F4SE Not Working – Try Out The Easy Troubleshooting Steps

F4SE or Fallout 4 Script Extender can come up when you attempt to launch the game. Even if the game opens then, it can crash all of a sudden. The F4SE is an application created by a community, which increases the capability of the game via a script. There are various types of causes for this error. Some of the most common ones are if the F4SE application is not up to date, then you can get this f4se not working error. Even, if there is any kind of conflicts between the different modes of this game, then also this problem can crop up. Further, if the plugins are malfunctioning or are obsolete, then there is a possibility to encounter this issue. Moreover, if this application has some problems with the compatibility of the Operating System, then this glitch can appear, etc. Hence, stick through the article to know the best ways to resolve the error on the go.

Best Ways to Solve This Issue:

This section of the article provides you with various methods that will help to easily correct the F4SE not working issue.

Give Accessibility Within the Firewall

If the Windows Firewall present on the OS does not allow the game to communicate with its servers, then you can face this issue. The solution to resolve this issue is to grant access to the game through the Firewall. In order to do that, follow these steps underneath.

  • First, tap on the combination of ‘Windows + I’ keys altogether. This will launch a new window with the name ‘Windows Settings’.
  • Within this window, there contains a list of settings, which you can change for the Windows OS.
  • Among those settings, locate and choose the option ‘Updates & Security’. This launches a new page within this window, where go to the left panel and select the option ‘Windows Security’.
  • Now, move to the right panel of this window and then from the list choose the option ‘Firewall and Network Protection’. A new window will then show up, that has a similar name as the option you chose on the last line.
  • Inside this window only, go to the bottom and then choose the link ‘Allow an app through firewall’. At this moment a new dialog box will appear, which contains a list of applications to allow or not.
  • Next, within this dialog box, tap on the button ‘Change Settings’ so that you can give access to all the files of the ‘Fallout 4’ game.
  • After that, locate the files of the game within the list and put a checkmark under the ‘Public’ and ‘Private’ columns relative to those files. Now, tap on the ‘OK’ button.
  • Finally, reboot the system and then see if this error comes back or not.

Procedure to Execute the Compatibility Troubleshooter

Sometimes, due to some kind of conflict between the application ‘F4SE’ and the Windows Operating System, you might face the F4SE not working issue. The best answer to solve this error is to run the built-in tool called ‘Compatibility Troubleshooter’. Follow the below-mentioned steps, in order to achieve this.

  • First, locate the installation folder of the ‘Fallout 4’ game application. By default, most of the time this folder can be present within “C:/Program Files/Fallout4”.
  • Now, within this folder, locate and then select the file “f4se_loader.exe”. After that, right-click on it and then, from the popup menu choose the option ‘Properties’. This will launch a new window, that has the name ‘f4se_loader Properties’.
  • Next, on this window select the tab ‘Compatibility’. Under this tab, select the button ‘Run compatibility troubleshooter’. This opens another window, where the Windows OS will start to look for any issue in regards to compatibility automatically and accordingly set the best settings for the application.
  • When this process is complete, click on the ‘Test this program’ button at last and if the settings are correct then hit the ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ button respectively to save the changes.
  • Finally, reboot the machine.

Deactivate the Mods that are Conflicting Using Reliable Software

If the mods installed for the ‘Fallout 4’ game are corrupt or starts to malfunction because of conflict between the ‘F4SE’ application and the mod themselves, then you can face this glitch. Now, the solution to correct this problem is to deactivate all the mods of this game. In order to do that, follow these lines underneath.

  • First, find and then launch the reliable software from the desktop, that manages all the mods installed for the ‘Fallout 4’ game.
  • Now, within the reliable software window, tap on the tab ‘Mods’. Under this tab, there are all the mods for this game are present on a list.
  • Now, from that list locate a mod that is not accepted by the reliable software, but has been applied by application ‘F4SE’. Next, right-click on those mods and then from the popup menu, select the option ‘Deactivate’
  • Repeat the previous step for all the other mods one after another and every time when you disable a mod, then attempt to execute the game.
  • Now, if the game opens without any hindrance after you disable a distinct mod, then it means the conflict occurred due to that mod only.
  • So, now once again right-click on that deactivated mod and then tap on the ‘Reinstall Mod’ option. This will install a fresh updated copy of that particular mod.
  • At last, execute the game again and check if this issue reappears or not.

Confirm the Files Integrity

If some critical or necessary program files of the game are corrupt, then you might encounter ’F4SE not working’ error, because the ‘Fallout 4’ application may not able to execute properly. The feasible solution to resolve this error is to verify the integrity of all the game files. To do it correctly, follow the steps underneath.

  • First, launch the ‘Steam’ software client installed within your computer. Then, input the username and password and login to the application.
  • Now, go to and select the option ‘Library’. Next, locate the sub-option ‘Fallout 4’ on the list and right-click on it.
  • After that, from the popup menu, choose the option ‘Properties’. This will open a new page within this window, with a name ‘Fallout 4 – Properties’.
  • Within this page, select the ‘Local Files’ tab. Under this tab, there consists of four buttons. Out of those buttons, choose the one that has a name ‘Verify Integrity Of Game Cache’.
  • At this moment, the program ‘Steam’ will start to verify all the files of the ‘Fallout 4’ game. This process may take some time to complete, so wait for it to get over.
  • Once the verification procedure is complete, then execute the game and see if this problem reappears or not.

Remove the Plugins Programs

If the extensions of the ‘Fallout 4’ game application gets corrupted or becomes obsolete somehow, then you can face the error ‘F4SE not working 2018’. Now, the only solution to correct this issue is to remove all the plugins of this game. Once the plugins are removed, then those extensions will automatically be replaced. For that to happen, follow the sentences beneath.

  • First, go to the ‘Fallout 4’ installation folder.
  • Next, double-click on the following folders to see all the contents inside them – ‘Data->F4SE->Plugins’.
  • Once you are inside the ‘Plugins’ folder, then select all the extension files by pressing ‘Ctrl + A’. Then, hit the ‘Delete’ key to remove all those files to the ‘Recycle Bin’.
  • Next, launch the web browser and download the application ‘Fallout 4 Script Extender’. Once the download is complete, then install this application accordingly.
  • When the installation of ‘F4SE’ is over, then also download and install all the mods of this script extender.
  • At last, when everything is complete, then execute the game ‘Fallout 4’ and inspect whether this glitch still appears or not.

Steps to Update the Application F4SE

If none of the above methods present within this article is able to eradicate this problem, then the last resort left is to update the ‘F4SE’ application. Here are the steps to do it.

  • First, open your preferred web browser, then visit the official website of the Fallout 4 Script Extender. After that, tap on the ‘Free Download’ button to get this software.
  • Now, locate the zip folder of this application and ‘Extract’ the following files respectively – “f4se_1_10_120.dll”, “f4se_loader.exe” and “f4se_steam_loader.dll”.
  • Next, cut the files on the above step and paste them on to the installation folder of the ‘Fallout 4’ game.
  • Finally, try to run the game ‘Fallout 4’ by double-clicking on the file that you have copied recently, which is ‘f4se_loader.exe’ and check whether this issue pops up or not.

Conclusion

If you carefully follow all the steps in the previous section, then you can easily mitigate the F4SE not working issue. But, even after following every point present in the above section of this article, still you are unable to eradicate this problem, then not to worry. Provide the details of the query that you encounter on the comment section present at the lower end of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I know if F4SE is working?

To test it, press the tilde (‘) key to access the console and type getf4seversion. This will show the current F4SE build’s version number.

Why does F4SE keep crashing?

If the game breaks right after the menu screen, there are few possibilities. 
1. That it loaded mod that it couldn’t or wouldn’t fully run. 
2. That you may have reached your mod or esl limit. 
If you used manager to update AWKCR, uninstall it altogether and reinstall it manually.
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Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa
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