press the Windows + S button to launch your start menu’s search bar. In the dialogue box type “Windows update”. Click the first search result which comes forward.

2. Once in the update settings, click on the button which says “Check for updates”. Now Windows will automatically check for updates available and install them. It may even prompt you for a restart.
3. After updating, restart your computer and check if your issue got fixed.

Solution 4: Waiting for Update to Process

There have been some instances where the user has to click on the Razer Synapse Executable more than one time and wait for at least 5 to 10 minutes for it to open properly. The reason behind this is mostly because the software gets into the process of an update and you have to wait for some time before it is able to contact its servers and apply that update. Therefore, if Razer Synapse isn’t opening for you, it is best to wait for it to update and click a couple of times before you move on.

Solution 5: Installing an Older Version

Sometimes device updates might break the software instead of improving it and this can also affect Razer Synapse where recent updates might break the software and it might not open properly. Therefore, in this step, we will first be uninstalling the already installed software and then install an older one which get its functionality back.

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt and type in “appwiz.cpl”.

   

2. Press Enter to launch the app management window and scroll through until you find the “Razer Synapse” program on the list.
3. Right-click on this program and select “Uninstall” to remove it from your computer.

   

4. Follow the on-screen prompts to remove the program completely.
5. Make sure to do the same for Razer Core and any other Razer program that you might’ve installed on your computer.
6. Make sure to also clear out the Razer Directories folder as indicated in the first solution.
7. Also, we will have to uninstall the device driver for the Razer device that you are using before we can move on towards installing the older version.
8. Press ‘Windows” + “R” to launch the run prompt and type in “devmgmt.msc” to launch the device manager.

   

9. Expand the category in which your Razer Device fits and right-click on the device itself.
10. Select “Uninstall Device” from the list to remove the driver for the Razer device as well.
11. Now, download the Razer Synapse older version from here.
12. After the download finishes, click on the executable to initiate the installation.
13. Follow the on-screen instructions to install this device on your computer and check to see if the issue still persists.

Solution 6: Alternate Installation

The issue can sometimes be fixed by following an approach of Alternate installation in which we install Razer Surround first instead of Razer Synapse and then install Razer Synapse when it comes attached to the Razer Surround installation. This can help clear the faulty executable issues out of the way and it might fix this issue. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt and type in “appwiz.cpl”.

   

2. Press Enter to launch the app management window and scroll through until you find the “Razer Synapse” program on the list.
3. Right-click on this program and select “Uninstall” to remove it from your computer.

   

4. The setup will now guide you on removing the software from your computer.
5. Make sure to do the same for Razer Core and any other Razer program that you might’ve installed on your computer.
6. Also, clear out the Razer Directories using the first solution mentioned in this article.
7. We will also be uninstalling the device driver fo the Razer device that we are using on our computer.
8. Press ‘Windows” + “R” to launch run and type in “devmgmt.msc” to run the Device Management window.
9. Expand the category of the Razer Device that you are using and right-click on your device.
10. Click on the “Uninstall Device” option in the list to remove the driver for the Razer device.

    

11. Now that we have uninstalled the previous drivers and software, we can move on towards installing Razer Synapse in the alternate way that we mentioned.
12. Download Razer Surround from here and run the downloaded executable.
13. Once you run it, it should also prompt you to install Razer Synapse along with the Surround software.
14. Accept everything and let it update and install new files on your computer.
15. Once installed, in the same manner as above, uninstall Razer Surround but don’t remove Razer Synapse.
16. This should fix the issue, make sure to check if this alternate way of installation eliminates the error for you.

Solution 7: Hold Out on the Update

Another workaround that can be applied in this situation is to prevent the Razer Synapse installer from updating when it first starts up. Therefore, in this step, we will be closing out of the update the first time around and get around to updating it after that. For that:

1. After you have finished installing Razer Synapse 2 on your computer, it will start to update itself.
2. Press “Windows” + “R” and type in “taskmgr” to launch the task manager.

   

3. In the processes tab, click on the Razer update manager and select the “End Task” button to cancel out of the updating process.

   

4. Now, wait for some time and startup the Synapse software.
5. The software will now ask you to update and you can accept the update.
6. Once the update has been applied, check to see if the issue still persists on your computer.

Solution 8: Deleting Some Files

In some cases, the glitch can be fixed by reinitializing the Razer files. This can get rid of any corruption or misconfiguration issues with the Razer files and help us in eliminating the Razer Synapse not opening error. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “E” to open the File Explorer.

   

2. In the File Explorer, navigate to the following location.

   C:\Program Files(x86)\Razer

3. This location can vary if you have selected a custom location for the software install.
4. Select everything inside of this folder instead of the “RzSynapse.exe”.
5. Delete the selected files and confirm the prompt to delete it.
6. Double click on the “RzSynapse.exe” and it should automatically replace all these deleted files after startup.
7. Check and see if the issue persists after doing this.

Solution 9: Closing out of Synapse Processes

In some cases, the background Synpase processes can prevent the Synapse application from running correctly. Therefore, in this step, we will first close these processes from the Task Manager and then run it. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt and type in “taskmgr”.
2. Click on the “Processes” tab and then click on the Synapse Running in the background.
3. Click on the “End Task” button to eliminate these processes.

   

4. Right-click on the “Synapse” application and then select the “Run as Administrator” option.
5. Check and see if doing so has fixed the issue with your software.

Solution 10: Installing Missing Drivers

It is possible that some third-party drivers might be missing on your computer due to which Razer Synapse is unable to open. Therefore, in this step, we will be using a third-party application to install the missing drivers. For that:

1. Download Driver Easy on your computer.

   

2. Run the downloaded executable and install the software on your computer.
3. Run the check and see if there are any missing drivers on your computer.
4. Install these missing drivers and then install them either manually or automatically using the Software.
5. After installing all the missing drivers, check to see if the issue still persists.