Step-by-step install and launch for Xernel. Disable Windows protection before the first run — it clears most problems.
Requirements
- Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
System requirements
Preparation
Disable Windows protection — that's enough for most systems.
Remove third-party antivirus and anti-cheats Kaspersky, Avast, ESET and the like, plus FaceIT and Riot Vanguard, conflict with the loader. They must be uninstalled, not just paused.
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Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features).
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Uninstall any third-party antivirus (Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, ESET, 360, Malwarebytes, etc.). Pausing or disabling is not enough — the antivirus driver stays resident.
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Uninstall the FaceIT AC and Riot Vanguard anti-cheats if present — they block third-party software at the kernel level.
- FaceIT is the CS2 anti-cheat, Vanguard is the Valorant one. If you don't play those games, they are safe to remove.
After removing an antivirus, restart the PC — some of its services only unload after a reboot.
Fully disable Windows Defender The #1 cause of "it won't launch". Disable it for real: manually first, then remove it from startup, reboot, and finish it off with Defender Control.
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Step 1. Turn protection off by hand. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and switch every toggle off:
- Real-time protection — Off.
- Cloud-delivered protection — Off.
- Automatic sample submission — Off.
- Tamper Protection — Off. Turn this one off first, otherwise the others switch themselves back on.
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Step 2. Disable reputation-based protection. In Windows Security → App & browser control → Reputation-based protection → Settings, turn everything off (SmartScreen, potentially-unwanted-app blocking).
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Step 3. Remove Defender from startup. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Startup apps tab, find Windows Security notification icon and click Disable.
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Step 4. Restart your computer. This is mandatory — some Defender services only unload after a reboot.
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Step 5. Finish with Defender Control. Download Defender Control (archive password: r1xon), run it as administrator and click Disable Windows Defender — the tile turns red.
- If your antivirus deletes the utility itself, protection is still active — go back to step 1. The file ships zipped on purpose so Defender can't wipe it before it's disabled.
Don't skip steps 3–4. "I turned the toggles off but it didn't help" almost always means Defender came back after restart because it was left in startup.
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Open the Xernel Launcher download page — download the Xernel launcher
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Enter your license key on the download page and wait for license processing
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Automatic download should start within a few seconds. If it does not, click Manual Download
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The downloaded file is usually in `Downloads`. Move the Launcher to a separate folder, for example `C:\XERNEL\`
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To hide product traces, you can run the Launcher from a FAT32 USB drive
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Make sure one game overlay is enabled:
- For NVIDIA GPUs
- For AMD GPUs
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After all steps, restart the system. You can press `Win + R`, enter `shutdown /r /t 0` and press Enter
Launch
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Run Xernel Launcher as administrator
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In the License activation window, enter your license key and click Activate
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After successful activation the launcher main menu opens. Select PUBG and click Launch
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A launch log window will appear. This is normal. Wait for the authorization message
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After authorization, the Load driver? prompt will appear
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On the first launch after a restart, click YES
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On later launches before the next restart, click NO
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If you click YES every time, issues may appear. Restart the PC and launch correctly again
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If driver load failed -1 appears, remove Riot Vanguard, FaceIT and other antiviruses/anti-cheats, then restart the computer
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Wait for the green logs in the launcher — that means everything went through
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When the launcher closes, start PUBG and press Delete — the cheat menu loads and the product is ready
Problems & fixes
Launcher will not download
First check the product status and the Downloads folder. Clear the browser cache (`Ctrl + Shift + Delete`), disable the ad blocker and try another browser. The official guide recommends retrying without a VPN; if the ISP blocks the download or it stalls, connect through a full VPN instead and change the server.
Invalid license key
Restart the launcher and enter the key again. Copy it in full straight from the bot message, with no spaces, and do not type it manually — `1`, `l` and `I` are easy to confuse. If the key is lost or inactive, send the key and the receipt to support for an expiry check.
Antivirus blocks or deletes the Launcher
Disable protection completely, not just real-time mode: Defender together with Tamper Protection and SmartScreen; third-party antiviruses are better removed. Add the launcher folder to exclusions and restart the PC. Files deleted by the antivirus have to be downloaded again. If Defender switches itself back on, use Defender Control.
Driver does not load / driver load failed -1
Completely remove FaceIT, Riot Vanguard and other anti-cheats, disable the antivirus and SmartScreen. Run R1XON Checker and fix every red item — system protections and `VulnerableDriverBlocklistEnable` first. Run the launcher as administrator, update the GPU driver and restart the PC after every change.
Pressed YES multiple times, now it does not work
Just restart the PC — after the reboot the state returns to normal. From then on click YES exactly once, on the first launch after a restart, and choose NO on every later launch in the same session.
The game starts but the launcher shows an error
Click OK in the error window, close the game and restart the PC. Make sure PUBG is installed in Steam, fully downloaded and updated, and that the system drive has free space. Then repeat the Launcher → PUBG → Delete sequence.
Black screen when the game starts
Keep exactly one overlay enabled and switch the game to Borderless Windowed mode. Update the GPU driver, close OBS, Bandicam and other capture tools. Check that the monitor is plugged into the graphics card, not the motherboard.
Low FPS or lags
Close unnecessary programs and screen capture, keeping only the required overlay, and check Task Manager for heavy processes. Update the GPU driver, check CPU/GPU temperatures and make sure the game runs on the dedicated graphics card. If the drop remains, attach load metrics to a support request.
The launcher window does not appear after starting it
Wait a few seconds — the first start can be slow — and check in Task Manager that the launcher process is running. If there is still no window, restart the PC and try again; if it repeats, redownload the launcher from the download page.
"Cannot connect to the servers"
Check the internet connection, disable the VPN and restart the PC. Add the launcher to the Windows Firewall exclusions and make sure the PUBG servers are up. If your ISP throttles the connection, try the opposite — connect a full VPN and change the server.
The launcher asks for activation again after a restart
This is normal behaviour — just enter the key again, with no spaces. If activation fails, sync Windows time and retry. When the error repeats, send support the exact error text together with the key.
I closed the log window during launch
Restart the PC and run the launcher again — starting the sequence from scratch fixes it.
Advanced setup — only if it still won’t launch
Use a VPN for download and activation CIS ISPs often block the activation servers. A VPN is needed while downloading the loader, activating the key and injecting — you can turn it off before joining a match.
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Use a full VPN (an app that routes all traffic), not a browser proxy, VLESS or extension — half the support tickets come from exactly this.
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Turn the VPN on before downloading the loader and activating the key. If something won't load, switch country (Europe or the US usually work).
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After a successful inject you can turn the VPN off before the match to avoid extra ping.
A VPN fixes most endless-loading and "key won't activate" problems.
Update Visual C++ and DirectX Up-to-date runtimes keep the loader and overlay from crashing at start.
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Install Visual C++ Redistributable x64 and restart the PC.
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Update DirectX if you haven't in a while.
FAQ
Where do I get the key after payment?
The key arrives instantly after payment — it appears on the order page and lands in your email, and if Telegram is linked to your account, our bot sends a copy too. This guide opens from there as well.
Which key opens the menu?
The menu opens on Delete (on a laptop — FN + Delete). You can rebind it inside the cheat menu.
Do I need to disable Defender if I have another antivirus?
Yes, disable both. Windows Defender conflicts with the product even when a third-party antivirus is installed, so both kinds of protection must be fully off, not just minimised to the tray.
Do I need to do all steps every time?
• System setup is done once
• After every restart, click YES on the first driver loading prompt
• Until the next restart, choose NO
• Start the game only after the launcher has closed
Still stuck?
Run R1XON Checker first — it pinpoints most launch problems in 30 seconds. If it still fails, attach the checker report to your support ticket and we’ll sort it out fast.