💻🛠️ HELP: Solutions to Most Popular Problems & Issues

Support FAQ. Troubleshooting 101. Collection of the most common problems on forums and solutions for each of them. Easy fixes in one place.

📌 Try this before doing anything else

Crashes, not launching, can't change language in-game, weird language, missing textures, sounds, images, fonts, screens not loading, invisible enemies etc. This is a "skeleton key" 🗝️ to ~90% of your problems with games on Steam.

💡 Verify integrity of game files.

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Properties... > Local Files
  
• Click the "Verify integrity of game files..." button and wait for the process to complete.
  
• Repeat a second time if necessary.

📌 Crash on Startup (Windows)

You see a Unity crash with an error or a black/white screen after launch.

💡 You can turn off, disable, exit or change configuration of these applications before launching Hollow Knight. They are known to cause conflicts with launching games or when playing for some people and configurations.

• MSI Afterburner / Riva Tuner Statistics Server
  
• XBox Game Bar
  
• GeForce Experience In-Game Overlay
  
• EVGA Precision
  
• OBS
  
• Xsplit
  
• Logitech G Hub
  
• MacType
  
• Warsaw Banking App
  
• Wallpaper Engine
  
• A-Volute Sound studio
  
• Sonic Audio

💡 You can uninstall Citrix Indirect Display Adapter. It is known to cause conflicts for some Unity games. More info.[support.paradoxplaza.com]

💡 You can reset your NVidia PhysX settings to default. (Source) (thank you to tintingaroo for the suggestion and Flemmish_Giant for sharing)

• Right-click on the Desktop and launch NVidia Control Panel
  
• In 3D Settings > Configure Surround, PhysX > PhysX settings set the processor to Auto-select (recommended) (this is the default setting)

📌 Crash on Startup (Linux)

Default renderer is Vulkan since 1.5.x.x and it may not work on all hardware or drivers.

💡 Try changing the main renderer to OpenGL.

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Properties... > General
  
• In the Launch Options field paste or type

  -force-opengl

🟦 If you are sure that your particular Video Card model supports Vulkan on Linux, you may want to try installing different Linux drivers for your Video Card.

📌 Controller/Gamepad is not properly working or detected

🎮 Your Controller doesn't work at all.
🎮 Some Controller buttons are not working or behaving not as intended.
🎮 You don't see respective button prompts for XBox or DualShock Controllers.

🟩 Hollow Knight supports XBox Controllers and DualShock Controllers out of the box. Both with their respective button prompts. It's possible to use Nintendo Switch button prompts with Button Prompt Switcher.
🟨 Ideally, it's the most optimal to have a controller connected directly via USB or at least through an original manufacturer Wireless Adapter for PC for the best game compatibility.
🟨 Ideally, try to connect directly to the motherboard's USB ports. Connecting to hubs, case or monitor panels may cause the controller to not work correctly. When in doubt, try other USB ports.
🟨 Sometimes Bluetooth connection/adapters may cause problems for some people and configurations (like missing button prompts for PlayStation controllers).

💡 You can check if your Controller is set as default in Windows.

• Press Windows Key + R, type "joy.cpl", press Enter
  
• Click Advanced, and then click Preferred device
  
• Select the Controller you want to play the game with as the Preferred device
  
• Restart your Windows system (not Shutdown)

💡 (if you own an XBox Controller or DualShock Controller) You can make sure that you are not using any kind of Controller emulation software for Hollow Knight.
Controller emulation software examples to disable or uninstall:

• x360ce
  
• DS4Windows
  
• vJoy
  
• some console emulators
  
• and others

💡 (if you own an XBox Controller or DualShock Controller) You can make sure that Steam Input Controller configuration is disabled for Hollow Knight (or globally).
How to disable Steam Input for Hollow Knight only:

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Properties... > Controller
  
• On the list select Disable Steam Input

🟦 You can also disable Steam Input globally for all games if you like (especially if you have an XBox Controller). This will ensure that your XBox Controller will work correctly in most Steam games.
🟨 Note: Steam Input is disabled globally by default for all players, unless a game developer specifically enables it per-game.

• In top left of Steam, click Steam > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings
  
• On the list uncheck ALL "(Controller Type) Configuration Support" (including for the Controller you own!). This will disable Steam Input.
  
• Restart Steam or Windows system to be sure

If absolutely necessary, you can always enable Steam Input per-game (which is probably the preferred and safest way).

💡 (if you own an XBox Controller or DualShock Controller) You can make sure if Native Controller Input is enabled in the game.

• In Hollow Knight Options > Controller Options > Set Native Controller Input to ON
  
• Restart the game or Windows system

💡 If you own a non-standard Controller that is not widely supported by games (especially a non-XBox Controller), you can play with any of the three above options and see which combination works best for your Controller and Hollow Knight.

💡 If your Controller is connected via Bluetooth, try to use only one Bluetooth adapter for one connected device.

💡 You can try to disconnect other USB/Bluetooth devices or Controllers from your system to make sure they are not an interfering factor.

💡 If you would like to use Nintendo Switch, DualShock Playstation or XBox button prompts on any controller and connection, try this great Guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2525497719
💡 If you have unresponsive, stuttery, on/off controller problems, try this great Fix from tintingaroo:
Controller Fix for unresponsive moments, unintentional doublejumps etc

📌 Game is unstable over time (crashes, freezes etc.)

Hollow Knight crashes in random moments while playing, like on the map screen, during exploration, in main menu, while changing options etc.

💡 Disable any overclocking you have active on your main PC components (CPU, Video Card).

💡 (NVidia GPU) Set a factory overclocked graphics card to Nvidia reference clock speeds. This is a good way to identify potential problems.

• Open the Nvidia Control Panel, then go to the Help menu, and check the Debug Mode option.

💡 Make sure your PC has adequate cooling and regular maintenance (at least once a year). Especially important when playing on a laptop, which require much more care and catch dust easily. It's very important that nothing is obstructing the normal airflow and that case fans are able to blow out heat outside the case. If you have no case fans, then leave open the whole left side of your case.

💡 Test your hard drive (HDD) or SSD and your system memory (RAM) for any problems to make sure they are working 100% properly without any errors. This topic is outside this guide's scope, but you will find lots of resources online on how to do this.

💡 Make sure your PSU (Power Supply) of your PC has adequate power reserves for all your hardware components. PSUs degrade their max power output over time of using them, and even more quickly when at their limit. This topic is outside this guide's scope, but you will find resources online on how to check this.

💡 (Workaround, not a solution!) Limit Hollow Knight's FPS (Frames Per Second). Check the Config.ini File Location on the bottom of this guide on how to do it.

🟦 If something is wrong with 100% stability of the PC components, sometimes just one game or program can show it. So if everything else works fine, it may mean that the components (or 1 component) are stable 99% of the time, and Hollow Knight was "lucky" to be the deciding factor that showed the missing 1%.
It's probably not wise to ignore this issue, as it may come up in other software at a later point.
For example, I have a GTX 970 model, that has stock OC (overclocking) applied by the manufacturer. It is not stable and sometimes causes crashes (not in all games, though!). However, when I lowered it's Power Limit to about 90%, the crashes were much less frequent (very rare), and at 50% there are no crashes at all.

📌 PC / Laptop heats itself greatly when playing

PC / Laptop is getting too hot, overheats, is very loud while playing Hollow Knight. There may be thermal throttling happening and the CPU and GPU usage are close to 100%.

💡 Make sure your PC has adequate cooling and regular maintenance (at least once a year). Especially important when playing on a laptop, which require much more care and catch dust easily.

💡 In the Video Options, turn ON Frame Rate Cap.

💡 Change the default Frame Rate Cap (400) to something much lower (like 60). Check the Config.ini File Location on the bottom of this guide on how to do it.

💡 Change the Blur Quality in Video Options to Medium or Low. High is incredibly demanding for the Video Card.

📌 Low-End PC / Laptop is too slow for Hollow Knight (Very Low FPS)

The performance of the game (Frames Per Second) depends mostly on your Video Card's performance. CPU or RAM are not really any significant factors in this case. Hollow Knight can run greatly even on a 2-Core CPU and 2 GB of RAM.

💡 You can set Blur Quality to Low or Medium in Video Options.
High is very expensive in terms of Video Card performance requirements.

💡 You can disable V-Sync in Video Options.
V-Sync synchronizes the game's frames with the monitor's refresh rate using Double Buffering instead of Triple Buffering in this game, which means that (simplifying greatly) the maximum performance of a GPU may be halved (e.g. 30 instead of 60) whenever it can't keep up with drawing enough frames above a certain threshold. It also increases input lag greatly.

💡 You can lower the resolution of the game in Video Options.
The minimum officially supported is 1280x720, but you can unofficially bring it down to any values you want. Setting the resolution to 852x480 has a potential to increase performance by ~2x that of 1280x720. Here is a great and simple guide for how to do this:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2370119680

📌 OS Error 4294956470 (MacOS)

💡 Run the following command in the Terminal:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -f $HOME/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Hollow\ Knight/hollow_knight.app

This command is for the default Steam library location.

📌 32-bit PC / Operating System / Mac

💡 You can install and play an older, 2018 version of Hollow Knight (v1.4.3.2).

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Properties... > Betas
  
• Select the beta you would like to opt into: 1.4.3.2 - 32-bit compatibility

💡 You can re-install Windows and make sure you select x86-64 (64-bit) during installation.
How to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit version of Windows 10 for free[www.windowscentral.com]

📌 Transfer PC/XBox Game Pass Save to Steam/GOG (Microsoft Store version)

In 2022, Team Cherry released a 1.5.80 update to the PC Game Pass / Microsoft Store version of Hollow Knight, which uses a different save file location than the previous, 1.4.3.2 version. Thankfully, the save file format remains the same. Only the save file name and save location changed. Thank you to u/F4fletch for their research and info on this topic.

💡 You can copy your save files from the PC Game Pass location to the Steam/GOG save file location and rename them. The game should detect them without problems.

📂 See "Save File Locations" at the bottom of this guide on where to find your save files for each game version and "Save File Names" to see how the files need to be named for the Steam/GOG version (user1.dat etc.).

🟩 This may also mean, that XBox console players may be able to transfer their save file to PC, because the new Hollow Knight version supports XBox Cloud cross-platform saves. This was not possible before 2022. (although I haven't tested this, it's just an assumption)

🟨 Doing backups before any modifications is recommended.

📌 Missing Save Files (Cross-platform Steam Cloud Sync)

Hollow Knight doesn't have automatic Steam Cloud save file auto-synchronization between different platforms (Windows/Linux/MacOS) turned on by the developers. This means, that although your save files remain safely in the Cloud, they aren't automatically copied to a different operating system by default. The player has to do it manually.

💡 Copy your save files manually from one operating system to another. This process needs to be repeated each time you wish to transfer save progress between two different platforms (operating systems). Save files can also be downloaded directly from your Steam Cloud.

📂 See "Save File Locations" at the bottom of this guide on where to find your save files and "Save File Names" to see how the files need to be named.

🟨 Some information stored outside files (in the Windows registry) - like unlocked Game Modes, Menu Themes, Keybinds, Settings, unlocked Achievements - may not be transferable to another operating system.

⚠️ Steam Cloud is a useful, but risky tool. Never rely on Steam Cloud as your only save backup solution.

📌 Game won't save or exit when Quit to Menu

🟨 It seems this issue occurs more often than usual, but the causes or solutions are not yet known. I am currently gathering more information about this issue. If you have any info on what causes this, and you found a working solution, please let me know.

💡 (Temporary and crude workaround) Spam the "Yes" button quickly.

Some temporary ideas to try:

• Verify integrity of game files (two times if necessary)
  
• Disconnect all controllers and bluetooth / wireless adapters
  
• Check your antivirus / antimalware configuration
  
• Exit all programs / apps before launching Hollow Knight
  
• Move the game to another Steam Library / Disk / Partition
  
• Don't launch the game and Steam as administrator
  
• Make sure your Windows user account has administrator privileges

📌 Save File got corrupted

💡 You can try restoring your save auto-backup file, you might get lucky.
📂 See "Save File Locations" at the bottom of this guide on where to find the save files on each platform.
⚠️ Create save backups before doing any modifications.

• The game's developers create two save backup files: user*.dat.bak1 and user*_1.x.x.x.dat
  
• Move your main (corrupted) user*.dat file somewhere else (or rename it)
  
• Rename the user*.dat.bak1 file to user*.dat (the * means the save number slot in the game you are using, usually user1.dat)
  
• If the first backup file doesn't work, you can try renaming the second backup file. Maybe you will get lucky.

💡 To prevent corruption from happening in the future, make sure your system is stable and your disk and memory are running perfectly without any errors. This usually may be a fault of general system unstability, like: any kind of overclocking, slowly failing Hard Drive/SSD/Memory, bad connectors or cables, overheating or power instability issues - or even just bad luck from space.

📌 Launch the game without Steam (DRM-Free)

Did you know that Hollow Knight is DRM-Free on Steam? It doesn't require any launcher running in the background. This is great for modding or testing.

💡 Create a simple .txt file inside the main game folder.

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Manage > Browse Local Files...
  
• Create a new, empty .txt file where the hollow_knight.exe file is. Name it steam_appid.txt.
  
• Put any number inside the file - e.g. 367520 - and then save the file.
  
• Launch Hollow Knight without Steam running in the background to test.

🟨 When Steam is not running, all unlocked achievements will pop up at once when sitting at every bench. You might want to hide showing achievements in Options -> Game -> Show Achievements -> No.

📌 ModInstaller is not working (Modding related)

A common issue when downloading ModInstaller from weird sources or not using v1.4.3.2 - which is the newest ("latest") HK version ModInstaller currently supports.

🟩 Alternative for v1.5.x.x game version: Use Scarab Mod Installer/Manager[github.com]

Or if you don't want to use Scarab:
💡 Downgrade to an older, 2018 version of Hollow Knight (v1.4.3.2).

• Select Hollow Knight in Steam library, then click Manage > Properties... > Betas
  
• Select the beta you would like to opt into: 1.4.3.2 - 32-bit compatibility

💡 (for v1.4.3.2) Download ModInstaller from the official ModInstaller author download link:
Official ModInstaller Author Download Link[radiance.host]

https://radiance.host/mods/ModInstaller.exe

🟨 These solutions may get outdated depending on the ModInstaller development and are up to date as of 2022.02.06.

📌 Can't Focus / Heal (Modding Related)

One of the mods (most probably Hollow Point) messed with your save file. Modding Hollow Knight generally modifies save files, so it's important to create backups before any modding.

💡 Restore a backup of your save file you (hopefully) created before any modding.

💡 Edit your save file to restore the default Focus value.
⚠️ Create save backups before doing any modifications.
📂 See "Save File Locations" at the bottom of this guide to find your saves.

• Go to bloodorca's Save Editor[bloodorca.github.io].
  
• Open your save file.
  
• Set this line to 33, like shown here:

  "focusMP_amount": 33,

• Press "Download encrypted (PC)" button to save the modified file.

More details about this in the Hollow Point's "Extremely Important Known Issues" GitHub page[github.com].

📌 Loading... Invisible Save Files (Modding Related)

You see "Loading..." on your save files, save files are blank and you can't load them or you don't see any mods list at the top left of the screen.

💡 Delete Modding API and mods' configuration files.
📂 See "Save File Locations" at the bottom of this guide to find your save locations.

• Go to your save file location on your system.
  
• Delete files that have names like "ModdingApi.GlobalSettings", "Benchwarp.GlobalSettings", and "Customknight.GlobalSettings". May be ~6 files total, more or less, depending on mods installed.

📌 Stuck / Lost / Hunter's Journal / 111% / Don't know what to do 😢

💡 Use Save Completion Analyzer for Hollow Knight:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2209910193

—————————————————————————————————————

☁️ Save File Locations (Steam Cloud)

If you have Steam Cloud enabled for Hollow Knight, you can find your save files directly here:
https://store.steampowered.com/account/remotestorageapp/?appid=367520
⚠️ Steam Cloud is a useful, but risky tool. Never rely on Steam Cloud as your only save backup solution.

📁 Save File Locations (Windows - Steam/GOG)

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight\

✅ Pro Tip: Copy and paste this code into the folder path bar of the Windows File Explorer window and press Enter to go there instantly (Windows 10+). You can also paste it inside the Run window (Windows key + R).

Example path: C:\Users\your-username\AppData\LocalLow\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight

📁 Save File Locations (Game Pass, Microsoft Store)

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\TeamCherry.15373CD61C66B_y4jvztpgccj42\SystemAppData\wgs

✅ Pro Tip: Copy and paste this code into the folder path bar of the Windows File Explorer window and press Enter to go there instantly (Windows 10+). You can also paste it inside the Run window (Windows key + R).

Example path: C:\Users\your-username\AppData\Local\Packages\TeamCherry.15373CD61C66B_y4jvztpgccj42\SystemAppData\wgs

📁 Save File Locations (Linux)

$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/unity3d/Team Cherry/Hollow Knight/*.dat

📁 Save File Locations (MacOS)

~/Library/Application Support/unity.Team Cherry.Hollow Knight/

📄 Save File Names (Steam/GOG)

user*.dat — main save file. Required. Where * is a number between 1 and 4, and it is the appropriate save slot inside the game.
user*.dat.bak1 — auto-backup save file. Not required.
user*_[game-version-numbers].dat — duplicate save file of the main save file. Serves as a backup after any game update. Not required.

📄 Save File Names (PC Game Pass/Microsoft Store)

These versions now use a system with some random-letter-number-folders and files. Generally look out for:
container.* — main save file folder. Where * is a number between 1 and 4, and it is the appropriate save slot inside the game.
(random-letter-file) — should be located in one of the above "container.*" folders, and this is a save file for that save slot. It is usually bigger than 60 KB, and grows in size. Depending on in-game progress it can reach over 380 KB.

📝 Config.ini File Location (Windows)

Default location when Hollow Knight is installed on the C: drive:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Hollow Knight\hollow_knight_Data\Config.ini

If Hollow Knight is installed on a different drive than C:\:

DriveLetter:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Hollow Knight\hollow_knight_Data\Config.ini

Main Guide for Config.ini:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2564962552

📜 Credits

Guide by rezno[R] ©️® 2022. All rights reserved.
I'm always open for constructive criticism which will improve the guide for everyone:
Steam Discussions Feedback Thread
Huge thank you and admiration to Team Cherry for creating this awesome game.
If I helped you in any way, I will be happy. Have fun playing Hollow Knight! 🧡
If you like, you can support my efforts through PayPal[www.paypal.me].

[Zynxos]

lah.sjc, endgame bosses such as Radiance and AbsRad make it so it is very difficult to heal. the only way to beat them is to dodge. NKG and Pure Vessel have oppurtunities to heal normally, but for endgame bosses you can't count on healing unless if you use quick focus.

one more thing. for white palace, you should have used the Hiveblood charm. if you don't get hit for 12 seconds, you will regen 1 heart.

[lah.sjc]

After a few hundred hours of game play, my spells still work, yet my healing is like it wasn't there in the first place. As you can guess, white palace was incredibly difficult with PoP being most likely near impossible. I am now at radiance and simply not being able to heal makes it a challenge I don't want. How would I possibly fix this?

[GoldenPizza]

The pale court mod makes my game very slow on my mac. What can I do? I have bootcamp, does it run better if I have more storage?

[TeaOnTwitch]

when my controller is plugged in it spams random inputs. any help?

[-Jere-]

I have a question, what happens if I don't see the Hollow Knight (Boss) and even if I touch to see the integrity of the files, he tells me that everything is fine?;-;

[ZacJudHud]

Hey @Rezno how do you gte mods

[Quack]

Alrighty! Thank you! :)

[🉑 rezno[R].technology]

@Quack
Thanks for another idea to the guide. I know what you can do, and I'll add this to the guide a bit later today.

[Quack]

Do you have any clue what to do if the game corrupts a file? I have 26 hours + on a save and it got corrupted.

Any tips?