Xbox Game Bar running into error while launching on some PCs

By Sean Endicott
published

Microsoft is looking into an error that prevents the Xbox Game Bar from launching on some PCs.

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Watch Dogs Legion Mini Game Bare Knuckle Fight Reward (Image credit: Windows Central / Jared Eden)

What you need to know

  • Some PCs are running into an error when trying to launch Xbox Game Bar.
  • Microsoft is looking into the problem.
  • You can disable Xbox Game Bar if you'd like.

Microsoft has received reports of PCs running into issues when trying to launch the Xbox Game Bar. The issue seems to prevent the app from launching on PCs. Microsoft is looking into the issue and should share more details about it soon.

Microsoft's Kirpal Kavi shared the news on Twitter. Kavi didn't share many details about the issue, but it shows that Microsoft is aware of it.

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At this point, the primary option seems to be to just not use Xbox Game Bar at this time. You can, however, disable the Xbox Game Bar entirely if you'd like. You can also remove the Xbox Game Bar from Windows 10.

When working well, Xbox Game Bar has several features that help gamers on their PCs. It supports widgets, such as the picture-in-picture YouTube widget and it can track which programs are using up your system resources.

Our guide on how to install third-party widgets on the Xbox Game Bar should help you get the best experience through the app. There are widgets and integrations for streaming, tracking progress, and more available for the Xbox Game Bar.

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Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

2 Comments
  • I have the kinda opposite problem. Game Bar randomly starts recording my screen; even when I'm not gaming and didn't press the game bar shortcut.
  • Been having issues for the last month now also. Not as bad as some issues others are reporting. The Xbox controller's home button used to launch game bar. Now I have to open game bar, and tick the box "Open Xbox Game Bar using the Xbox home button on a controller" every single time I reboot my PC. This setting will just not stick. Minor yet annoying at the same time.