How to fix Origin Won’t go Online on Windows 10?

Nowadays, there’s hardly a Windows PC without a game installed on it. Video games have grown in popularity, even more than many internet-based activities, and they have come a long way when it comes to development and gameplay. Years ago, all you needed to run any game was install it directly on your PC, using the installation package or its DVD.

Things changed with the introduction of gaming clients. These programs made things easier, as gamers now get to install, delete, update, repair, and manage many games from the comfort of a single application, known as a gaming client.

One of the well-known gaming clients around is Origin. Developed by EA, the client is known for its impressive catalog of popular games such as FIFA, The Sims 4, and Battlefield 1. Like with most other gaming clients, you’re required to have an Origin account, and, of course, you’re required to be connected to the Internet if you want to download new games, update existing games, or update the client itself.

There are times, however, when Origin drops the ball and refuses to connect to the Internet, as many users have bitterly complained. If you’re experiencing such a problem, this article will tell you what’s causing the problem, and what you can do to fix the annoying issue.

What Causes Origin’s Failure to go Online?

A number of different reasons can cause Origin’s failure to go online. For starters, make sure you confirm that Origin servers are not down. To do this, check Origin’s website and social media accounts. In certain cases, though, the issue might be tied to a problem on your computer.

Origin might be lacking permissions to run properly, in which case, running it as an administrator might help, just as some users found. Antivirus and firewall applications might be blocking the program’s access to your computer’s network, and a background application might also be clashing with the client.

Other reasons for the problem include using proxy servers, corrupt hosts file, corrupt origin cache or DNS and IP address issues.

How to Resolve Origin won’t go Online Issue on Windows 10

The fixes below have helped many users resolve the problem and get Origin working again. While not every fix will work for you, we’re confident that by the time you’re done with the article, you’ll be able to log into your client and use its online utilities.

First Fix: Run Origin as an Administrator

Not opening Origin with administrator rights could be the cause of the issue. You can put an end to the frustrating problem by launching Origin as an administrator. Follow these steps:

1. Launch File Explorer and navigate to Origin’s installation folder. You can get to the installation folder by right-clicking Origin in the Start menu and clicking on Open File Location after placing your mouse pointer over More.
2. Right-click on Origin.exe once you get to the installation folder and click on Properties. You can also right-click on the client’s shortcut and select Properties.
3. Once the Properties dialog opens, go to the Compatibility tab, check the box beside “Run this program as administrator,” and then click on OK.

Open Origin and check if the problem has been resolved.

Second Fix: Clearing the Origin Cache

The online issues you’re facing with Origin could be due to a faulty cache file. This might be the cause of the issue, especially in cases where users complained that

Origin wouldn’t go online despite having an Internet connection

.

The cache is where some of your preferences and game settings are stored so that things can be easier when you run repeat processes. However, there are times when bad entries are stored in the cache, resulting in a lot of issues, including, but not limited to, games not downloading and Origin not updating itself or stuck offline.

You can solve the problem in this case by clearing Origin’s cache. The following guide will walk you through the process:

1. Make sure you close the Origin client, as you won’t be able to perform this task if it’s running. To confirm that the client is closed, open Task Manager (press Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and make sure you end the OriginWebHelperService.exe and Origin.exe processes if you see them.
2. Summon the Run dialog box, using the Windows + R key combination.
3. Type “%ProgramData%/Origin” (don’t add the quotes) into the Run text box, and then click on OK or hit the Enter key.
4. Delete all content in the folder except theLocalContent

   folder.

5. Now, use the Windows + R combo to open the Run dialog box again.
6. Type “%AppData%” (no quotes) into the text box and hit Enter.
7. Once in the Roaming folder, delete the subfolder named Origin.
8. Now, go back to the AppData folder by clicking on AppData in the address bar of the File Explorer window.
9. Double-click the Local folder to open it.
10. Locate the Origin folder once the Local folder opens and delete it.
11. Reboot your PC.

That’s it – you just cleared Origin’s cache. Now, try launching the client and check if it can go online.

Third Fix: Make Sure Your Firewall and Antivirus Applications Are Not Blocking Origin

If you’re having connection challenges with any program, one of the first places to look is in your third-party firewall application or Windows Firewall. Firewalls are known to block certain programs due to security reasons. In this case, Origin might be blocked if your firewall flagged it as a security threat.

To resolve the issue, try allowing Origin through your firewall application. There are different ways to allow a program through a firewall, and these depend on the firewall application in question. If you’re using a third-party security suite, refer to the manual of the program you’re using or check the website of the app’s developer for guidance.

To allow Origin through Windows Defender Firewall, here’s what you have to do:

1. Press and hold the Windows logo key, then press the I key to open the Settings app.
2. Click on the Update & Security icon once Settings opens.
3. Switch to the Windows Security tab on the Update & Security page. The tab will be called Windows Defender in Windows 10 builds that predate the May 2019 version.
4. Click on “Firewall & network protection” under Protection Areas.
5. Now, click on “Allow an app through firewall” once the Firewall & network protection page opens.
6. Once the Allowed Apps dialog window opens, click on the “Change settings” button.
7. Go to the Allowed apps and features list and locate Origin. If you don’t see Origin in the list, click on the “Allow another app” button, located in the bottom-right corner of the window, and browse to the folder where Origin.exe is located.
8. Once you find Origin (or once you’ve added it), click on the boxes to the right of Origin, under Private and Public.
9. Click on OK and then check if the program can now go online.

Antivirus programs are also known to block certain safe processes, and it could very well be that some of the files related to Origin are being blocked. You can make sure that this isn’t the case by adding Origin to the list of exceptions in your antivirus program.

To exempt Origin from being scanned and flagged as a security risk, open your antivirus utility and switch to the exclusions or exceptions list, and then add Origin to the list. If you don’t know how to do this in your third-party app, go to the app’s developer’s website and check for guides on the topic.

For the Virus & threat protection utility of Windows Defender (or Windows Security), follow the steps below:

1. Go to the far right of your taskbar and click on the Show hidden icons arrow, then click on the white shield icon in the tray that pops up.
2. This will launch Windows Security – Windows Defender Security Center in Windows 10 versions before the May 2019 update.
3. Click on the Virus & Threat Protection label once Windows Security opens.
4. Once the Virus & Threat Protection page opens, click on Manage Settings under “Virus & threat protection settings.”
5. Now, scroll down to the Exclusions segment of the Virus & Threat Protection Settings page and click on “Add or remove exclusions.”
6. Click on the “Add exclusion” option, choose Folder, and then point the tool to the Origin folder.
7. Reboot your PC and check for the problem.

If your third-party antivirus still proves stubborn and continues blocking Origin, consider replacing the program with another competent malware-removal tool, such as Auslogics Anti-Malware.

Fourth Fix: Reset Your Hosts File

To make certain host IP addresses human-friendly, they’re written in alphanumeric formats so that they can be easily remembered. However, computers only understand IP addresses in their numeric forms. This is where the Hosts file in the Windows operating system helps. It is your system’s DNS (Domain Name System) tool, which is used to locate a host on a network by matching the alphanumeric value of a hostname to its numeric IP address. The Hosts file is a TXT file that contains hostnames and IP addresses in text lines.

Corruption and misconfigurations might be plaguing your Hosts file, causing lots of network issues, which could be affecting Origin. Fixing the issue of a badly configured or corrupt Hosts file involves resetting it to default. If you don’t know how to perform this procedure, use the guide below:

1. Press and hold the Windows key, and then tap the E key to open File Explorer, then go to the path below:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

Note that you can use the drive letter where Windows is installed on your PC in place of “C.”

1. In the “ETC” folder, look for the Hosts file, right-click it, click on Rename, and then change its name to “Hosts.old” (no quotes).
2. Next, search for Notepad in the search utility next to Start, and then click on the app once it appears in the results.
3. Once Notepad launches, copy and paste the following text into the new note:

# Copyright © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.

#

# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

#

# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each

# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

# space.

#

# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual

# lines or following the machine name denoted by a ‘#’ symbol.

#

# For example:

#

#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com   # source server

#       38.25.63.10 x.acme.com         # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.

#       127.0.0.1   localhost

#       ::1     localhost

1. Now, navigate to the top-left corner of the window, click on File, and then choose the “Save as” option.
2. Once the “Save as” dialog comes up, browse to theetc

   folder where you renamed the old Hosts file, and then save this current note as Hosts.

3. Close Notepad, restart your computer, and then open Origin to check if the problem persists.

Fifth Fix: Reset Winsock

Winsock, short for Windows Sockets, is an API (application programming interface), that facilitates input and output requests of programs that use the Internet in the Windows OS environment. It ensures that programs can communicate with the network infrastructure of your system.

You might be facing the issue with Origin if the Winsock component has encountered an issue. Many users found that resetting the component is the resolution to the problem in this case. The process of resetting Winsock involves using Command Prompt, and it is fairly simple and straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Start search utility, using the Windows + S hotkey.
2. Type “command” (no quotes) into the text field.
3. Once you see Command Prompt in the results, right-click it and choose Run as Administrator.
4. Click on Yes when Windows requests for permission through the User Account Control dialog.
5. Now, type the following command line into the elevated Command Prompt window that opens and hit the Enter key:

netsh winsock reset

6. Allow the command to execute, then reboot your computer and check for the problem.

Sixth Fix: Flush Your DNS, Then Reset and Release Your IP address

Configurations of your previous networks are saved to your DNS cache. The DNS is responsible for converting your alphanumeric network addresses to IP addresses that your computer’s network infrastructure understands. The cache file helps Windows remember the parameters of the addresses that you use regularly. Sometimes, though, connectivity issues begin to occur because wrong or obsolete configurations are stored in the DNS cache. Flushing your DNS to purge the bad configurations in the cache is the way to go in this case.

What’s more, your IP address could be the problem because your system might not properly register configuration changes that have been made on your router, especially in cases where your PC is set to obtain network settings from your router automatically. In this case, you’ll have to release and renew your IP.

Learn how to flush your DNS cache, as well as how to release and renew your IP below:

1. Click on the search icon next to the Start button and type “command” (no quotes).
2. Once Command Prompt shows up in the results, right-click it, and then select Run as Administrator from the context menu.
3. Click on Yes once the User Account Control dialog requests for permission to allow Command Prompt to make changes to your computer.
4. Type the command lines below into the black screen once the elevated Command Prompt window opens, and then hit Enter after typing each line:

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

1. Restart your PC and check if Origin can now go online.

Seventh Fix: Perform a Clean Boot

Some reported cases of the issue pointed to software conflicts. A background application that loads when your computer boots up might be preventing Origin from going online. Performing a Clean Boot is the best way to make sure there is no background interference and fish out the culprit if there is a conflict.

When you perform a Clean Boot, your computer will boot up without loading all the startup services and programs that it usually loads. If a startup item is the reason for the problem, Origin will be able to go online. The process might seem complex, but with the guide below, you’ll be able to carry out a Clean Boot:

1. Open the System Configuration dialog window: press the Windows logo key and the S key simultaneously. Type “msconfig” (without the quotes) into the search text box, and then click on System Configuration in the results.
2. Go to the Services tab once the System Configuration dialog window opens.
3. Under the Services tab, mark the checkbox that reads “Hide all Microsoft services”. Doing this will prevent Microsoft services from being disabled.
4. Click on the “Disable all” button to stop every third-party startup service in the list from loading the next time you boot Windows.
5. Next, switch to the Startup tab and click on the Open Task Manager link to go straight to the Startup tab in Task Manager.
6. Under the Startup tab in Task Manager, you’ll find a list of programs that load whenever your system boots up; disable all the programs in the list by clicking on each one, and then clicking on the Disable button in the bottom-right corner of the Window.
7. Now, exit Task Manager and go back to the System Configuration dialog window.
8. Click OK in System Configuration and restart your system.

Once your system comes up, all the services and programs that you disabled won’t run. Launch Origin and check if the client can now go online.

If Origin goes online, then a startup program is causing the problem. To fix the issue, you have to start with finding the responsible startup program. Normally, isolating the problem startup program or service involves enabling every single startup service and program one by one, restarting your PC after enabling each one, and checking for the error once your PC comes up. When the problem occurs, then the last program you enabled is the culprit. However, you can save yourself the stress by following this method instead:

1. Go to the Services tab of System Configuration.
2. Select the services in the top half of the list and enable them.
3. Reboot your system and check if Origin can’t go online.
4. If the problem occurs, then you need to check the services in the top half section of the list one by one, instead of checking all the services in the list one after the other. But if you don’t see the error, then you have to carry out the same procedure for the services in the second half of the list, which eliminates the hassle of checking the top half services one by one.
5. If the second half of the services in the list are also not responsible, then carry out Steps 1 to 5 for programs in the Startup tab of Task Manager.

Once you find the program causing the problem, update or uninstall it, depending on its importance. You can also consider replacing the application if there are alternatives.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you can enjoy Origin’s online services now. You can also disable your proxy server settings if the problem persists. Let us know how you fixed the issue using the comments section below.