How to Fix Epic Game Launcher’s LS-0013 Error on Windows

Sometimes the Epic Game Launcher has issues with booting up a game. Don't fret, however; there are ways to fix it.

Many players purchase, install and play Windows 11/10 games with the Epic Games Launcher, one of the best alternatives to Steam. However, if you encounter the Epic Launcher's LS-0013 error, you'll find that it will prevent you from playing games on the platform. Instead, you'll see a “Launch Failed” message with the error code LS-0013.

The LS-0013 error can arise for any games players try to start with Epic Games Launcher, be it Fortnite, Genshin Impact, Rocket League, etc. As such, here is how you can fix the LS-0013 error on Windows 10 or 11.

1. Run the Epic Games Launcher as an Administrator

First, make sure your Epic Games Launcher software has full admin access on your PC. If that gaming client doesn’t have administrative rights, it can’t access restricted parts of Windows.

You can configure Epic Games Launcher to always run with special admin permissions like this:

1. If you have a shortcut for Epic Games Launcher on your desktop, right-click it and select Properties. If not, you’ll need to right-click the EpicGamesLauncher.exe file in its installation folder (the default path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Binaries\Win32\) and select Properties.
2. Click Compatibility to access the options shown directly below.
   
3. Select the Run this program as administrator setting to enable full admin permissions for Epic Games Launcher.
4. Make sure you press the Apply button for saving settings.
5. Then click OK to exit the Epic Game Launcher Properties window.

Some games also have secondary third-party launchers. For example, BioShock has a 2K launcher that opens after selecting to launch the game with Epic Games Launcher. If you need to fix the LS-0013 error for a game with an additional launcher, make sure the other launcher also runs with admin rights as outlined above.

2. Disable Admin Privileges for Fortnite

This potential resolution is more specifically for fixing the LS-0013 error when it occurs with Fortnite. Surprising as it might sound, disabling (not enabling) Fortnite’s admin privileges is an official LS-0013 resolution from Epic.

Here is how you can disable admin rights for Fortnite:

1. Open Explorer to bring up the Fortnite installation folder (C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64 is the default path).
2. Right-click FortniteLauncher.exe and select the Properties context menu option.
3. Deselect the checkbox for Run this program as administrator on the Compatibility tab.
4. Select Apply and then OK at the bottom of the properties window.
5. Repeat the previous three steps for the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe, FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_BE.exe, and FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_EAC.exe files.

Users have also confirmed that disabling admin privileges can fix the LS-0013 error for other games. So, this resolution might be worth a try for any game error LS-0013 occurs. To apply that fix for other titles, you’ll need to follow the same steps above for different game installation folders and EXE files.

3. Verify the Game Files

The LS-0013 error message suggests that you verify the affected game’s installation. To do that, we're going to make use of the Epic Games Launcher’s "verify" option.

Here is how to verify a game within Epic Games Launcher:

1. Run the Epic Games Launcher gaming client.
2. Click Library to view your games.
3. Next, click the ellipses button for whatever game you need to fix the LS-0013 error.
4. Select Verify on the menu that opens.
   
5. Wait for the game’s verification process to finish before exiting Epic Games Launcher.

4. Clear the Epic Games Launcher Webcache Folder

Epic Games Launcher has a webcache folder that can cause the LS-0013 error when corrupted. Clearing a corrupted webcache folder will likely resolve the LS-0013 error for you.

You can clear the folder by deleting it like this:

1. First, press Win + X and select Run to bring up an Open text box.
2. Type %localappdata% within Run’s Open box.
3. Select OK to open a Local folder.
4. Click the EpicGamesLauncher > Saved folders within Explorer.
5. Right-click webcache within the Saved folder and select Delete.
   
6. Then restart Windows 11/10 after deleting the webcache folder.

5. Turn Off Any Active Firewalls

Firewalls can cause issues for starting games by blocking their connections. To ensure there aren’t any firewalls blocking Epic Games Launcher, or any of its gaming titles, try disabling them.

Here is how to disable the Windows Defender Firewall:

1. Bring up the Run dialog, and type control firewall.cpl within that app’s text box.
2. Click OK to view the Windows Defender Firewall applet.
3. Select the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off option to open settings for enabling/disabling WDF.
   
4. Click both the Turn off settings, and select OK to exit.
   

If you’ve got any third-party firewall installed, make sure you disable that with its built-in settings. Third-party antivirus software can also incorporate firewall components. So, some users might need to disable antivirus utilities’ firewalls as well.

If disabling firewalls resolves the LS-0013 error, it’s not recommended that you keep them off. Instead, make sure Epic Games Launcher and affected gaming titles are allowed through them. You can configure app settings for WDF by clicking Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall within that applet. Click Change Settings there to select the Private/Public checkboxes for Epic Games Launcher.

6. Disable Background Programs by Clean-Booting Windows

There might be a background app interfering with the Epic software on your PC that’s causing the LS-0013 error. To resolve such a possibility, you can disable background programs and services starting with Windows by cleaning booting.

You can set Windows to clean boot by adjusting the System Configuration's options like this:

1. To find MSConfig, click the search box (in Windows 10) or lens icon on your taskbar. Then input the keyword msconfig and select System Configuration to open it.
2. Uncheck Load startup items within MSConfig’s General tab to deselect that setting's checkbox.
   
3. Select Services to open that tab’s options.
4. Click Hide all Microsoft services to select the checkbox for that setting.
   
5. Then press Disable all to disable the other non-essential services for third-party programs.
6. Press the Apply button for saving selected settings.
7. Click OK to close System Configuration.
8. Select the Restart option available within the dialog box shown directly below.
   
9. Try launching the game for which LS-0013 occurs to see if it starts after clean booting.

If this possible resolution fixes the LS-0013 error, there probably was a background app or service conflicting with Epic Games Launcher. To identify what app it was, try manually re-enabling background programs one at a time via Task Manager’s Startup tab. You can do the same for services by reselecting their checkboxes within MSConfig’s Services tab.

7. Reinstall the Epic Games Launcher

If you’re still trying to fix the LS-0013 error after applying the above resolutions, try reinstalling Epic Games Launcher as a final resort. That will more likely resolve any deeper issues with the software’s installation than other resolutions.

Here is how to uninstall and reinstall Epic Games Launcher:

1. Open Windows’ uninstaller utility with a method in our guide for opening Program and Features.
2. Select your Epic Games Launcher software in Programs and Features.
3. Press the Uninstall button for Epic Games Launcher.
   
4. Click Yes to confirm that you want Epic Games Launcher uninstalled.
5. Reboot your PC.
6. Open the download webpage for Epic Games Launcher.
7. Click Download Epic Games Launcher to obtain the installer for that software.
   
8. Open whatever folder the EpicInstaller-13.3.0 setup file downloaded in.
9. Reinstall the Epic Games Launcher software by double-clicking the downloaded EpicInstaller-13.3.0 file.

Reinstalling Epic Games Launcher will not reinstall its games. If the LS-0013 error only occurs for one specific game, we also recommend that you try reinstalling that title. To do so, click the ellipsis button for the game in Epic Games Launcher to select Uninstall. Then you can reinstall the title with the gaming client.

Enjoy Your Epic Games Again

Those possible resolutions are widely confirmed methods for fixing the Epic Game Launcher LS-0013 error. Many users have fixed that issue with those resolutions, which will probably also resolve the same error on your PC. With the LS-0013 error fixed, you can launch, play, and enjoy your Epic game titles again.