How to fix AMD Radeon Software not working error on Windows

Users who need to fix AMD Radeon Software not working error cannot open that application and access its settings. Are you among those users? If so, you can fix AMD Radeon Software not opening on Windows PC using the resolutions below.

1. Run AMD Radeon Software with admin rights

Users often choose to run AMD Radeon Software without admin rights from the context menu. Instead, try running AMD Radeon Software as admin to see if that helps. You can do that by pressing the Windows + S button , entering AMD in the search box and selecting Run as administrator  for the AMD application found.

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If that works, permanently set AMD Radeon Software to run with admin rights. Refer to the steps in this article on always running applications with admin rights. However, note that you cannot set the AMD Radeon Software MS Store application to run permanently with admin rights.

2. End the RadeonSoftware process tree

First, check if Task Manager shows progress for AMD Radeon Software. If so then it means the app was running in the background. Terminating the process tree for AMD Radeon Software may then fix the problem. You can close the RadeonSoftware process tree like this:

1. Press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc to activate Task Manager.

2. Select the Details tab of Task Manager.

3. Search and right-click on RadeonSoftware.exe to select the End process tree option .

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4. Click the End process tree button to confirm.

3. Delete the CN folder

Corrupt profile data often causes AMD Radeon Software to stop working. You can fix that by deleting the CN folder containing Radeon profile data. Deleting that folder will rebuild the profile. Here's how you can delete the CN folder:

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows + R to access the Run dialog box.

2. Enter %appdata% into Run and click OK to access the Roaming folder.

3. Click AppData in Explorer's folder location bar.

4. Open the Local subfolder inside the AppData folder.

5. Click on the AMD folder to go inside it.

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6. Right-click the CN folder and select Delete.

Additionally, you can try deleting a specific file in the CN folder which some users have also confirmed works. To do that, open the CN folder to see its contents. Right click on the gmdb.blb file in that folder and select Delete .

4. Disable and re-enable AMD Radeon Graphics Adapter

Disabling and re-enabling the AMD graphics adapter is another potential solution that users claim can help get AMD Radeon Software up and running. You can disable and re-enable the AMD graphics adapter on your PC as follows:

1. First, open Device Manager (press Windows + X and select the shortcut for that tool).

2. Double-click the Display adapters category to expand it.

3. Right-click on the AMD Radeon graphics card to select Disable device .

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4. Click Yes when asked to confirm the selected option.

5. Wait a minute and right-click on the AMD Radeon graphics card again to select Enable device .

5. Update AMD graphics driver

Faulty or old AMD drivers on your PC may be the reason why Radeon software is not working. You can fix that by installing the latest AMD drivers for your PC's graphics card.

See TipsMake's guide to updating graphics drivers on Windows for more details on how to apply this potential fix.

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6. Restore the previous AMD driver installed on the PC

Sometimes buggy new graphics drivers are the cause of problems, which is why NVIDIA and AMD release hotfixes. If your PC already has the latest AMD drivers, restoring previously installed drivers may be a viable solution for some users.

You can do that by selecting the Roll Back Driver option , as mentioned in TipsMake's guide on how to restore graphics drivers on Windows.

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7. Set Windows 11/10 to Clean Boot

A conflicting background program can be another factor causing AMD Radeon not to open. The best way to fix this is to configure your PC for a clean boot and restart it. This will disable third-party applications and services from automatically starting with Windows.

To apply clean boot, you need to remove applications and services from the startup process using Task Manager and MSConfig. TipsMake's article on how to perform a clean boot on Windows includes specific instructions on how you can disable essential startup items. Restart your PC after disabling startup items and choosing to open AMD Radeon.

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8. Edit the CN registry key

Editing the CN registry key is the confirmed resolution to fix the 'Radeon Settings and Driver versions do not match' error message that some users see when they try to boot AMD Radeon. This registry fix involves entering a new value for the DriverVersion string in the CN key . These are the steps to apply this registry fix:

1. First, open the Display adapters category in Device Manager, as instructed for steps one and two in the fourth solution of this guide.

2. Click on the AMD graphics card with the right mouse button and select Properties .

3. Select Driver on the tab bar.

4. Drag the cursor over the driver number on that tab and press Ctrl + C to copy.

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5. Close the Device Manager tool and properties window.

Now, open Registry Editor on Windows before continuing.

1. Delete the registry address bar to enter the following key location there:

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREAMDCN

2. Double-click the DriverVersion string in the registry key CN .

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3. Clear the Value data box .

4. Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied driver version number into the Value data box .

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5. Select OK in the Edit String window.

9. Reinstall AMD Radeon Software

Reinstalling AMD Radeon Software can also fix various issues that prevent that application from starting. You can remove AMD Radeon using the Control Panel or Settings methods in TipsMake's Windows software uninstallation guide. Or you can use a third-party uninstaller application to remove the software and thoroughly remove its remnants.

To reinstall that app, open this Microsoft Store AMD Radeon Software page. Click the Install and Open in Microsoft Store button ; Select Get to install AMD Radeon Software.

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Lesley Montoya

Update 07 November 2023