AutoCAD Products freeze, hang, or crash during startup

Autodesk Support

Apr 3, 2025

Products and versions covered

Issue:

Users reported that when launching an AutoCAD Product, the software freezes, hangs, or crashes.

It may occur before the main program interface appears.
In some instances, the splash screen briefly appears before the software crashes.
No error message may be shown.

Environment:

Windows 10
Windows 11

Causes:

Missing AutoCAD updates.
Outdated graphics card driver.
Too many temporary files.
System requirements not met.
Malfunctioning Autodesk Desktop App.
Custom content conflicts.
Corrupted AutoCAD profile.
Malfunctioning or corrupted Visual C++ libraries.
Conflicts with other software.
More than one display adapter exists.
Insufficient permission or security settings.
Faulty module C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\clr.dll or ntdll.dll.
Corruption of Vault Professional client installation that AutoCAD has a plug-in installed for and there may be a Crash Report displayed when launching AutoCAD.
Corrupted Windows profile, or with a Domain User.
Third-party add-ons.

Solution:

Do one or more of the following, testing AutoCAD after trying each solution

Install the latest updates for AutoCAD (see Where to download products and updates).
Reset AutoCAD to default settings (see How to reset AutoCAD to defaults).
Update to the latest graphics driver (see How to update to the latest certified video driver).
Force software to use the high-performance graphics adapter (see How to configure Autodesk software to use high performance graphics).
Reset license files (see How to reset license activation for an Autodesk product for stand-alone license with single-user access).
Disable hardware acceleration (see AutoCAD will not launch when hardware video acceleration is enabled).
Try using only one monitor if multiple monitors are used.
Delete temporary files (see How to delete temporary files in Windows).
Make sure that all system requirements are met:
If the Autodesk Desktop App launches with a spinning circle, open the Task Manager and end the task for the Autodesk Desktop App.
Open the options and switch to tab "System". Deselect "Automatically Check for Certification Updates".
Remove custom content. Custom content such as shortcuts, templates, menu/cui files, and tool palette files, may not be compatible, especially for previous releases of AutoCAD.
Uninstall and reinstall Visual C++ libraries (see How to remove and reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Libraries).
Perform a Clean Uninstall. Then download the software installation files with Download Now and reinstall.
If more than one display adapter exists, try to disable one of them from device manager in Windows.
Run AutoCAD with the start-up switch /safemode, see How to start an AutoCAD Product without any plug-ins or add-ons. If AutoCAD runs, remove /safemode and inspect the folder %appdata%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins to remove any plug-in one by one to see which one causes AutoCAD to crash.
Uninstall used Add-on's for AutoCAD.

Troubleshooting for conflicts with other software

Other software on the computer may conflict with the AutoCAD startup (such as, antivirus, antispyware, or other security programs). To test for this, perform a diagnostic startup (see Use Windows diagnostic mode to troubleshoot issues with Autodesk software):

If AutoCAD runs correctly in Windows Diagnostic Mode, it may indicate a conflict with other software. Contact a computer support professional for further assistance diagnosing and resolving conflicts.
If AutoCAD does not run correctly in Windows Diagnostic Mode, repair or reinstall it (see How to repair or reinstall an AutoCAD installation).
Create a Windows User profile.
Manually adjust security & privacy settings in "System Preferences" to give AutoCAD greater permissions.
Check this list for known conflicting applications for the licensing service: Autodesk Licensing Service: Known Conflicting Applications

Products:

AutoCAD Products;

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