How to Fix "Unable to Connect to the Server" in League of Legends

Have you ever queued up for an intense ranked League of Legends match, only to be greeted by the dreaded "Unable to connect to the server" error? As a passionate LoL player and network engineer, I‘ve battled this frustrating popup for years.

In this comprehensive troubleshooting guide, you‘ll learn exactly how to resolve the "Unable to connect to server" and "Please check your network connection" errors to get back in the game. I‘ll draw on my first-hand experience with LoL connectivity issues to walk you through targeted fixes.

Why the "Unable to Connect" Error Occurs

Before diving into solutions, let‘s quickly cover what causes the "Unable to connect" error in the first place.

According to Riot Games forums, there are three potential culprits:

Riot server outages – Occasional downtime for maintenance/patches
Local network problems – Firewall blocks, DNS issues, ISP problems
Corrupted files – Buggy game file installation on your computer

I‘ve personally encountered each of these scenarios. Server outages are inevitable – Riot averages 99.9% uptime, but occasional maintenance means downtime for us players.

The error can also originate locally from your network or PC. Based on my experience, DNS and firewall misconfigurations are some of the most common reasons for the "Unable to connect" error.

Finally, buggy game file installations do happen, causing all sorts of connectivity and gameplay issues.

Now let‘s get into the fixes to cover each of these cases. I‘ll provide simplified steps and configurations so you can get playing ASAP.

Step 1: Check Riot Server Status

The first step is always to check https://status.riotgames.com/lol to see if Riot‘s servers are down or degraded.

As of November 2022, League of Legends has 99.95% global uptime over the past year. However, the servers do go down a few times a month for maintenance and patches.

If Riot‘s status page shows degraded performance or outages for your region, there‘s unfortunately nothing you can do but wait it out. Make sure to follow @RiotGamesOps on Twitter to get live updates.

You can also check third-party sites like Downdetector to see if others are reporting the issue. If it‘s just you unable to connect, move on to the next steps addressing potential problems on your end.

Step 2: Allow Access Through Your Firewall

If Riot‘s servers are operational, the next step is checking your Windows firewall settings. The firewall could be blocking League‘s access to the internet.

Here is how to add exceptions and enable access:

Open Windows Defender Firewall
Click "Allow an app or feature through the firewall"
Ensure "League of Legends" AND "Riot Client Services" are both checked
Click OK

Repeat these steps for any third party antivirus/firewall apps you have installed. Common culprits include Norton, Avast, AVG, McAfee and others.

Adding LoL and Riot Client as firewall exceptions is crucial. Outbound internet access is required for the game to function properly.

Step 3: Change Your DNS Server Settings

Along with firewalls, the other common culprit is DNS server configuration issues. DNS (Domain Name System) is like the phonebook of the internet, translating domains into IP addresses.

If your DNS is misconfigured or unstable, League can fail to properly connect to game servers.

Switching to reliable public DNS servers like Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) can fix connection problems.

Here are step-by-step instructions for Windows 10:

Open Network and Sharing Center (type in start menu)
Click "Change adapter options"
Right click your WiFi adapter, select Properties
Click "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)"
Switch from Obtain DNS to "Use the following DNS"
Enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (or Cloudflare alternatives)
Click OK to save

Be sure to restart any web browsers and applications for the DNS change to take effect. You can also flush your DNS cache by typing ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt.

With Google or Cloudflare public DNS configured, League should have rock-solid DNS resolution to connect to games properly.

Step 4: Run Repair and Reinstall League of Legends

If you‘ve triple checked Riot status, firewall settings, and DNS configuration, the issue may lie with your League client installation itself.

Corrupted or buggy game file installations can prevent the client from connecting. This has happened to me after patches gone bad.

You can try repairing your League install first:

Open League Client
Click the Gear icon
Select "Repair" and wait for it to complete

If repairing fails to fix the issue, your last resort is fully reinstalling League of Legends from scratch:

Uninstall League of Legends
Restart your computer
Reinstall League of Legends from Riot‘s website

This should wipe any corrupted files or issues with the install itself. Fingers crossed reinstalling does the trick!

Fix Unable to Connect and Get Back to Dominating Summoner‘s Rift

Few things are as frustrating as being unable to connect and play your favorite game. With Riot‘s servers running properly 99.95% of the time, the problem likely lies on your local network or game installation.

Follow the steps in this guide, and you‘ll be armed with the knowledge to troubleshoot and fix League of Legends server connection issues:

Check for Riot server outages
Allow LoL access through your firewall
Switch to reliable public DNS servers
Repair or reinstall your League client

With these targeted connectivity fixes, you‘ll bid farewell to the "Unable to connect" popup and jump back into dominating ranked matches on the Rift. Let me know if you have any other issues getting back in the game!