Diablo III Locking and Crashing

Updated: 5 months ago
Article ID: 34772
Product:

Common Problems

  • Diablo III froze
  • Diablo III locked up
  • Diablo III is crashing on startup

This article is designed to assist you in troubleshooting Diablo® III issues such as the game unexpectedly freezing or quitting, computer freezes, assertion errors that generate an error log, general lockups, and crash errors that prevent the game from operating properly.

Windows®

  1. Make sure your computer meets the Diablo III System Requirements.
  2. Update your drivers and operating system to resolve any compatibility issues.
  3. Make sure your game is fully up to date by opening the launcher and allowing all downloads/updates to apply. Press Play when you see "Game is up to date."
  4. Run the repair tool to repair any damaged game files.
  5. Close all other applications to resolve software conflicts and free up resources.
    Note: This includes any Overlay programs you may be running.
Advanced Troubleshooting
  1. All Diablo III mods, regardless of what they do, are in violation of our Terms of Use and can result in a permanent ban. They can also cause the game to lock up or crash.
  2. Open D3Prefs.txt in your \Documents\Diablo III directory in Notepad, and change DisplayModeRefreshRate "60" to DisplayModeRefreshRate "59".
  3. Delete D3Prefs.txt in your \Documents\Diablo III directory.
  4. Overheating can cause performance issues, game crashes, and full computer lockups. Check for overheating components.
  5. Run the Memory Diagnostic Tool to fix any errors in your computer's physical memory.
  6. If the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall the game.

Mac®

Note: Using a modified OS on unsupported Apple hardware or using unsupported graphics cards in Mac Pros may cause lockups and crashes. These setups are not supported for gameplay.
  1. Make sure your Mac meets the Diablo III System Requirements.
  2. Run Software Update to check for pending updates to software, drivers, and firmware.
  3. Make sure your game is fully up to date by opening the launcher and allowing all downloads/updates to apply. Press Play when you see Game is up to date.
  4. Run the repair tool to repair any damaged game files.
  5. Reset Folder and File Permissions to make sure there is no conflict between the latest OS update and your permissions.
Advanced Troubleshooting
  1. Repair Disk Permissions to resolve any permission conflicts with logon modules.
  2. Close all other applications to resolve software conflicts and free up resources.
  3. Some MacBook Pro models have two separate graphics cards, which may require manual setup. Make sure your MacBook Pro is set to higher performance or automatic graphics switching is disabled. (15-inch, late 2008 | 17-inch, early 2009 | 15- and 17-inch, mid-2009 | 15-inch, mid-2010 and later | 17-inch, mid-2010 and later)
  4. Overheating can cause performance issues, game crashes, and full computer lockups. Check for overheating components.
  5. If the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall the game.

Tried everything here?

If the previous troubleshooting steps didn't resolve the problem, you can ask the Blizzard player community for help on the tech support forums (if available) or other community gaming sites. Local computer or network technicians may also be able to help if you've exhausted all other resources.

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