iCUE Not Opening

Corsair is one of the largest PC Component and peripheral manufacturers. You can get DRAM Modules, PSUs, Cases, Cooling solutions, and several other products from Corsair. Whether you are a gamer, streamer, or content creator, Corsair has a large catalog of hardware. If you use products from Corsair, then chances are you also use their special software, iCUE. It offers deeper customization of different parameters such as Fan Speeds, Mouse, DPI, and of course, RGB Lighting Control. Despite being a simple and user-friendly software, it has a fair share of problems, one being iCUE not opening at all.

In this guide, we will talk briefly about iCUE Software. After that, we will take a look at some common reasons for iCUE not opening. Finally, we will list some troubleshooting solutions to fix the problem.

A Brief Note On Corsair’s ‘iCUE’

If you are into building custom PCs, then chances are you already heard of or used some products from Corsair in your build. They are one of the reputable and popular brands that develop a wide variety of PC Hardware and Peripherals.

Apart from the CPU and Motherboard, Corsair produces essentially all the PC-related hardware such as DRAM, SSD, PSU, CPU – GPU – Case Cooling, Cases, Mice, Keyboard, RGB Lighting, etc.

Corsair is constantly working and improving its product line-up and one such important product from Corsair is iCUE.

Unlike its other products, which are some sort of hardware, the iCUE is special software that helps in customizing the hardware. iCUE is short for Corsair Utility Engine.

Do you have RAM, CPU Cooler, or Case Cooler from Corsair? If it has RGB Lighting (it most certainly will have), then the iCUE helps you control the RGB Lighting of those devices.

Is RGB Lighting the only service from iCUE? No. iCUE has a lot more tricks up its sleeve. You can monitor the Temperature and set up fan curves as per the temperature of the system.

Apart from these, you can adjust the DPI Settings of the Corsair Mouse, modify the sound settings of the Speakers, and Monitor System Parameters and Performance.

Corsair also integrated some third-party products into the iCUE Software. One popular “outside” product is ASUS Motherboards.

You can synchronize the RGB Lighting on an ASUS Motherboard with the rest of the system.

You can also easily upgrade the firmware of several Corsair products using the iCUE Software.

Why Is ‘iCUE’ Not Opening?

While Corsair’s iCUE Software is a very useful tool for customizing, adjusting, and monitoring several system-related parameters, there are numerous issues with this software.

Many Corsair iCUE users reported problems with the software. One such problem, that many users faced is iCUE not opening at all.

There are several reasons why iCUE Software won’t open in your system. If the software-related files are corrupt, then the iCUE will not open or work properly.

If you are using any Antivirus Software, then there is a chance that it is preventing the iCUE Software from loading or opening.

Another possibility is that a system update or software update is causing issues with the iCUE Software and not opening.

If your system has more than one RGB Software (or similar customizing software), then also there can be a problem.

As both the software are trying to control the same hardware, this can lead to “confusion” between the two software, and as a result, the iCUE Software will not open.

There might be some other reasons or issues for iCUE not opening such as startup settings, changes in hardware, etc.

How To Fix ‘iCUE’ Not Opening Problem?

It is really frustrating when your favorite software doesn’t open or gives issues. Many Corsair users, who installed the iCUE Software to customize settings, cannot open it. Let us now see how to fix the “iCUE not opening” problem using simple troubleshooting tips and tricks.

a. Repair ‘iCUE’ Software

If there is a problem with the iCUE Software, either with the system files or during installation, then iCUE will not open or work properly. A simple solution is to try and repair the software.

First, you need to open a list of programs in your system. There are a couple of ways you can do this. The simplest way is to press the Windows key and R Key together (Win + R) to open the “Run” window.

In that, type “appwiz.cpl” and click on OK. This will open the “Programs”. Another way to open is through the Control Panel.

In Control Panel, if the view is “Category”, then click on “Uninstall a program” under the “Programs” section.

But if the view is “Large” or “Small” icons, then click on “Programs and Features”. Here, you can see a list of all the programs in your System.

Look for the Corsair iCUE Software in the list. Right Click on this and then select the “Repair” option. Follow the onscreen instructions to repair the iCUE Software.

b. Rebuild Config Files

Next, we can try to rebuild the config files of the iCUE Software. This will essentially reset the software and give it a fresh start.

Open Task Manager and end the “iCUE” task from the “Processes” tab. Now, bring up the Run window by pressing the Windows Key and R Key together (Win + R). In the window, type “%appdata%” and click on OK.

This will open a new Explorer Window. In this Window, delete the “Corsair” folder. If you want to be on the safer side, you can cut this folder and paste it somewhere else (Desktop) and this will act as a backup if things go sideways.

Do the same for “%localappdata%”. Open Run Command, type this command and delete (or cut) the Corsair folder.

Now, once again open the Run Command and type “Regedit” and click on OK. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software” and then delete the “Corsair” entry.

 

 

Launch the iCUE Software. This will rebuild all the config files once again. Chances are, this will fix the issue.

c. Update ‘iCUE’ Software and/or Windows

A common problem for iCUE not opening is outdated software. Go to Corsair’s website and see if there is the latest version of iCUE Software than the one that you have in your system.

Try to update the software and see if the issue goes away. Also, check if Windows is up-to-date or not.

d. Uninstall And Reinstall ‘iCUE’ Software

If none of the previous methods worked for you, then you have to uninstall the iCUE Software from your system and reinstall it.

To uninstall the software, go to the “Programs and Features” section in the Control Panel using the methods we mention in the previous method.

Locate the Corsair iCUE Software and uninstall it from the system. Now, download the latest version of the iCUE Software from Corsair’s website and install it.

e. Load Default BIOS Settings

As the Corsair iCUE Software work on low-level hardware, the system’s BIOS might be interfering with the software. Or the iCUE Software is trying to mess with the BIOS.

In either case, if the problem is with BIOS restricting the iCUE Software, then you have to reset the BIOS to its default settings and see.

Hopefully, you don’t have to do this job and iCUE Software works using one of the previous methods. But as a last resort, load the default settings of your BIOS and see if it works or not.

Conclusion

Corsair has a great collection of computer hardware and peripherals. They have a great piece of software in the form of iCUE that allows users to customize, configure, and manage the hardware.

You can control the RGB Lighting, set fan curves, adjust the DPI settings on the mouse, update firmware, and do many more things.

But several users reported problems with the iCUE Software such as not detecting hardware, iCUE not opening, being unable to read data, etc.

In this guide, we focused on the iCUE not opening issue and looked at some possible reasons for this problem. After that, we also gave some basic troubleshooting methods to fix the issue with iCUE Software.