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NightLight Desktop Not Opening

Sometimes the NightLight Desktop app may not open or will crash while doing so.

This page lists the most common causes and steps to resolve them.

If you're still having problems after working through this page, please reach out in the NightLight Discord help channel.

Wallpaper Engine Interference​

Wallpaper Engine has been known to conflict with NightLight Desktop and can prevent it from opening.

It's not clear why it conflicts, though you can work around it by closing Wallpaper Engine and then launching NightLight Desktop.

Edge WebView2 Issues​

On Windows, the NightLight Desktop app depends on the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, which is used to render the app's interface.

If the WebView runtime is corrupted or excessively out of date, various issues may arise, including the app not opening at all.

Edge WebView2 Runtime out of date or corrupted​

Follow these steps to repair the Edge Webview runtime:

  1. Open your programs list (something like "Add or remove programs" in the start menu search)
  2. Find "Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime" click on it/click "Modify"
  3. In the window that opens, click "Repair"

This will repair the WebView runtime, and if it was out of date, update it to the latest version. This often fixes strange issues, including the app not opening.

Edge Uninstalled or Corrupted​

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is somewhat related to Microsoft Edge itself.

Some people elect to remove or otherwise disable Edge, which can then break the Edge WebView2 Runtime.

Newer versions of Windows don't support uninstalling Edge officially, and an increasing number of Windows components depend on the WebView runtime.

If you've removed or otherwise disabled Edge, please try repairing/reinstalling it — especially if you've already tried (or are having issues with) repairing the WebView Runtime. Once you've repaired or reinstalled Edge, please try repairing the WebView runtime again if you're still having problems.

Antivirus Interference​

While rare, antivirus (or other security) software may decide the app is suspicious and can prevent it from performing certain actions or opening at all.

There have even been instances of them doing so without giving any alert or entry in their protection history.

If you are comfortable doing so, it can be worth disabling your antivirus software for a moment to check if it is interfering. You could also try running the app as an administrator.

If your antivirus program actually warns you about NightLight Desktop, please reach out in the NightLight Discord letting me know which you use. I'm usually able to submit a false positive report to get it rectified properly.