Known issues & common solutions

[posila87]

Before making a bug report, first read through the known bugs/errors below. If you can't find your answer there then make a new thread and include the log file using the [code] and [/code] tags or a link to pastebin.com or any other site you uploaded it to.
You can find the log file in the application directory.

Location of the application directory

For Windows: %appdata%\Factorio (open the run dialog with Win+R and put that in)
(usually C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Factorio)
For Linux: ~/.factorio
For Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/factorio (see also here[forums.factorio.com])

The game crashes immediately after starting

Make sure your graphics drivers are up-to-date. Search for the latest drivers on GPU Vendor website, don't rely on Windows Update. If you already have the latest driver, you can try to switch to OpenGL renderer using launch option:

--force-opengl

Game crashes during startup before loading to the main menu

Your graphics driver might be outdated (see above), or the game is running out of memory. If you computer is within minimal requirements, try to reboot it first. If that doesn't help you can try using launch option:

--gfx-safe-mode

Game shows "loading mods error" during startup, but no mods are installed

The game probably did not install or update correctly. Open Factorio properties in Steam Library and use "Verify integrity of game files" function.

Game stutters, or is locked to sub-60 framerate

Try to toggle "Wait for V-sync" in graphics options. If that doesn't help, try to disable "Use flip presentation model" graphics option and restart the game.

Game randomly crashes saying "The video card has been physically removed"

This might be graphics driver issue, so you can try to install different version of the driver. It could be also problem with HW. Your power supply might be insufficient, or power cables could be loose, or graphics card could be badly seated in the slot, or something else could be wrong causing GPU to reset itself. Sometime changing "Use flip presentation model" graphics option or switching to OpenGL can stop the resets from happening.

Issues with capturing the game footage

Your capture software might record just black screen. This happens for example in OBS with Window Capture. You should use Game Capture instead. If you can't use Game Capture (or equivalent mode in other software), you can try to disable "Use flip presentation model" in graphics settings and restart the game.

Gameplay issues that are not bugs

Some issues are reported repeatedly, but they are actually not bugs.

• Island spawn: After starting a new game you spawn on a small island and are not able to mine any ores or move to the mainland. This is not a bug as terrain generation works as expected but gives unexpected results. Simply press Escape and click Restart to generate a new map.
  
• The well: after landfilling over an offshore pump the pump is still working although there is no water next to it. This is not a bug, you merely created a well / underground pump.
  
• Land Fish: after landfilling over some water the fish are still present and appear to "swim" on land.
  
• Splitters not splitting evenly: Splitters only split per lane, they will never move items from one side of the belt to the other. This is by design, see also here[forums.factorio.com].

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Useful launch options

• --force-opengl - on Windows, makes the game use OpenGL instead of Direct3D
  
• --force-d3d - on Windows, makes the to use Direct3D instead of OpenGL, if OpenGL was enabled in the game's config file.
  
• --dxgi-blit-model - equivalent of disabling "Use flip presentation model" in graphics settings
  
• --gfx-safe-mode - forces graphics settings to their minimal, most stable, values.
  
• --fullscreen={true|false}
  
• --max-texture-size={0|2048|4096|8192}
  
• --graphics-quality={high|normal}
  
• --video-memory-usage={all|high|medium|low}
  
• --window-size={WIDTHxHEIGHT|maximized} - for example --window-size=1680x1050

Note: --option={red|green|white} means there is switch --option which accepts values red, green or white. Example --option=green