Google Earth won't start - you can do that
With Google Earth, you can travel virtually anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. But what to do if the software doesn't start? In this practical tip we will show you how you can fix such a problem.
Google Earth does not start: general information
- Make sure you have the latest drivers for your graphics card installed. In the CHIP download area you will find the latest drivers for NVIDIA graphics cards and for AMD chips.
- If you are using a virus scanner or a firewall, temporarily deactivate it and try whether Google Earth will work. If so, you need to add an exception rule to your security software.
Test Google Earth in DirectX and OpenGL mode
Google Earth can be started in both DirectX and OpenGL mode. Try both modes to see if the program starts.
- DirectX mode: Open the start menu and select "All Programs". Windows 8 users press the Windows key and then click "All Apps". Find the "Google Earth" folder and hover over it. Then select "Start Google Earth in DirectX mode".
- OpenGl mode: Proceed exactly like DirectX mode and in the last step select "Start Google Earth in OpenGL mode".
Google Earth: Clear cache
It is also possible that the program's cache files are damaged and Google Earth does not start because of this. In this case you have to delete the cache files. It may be necessary to make previously hidden files visible in Explorer.
- Open the directory "C: \ Users \ * Username * \ AppData \ Local \ Google \ GoogleEarth" in Windows Explorer. If the files "dbCache.dat" and "dbCache.dat.index" are there, delete them. If there is a directory in the folder with the name "unified_cache_leveldb_leveldb2", delete it as well.
- Also open the directory "C: \ Users \ * Username * \ AppData \ LocalLow \ Google \ GoogleEarth" and delete the files "dbCache.dat" and "dbCache.dat.index" there as well. The directory "unified_cache_leveldb_leveldb2" must also be removed.
Google Earth: Remove Myplaces file
It can happen that the myplaces.kml file is corrupted by Google Earth. In such a case, Google Earth often no longer starts. Delete the file so that it will be automatically created the next time it is started.
- Open the directory "C: \ User \ * username * \ AppData \ Local \ Google \ GoogleEarth" or "C: \ User \ * username * \ AppData \ LocalLow \ Google \ GoogleEarth" in Windows Explorer. There you delete the myplaces.kml file.
- When you delete the Myplaces file, however, all of your previously placed placemarks are lost. If you want to keep it, you can try to use the backup file. To do this, simply rename the "myplaces.backup.kml" to "myplaces.kml".
Reinstall Google Earth
If you still cannot start Google Earth, you should reinstall the software.
- Uninstall Google Earth using Windows Control Panel.
- Start Regedit and delete the registry key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Google \ Google Earth", if it exists. The same applies to the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Google \ Google Earth".
- Alternatively or additionally, run the CCleaner registry cleaner. You can find more information on this in this practical tip.
- Download the latest version of Google Earth and install it as an administrator by right-clicking on the setup file and selecting "Run as administrator".
