iRacing Graphics Config Won't Launch: How to Fix It

The iRacing graphics configuration is the small window that sets up the sim for your graphics card and screen. When it will not open, or opens and cannot save, the cause is almost always on the Windows side: iRacing is not allowed to write its files.

Here are the fixes, in the order I would try them. Every step comes from iRacing's own support articles, which I read on 8 October 2026. The order is mine: quickest and least destructive first.

Why the graphics config will not launch

The graphics config writes its result to a file in your Documents folder. iRacing keeps one file per display type, in:

C:\Users\your name\Documents\iRacing

If Windows, an antivirus or OneDrive stops iRacing from writing there, the config cannot do its job. That is why the first three fixes are all about that folder.

The other causes are the ones behind any failed launch: a broken graphics driver, a damaged configuration file, the anti-cheat, or another program getting in the way.

Fix 1: turn off Controlled folder access

This is a Windows security feature that blocks programs from changing files in protected folders. Documents is one of them.

iRacing's article on the unable to save player options error gives the path:

1. Open Windows Settings.
2. Go to Virus & threat protection.
3. Open Virus & threat protection settings.
4. Scroll to Controlled folder access and click Manage Controlled folder access.
5. Make sure it is off.

Then try the sim again. For a lot of people this is the whole fix.

A note from me: Controlled folder access exists to stop ransomware. If you want to keep it on, Windows lets you add single programs to an allowed list in the same screen. iRacing's article only describes turning it off, so I cannot tell you which iRacing files to allow.

Fix 2: let apps use your Documents folder

Same article, next step. Windows has a privacy switch that decides whether apps can reach the Documents library.

1. Right click the Windows icon on the taskbar and open Settings.
2. Type Documents in the search box.
3. Choose "Allow access to documents library on this device".
4. Make sure the switches are on.

Fix 3: stop OneDrive backing up Documents

iRacing support is blunt here. Their article on OneDrive backups says that backing up the Documents\iRacing folder to OneDrive consistently causes issues.

What to do:

1. Open the OneDrive settings and go to the backup options. iRacing links to Microsoft's own guide for this.
2. Turn the Documents toggle off.
3. Confirm.

How to check it worked: iRacing says to look at the file path under Settings, About in the iRacing UI. If the path still has OneDrive in it, the folder is still redirected.

In that case they recommend putting Documents back in its default place. Right click the Documents folder, open Properties, and click Restore Default.

The sim won't load guide adds one more line on the same theme: do not keep the Documents folder on another drive. iRacing expects it at the Windows default on C.

One thing to know. An older iRacing article tells you to do the opposite and switch OneDrive on for Documents. The newer article says turn it off, and so does the troubleshooting guide. I would follow the newer one.

Fix 4: delete the renderer file and let the config run again

If the folder is writable and the config still does not come up, make the sim ask for it again.

iRacing keeps one renderer file per display type. Their article on graphics device selection names the pattern, and the memory article names the monitor file:

Delete the file for the display you use, then launch the sim on that display. iRacing says the graphics config should appear.

I would move the file to the desktop and not delete it. If the fix does nothing, you can put it back.

Fix 5: rename the Documents\iRacing folder

This is the bigger version of fix 4.

iRacing's sim won't load guide says files in the iRacing documents folder can stop the sim from loading, sometimes after a hardware change. Their fix: rename the folder from iRacing to iRacingbackup. On the next launch the sim builds every configuration file again from zero.

Did you change your graphics card or your screen just before the problem started? Then go to this one early.

Your setups, replays and paints sit in that same folder. They are not gone, they are in iRacingbackup. Once the sim runs, copy back what you need. I would copy the setups, paints and replays and leave the ini files behind, because one of those is probably what broke.

Fix 6: clean install the graphics driver

This is step 1 in iRacing's own guide. I put it later only because it takes longer than flipping a Windows switch.

Their reasoning: driver bugs cause all kinds of problems, and a Windows update can break a driver that was fine the day before.

Their clean install article explains the option for each brand:

• NVIDIA. Pick the Custom (Advanced) install, then tick Perform a clean installation.
• AMD. Tick Factory Reset (Optional) in the installer.

Both reset the per game settings stored in the driver. If you have custom profiles for other games, you will set those again.

Fix 7: reinstall the anti-cheat

The sim starts its anti-cheat before anything else. iRacing's guide says that if loading stops at 0%, the anti-cheat is the thing to reinstall.

Their anti-cheat article gives the file to run. It is called InstallEOSAntiCheat.bat and it sits in the EasyAntiCheat folder of your install:

Double click the file. The article also asks you to check that iRacing is not installed in two places on the same PC.

Fix 8: close other programs and unplug devices

Two steps from the same guide.

Third party programs. Antivirus, firewalls and overlays can interfere with the launch. Switch them off, then try again. If it works, turn them back on one at a time until you find the one.

Devices. Unplug everything except the mouse and keyboard: wheel, pedals, headphones, VR headset. Launch the sim. If it loads, plug things back in one by one until it fails again.

It is slow. It is also the only way to find a device problem without guessing.

Fix 9: run the Visual C++ installers

For the "simulator didn't launch for unknown reason" message, iRacing has a separate article.

1. Update Windows.
2. Open the msvc folder in your iRacing install. By default that is C:\Program Files (x86)\iRacing\msvc.
3. Run vcredist_vc2015_x64.exe and try the sim.
4. Still failing? Run the other installers in that folder. If one asks to Repair, Uninstall or Close, iRacing says choose Close.

Is it the graphics card itself?

Sometimes the config does not run because iRacing cannot find a card it can use.

iRacing's article on the insufficient graphics message lists the usual reasons:

• No dedicated graphics card. Integrated graphics cannot run the sim.
• Monitor in the wrong port. The cable has to go into the graphics card, not into the motherboard's video output.
• Laptop on the wrong chip. Set the hybrid graphics option in the maker's software so the dedicated card is used, plug into wall power and use the highest power plan.

If you are not sure your PC is up to it, the numbers are on my iRacing system requirements page.

Sessions that stop at 90%: check the memory lines

This one is not the graphics config failing to open. It is what happens after, when the values in the renderer file do not match your hardware.

iRacing's memory article says that when a session fails at 90% of the load, the memory given to the sim is likely wrong.

The two lines are in the [Graphics Options] section of the renderer file:

• SysMemToUseMB. System memory for the sim, in MB.
• VidMemToUseMB. Video memory for the sim, in MB.

iRacing recommends setting both about 20% below what your PC really has. On 16 GB of RAM that is roughly 13,100 MB. On a card with 8 GB it is roughly 6,500 MB. The sums are mine.

Open the file with Notepad, change the numbers, save it under the same name and restart the sim.

The same article explains a related symptom: blurry car paints, a blurry wheel display or blurry trackside boards mean the graphics settings ask for more memory than the sim has been given. Raise the two values or lower the settings. My iRacing graphics settings page covers which ones to lower first.

Still stuck: what to send iRacing support

Before you write, open Reliability Monitor. Type the name in the Start menu. It is part of Windows and it lists the errors of the last two weeks. Look at the time the sim failed. It often names the program or driver that crashed.

Then write to support@iracing.com. Their guide asks for:

• A description of the problem.
• Any recent .dmp and .log files from your Documents\iRacing folder.
• A dxdiag report. Type dxdiag.exe in the Start menu, wait for the progress bar, then click Save All Information.
• Whatever you found in Reliability Monitor.

Send all of it in the first message. It saves you a round of questions.

If you race in a headset, the display setup has its own traps. Those are on my iRacing VR page.

FAQ

Why won't iRacing let me launch the graphics configuration?

Most often because Windows is blocking iRacing from writing to the Documents folder. Turn Controlled folder access off, allow apps to use Documents and stop OneDrive backing that folder up.

How do I run the iRacing graphics config again?

Delete the renderer ini file for your display in Documents\iRacing, for example rendererDX11Monitor.ini, and launch the sim. iRacing says the graphics config should appear.

Where is the iRacing renderer ini file?

In C:\Users\your name\Documents\iRacing. The monitor file is rendererDX11Monitor.ini. Each VR runtime has its own file.

Does OneDrive cause problems with iRacing?

Yes, according to iRacing support. Their article says backing up Documents\iRacing to OneDrive consistently causes issues, and tells you to switch the Documents backup off.

Is it safe to rename the Documents\iRacing folder?

Yes. Nothing is deleted. The sim builds a new folder with fresh configuration files, and your old setups, paints and replays stay in the renamed one.

Why does iRacing stop loading at 0%?

iRacing's guide points to the anti-cheat. Run InstallEOSAntiCheat.bat in the EasyAntiCheat folder of your install.

Why does iRacing stop loading at 90%?

iRacing says the memory given to the sim is likely wrong. Check SysMemToUseMB and VidMemToUseMB in the renderer file and set them about 20% below your real RAM and video memory.

Can iRacing run on integrated graphics?

No. iRacing support says integrated or onboard graphics are not capable of running the sim.

How do I contact iRacing support?

Write to support@iracing.com with a description, your recent .dmp and .log files and a dxdiag report.