In this tutorial, learn how to fix MSI Afterburner not working in Windows 10 PC.
MSI Afterburner is probably one of the most popular and most recognized overclocking programs for Windows. However, many users have reported that that MSI Afterburner not working on their Windows PC or Laptop. It may not be launching at all or it might not be able to adjust the clock speed of your devices. In other cases, it’s the in-game overlay that’s not working for any games.
MSI Afterburner not working
See also: How to fix MSI Afterburner won’t display CPU temperature
Why is MSI Afterburner not working?
Here are the list of causes that can prevent MSI Afterburner from working on Windows 10 properly.
- Some different overlay tools running on your PC : When multiple overlays work at the same time, errors are bound to ruin everything. The most common culprits are certainly NVIDIA or Steam overlays which need to be turned off for MSI Afterburner’s overlay to work normally.
- Onboard graphics card : When you’re having issues overclocking using MSI Afterburner, consider turning the integrated graphics card off in BIOS in order to switch all graphics handling to your external graphics card.
Method 1. Disable Steam Overlay
This is the best solution to try out if the in-game overlay offered by MSI Afterburner is not working properly. Having various overlays running at the same time is a bad idea and you need to disable one of them. Here are the steps to disable Steam Overlay on your Windows PC.
1. Open Steam by searching for it in the Start menu or double-clicking its entry on your Desktop.
2. Go to the Library tab in the Steam window, and find the problematic game in the list of the games you own in your library.
3. Right-click the game’s entry in the library and select the Properties option from the context menu which should appear. In the General tab, uncheck the “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game” option.
4. Accept the changes you have made and see to check if MSI Afterburner overlay works while playing the game!
Now you can try launching the game. See to check if MSI Afterburner overlay works while playing the game.
Method 2. Disable NVIDIA Overlay
NVIDIA Overlay is yet another overlay that might mess up MSI Afterburner so consider turning of it to resolve the problem. Here are the steps to disable NVIDIA Overlay:
See more: How to Hide NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience In-Game Overlay Icons
1. Launch GeForce Experience.
2. Click the Settings icon on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Under the General tab, turn off Share toggle to disable the NVIDIA Overlay. In some devices, it may be named IN-GAME OVERLAY.
4. Apply the changes, close, and try launching the game. See to check if MSI Afterburner overlay works during playing the game.
Method 3. Reinstall Afterburner’s Latest Version
If MSI Afterburner isn’t working properly on your Windows PC, you should consider uninstalling the version currently installed on your PC and then reinstalling to the latest one.
There are several ways to do that, but the most effective one is to use an uninstaller software such as Your Uninstaller. Your Uninstaller is a special application that can remove any application, including all its files and registry entries.
When the uninstaller completes the process, restart your computer.
After that, download MSI Afterburner again from this source.
Re-install MSI Afterburner and check if MSI Afterburner is working properly.
Method 4. Add the Game and Set the Detection Level to High
If RivaTuber/MSI Afterburner is not working properly on your PC for a specific game, you should consider adding the game’s executable manually and setting the application detection level to high. To do that, follow these steps below:
1. Launch RivaTuner.
2. When its main window appears, click the plus button at the bottom-left part of the window and navigate to the game’s executable.
3. After that, look for it in the list and select it. Check the right side for the Application detection level Make sure you set this option to high.
Now you can try to run the game and check if MSI Afterburner works properly now.
Method 5. Disable the Integrated Graphics Card
Turning off the onboard graphics card on your PC can resolve the overclocking problems with MSI Afterburner. To disable the Onboard Integrated Graphics, follow these steps below:
You may also like: How to Disable Integrated Graphics Card
1. Restart your computer and then try to enter the “Setup” or “BIOS” settings by pressing the BIOS key as the system is about to start. On most computers, the BIOS key is shown on the boot screen, saying “Press __ to enter Setup”. The usual BIOS keys are Del, F1, F2, F10, and more.
2. Navigate to Advanced Menu, go to Chipset Configuration Menu > Internal Graphics Menu.
3. Set the Internal Graphics Mode to Disable or select PEG/PCI instead of Auto or IGFX. (IGFX means the onboard graphics).
If you also have a Multi Monitors option set this to disable.
4. Once complete save your settings and check to see if the issue persists.
Hope something helps you.
