How to Fix Kodi won’t Open Error on Windows?

When Kodi fails to open on Windows, it’s usually a sign that something has gone wrong. This problem often appears after users have updated Windows or Kodi to the latest version or after they have installed certain add-ons. This problem is also related to freezing problems when trying to exit Kodi and a bunch of other little issues.

There have been several methods people used to resolve this problem. We decided to gather the ones which have helped them the most and gather them in an article. Good luck in following the methods below!

What Causes Kodi to not Open on Windows?

When Kodi fails to open, you can often blame many things. However, it’s possible to shrink down the list of possible causes and use the list to determine which of the solutions below might help your case. Check out the list of causes below!

Solution 1: Reinstall Kodi

The problem is often related to a bug which is common to the version of Kodi you have installed on your computer. Installing the latest version of Kodi or simply performing a clean reinstall of the latest version can really do wonders and resolve this problem immediately. Make sure you try it out below!

1. Click the Start menu button at the lower left part of your screen and open Control Panel by searching for it. Alternatively, you can click the cog icon in order to open Settings if you are a Windows 10 user.
2. Inside Control Panel, select to View as – Category at the top right corner and click on Uninstall a Program under the Programs section.

3. If you are using the Settings app on Windows 10, clicking on Apps should immediately open a list of all installed apps and programs on your computer.
4. Locate Kodi in any of the lists you might have opened and click on Uninstall.
5. Its uninstall wizard should open so follow the instructions to uninstall it.

6. Click Finish when the uninstaller completes the process and restart your computer to see whether the opening issues still appear.

After this, you will need to delete Kodi’s data left behind on your computer by following the set of steps below:

1. Navigate to the following location on your computer by opening the Windows Explorer and clicking on This PC:

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Kodi

2. If you are unable to see the AppData folder, you may need to turn on the option which enables you to view hidden files and folders. Click on the “View” tab on File Explorer’s menu and click on the “Hidden items” checkbox in the Show/hide section. File Explorer will show the hidden files and will remember this option until you change it again.

3. Delete the contents of the Kodi folder in the Roaming folder. If you receive a message saying that some files couldn’t have been deleted because they were in use, try exiting Kodi and ending its process in Task Manager.

Make sure you download the latest version from this link. Run the file you just downloaded and follow the instructions on-screen in order to install it. Check to see if the problem still appears!

Solution 2: Deleting add-on File

There is a file which keeps track of which addons you have added to the Kodi program. If the opening problem started because of an addon you have added recently, deleting a certain Kodi file should get Kodi to open and you will be available to remove the addon and continue using Kodi properly! Follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the following location on your computer by opening the Windows Explorer and clicking on This PC icon from the left side menu:

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Kodi\userdata\Database

2. If you are unable to see the AppData folder, you may need to turn on the option which enables you to view hidden files and folders. Click on the “View” tab on File Explorer’s menu and click on the “Hidden items” checkbox in the Show/hide section. File Explorer will show the hidden files and will remember this option until you change it again.

3. Delete the Addons27.db folder in the Database folder. If you receive a message saying that some files couldn’t have been deleted because they were in use, try exiting Kodi and ending its process in Task Manager.
4. Make sure that the folders are completely deleted and that there are no more remaining files in it. Check to see if the Kodi problem still appears after restarting your computer!

Solution 3: End Kodi Processes in Task Manager

If there are some leftover Kodi processes running from the previous session, double-clicking the Kodi icon won’t open it as the program is fooled that it’s already running at it prevents it from being opened twice. That is why you should end any running Kodi processes in Task Manager before checking to see whether the problem still persists.

1. Use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination by pressing the keys at the same time to open the Task Manager utility.
2. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl + Alt + Del key combination and select Task Manager from the popup blue screen which will appear with several options. You can also search for it in the Start menu.

3. Click on More details at the bottom left part of the window in order to expand Task Manager and search for any Kodi related entries. They should be located right under Background processes or Apps. Select each entry and choose the End task option from the lower right part of the window.
4. Check to see if the problem still appears when trying to open Kodi.

Solution 4: Reset Kodi

If all of the above has failed to produce any viable results, then your last resort is to simply reset Kodi and start over from the beginning. This will cause data loss but the problem should be fully resolved after you are done with this method. Follow the steps below in order to reset Kodi!

1. Open Kodi by double-clicking its shortcut from the Desktop or by searching for it in the Start menu and clicking the result which will appear.
2. When the Kodi home menu opens, navigate to the top left part of the window and look for the cog icon below the Kodi logo.

3. Click on it and choose System from the next screen. Navigate to the Add-ons tab and make sure you set the slider next to Unknown sources to ON. Confirm any dialog prompts you to receive.
4. Navigate back to Settings and open File manager. Click on Add source and type the following and name it something like “repo” or similar before clicking OK.

   http://dimitrology.com/repo

5. Head back to Settings >> Add-ons and choose the Install from zip file Locate the “repo” folder and look for the “plugin.video.freshstart-1.0.5.zip” entry in the list. Select it and choose OK.
6. After it’s installed, locate it from the home screen >> Add-ons and open it. You will be prompted to reset Kodi to default settings. Make sure you accept.

7. You will be notified when the process is complete. You should restart your computer or restart Kodi in order to apply the changes. Check to see if further problems occur!