When you started World of Warcraft, you found that the game was stuck on the loading screen for minutes. This problem can ruin your gaming experience. But not to worry. You can increase the loading times with the following methods.
There are six methods for you to try to fix the problem. Just try these methods one by one until you resolve the problem.
Method 1: Disable add-ons for troubleshooting
Method 2: Close the background applications
Method 3: Edit the configuration file
Method 4: Delete the configuration file
Method 5: Reinstall the game
Method 6: Install WoW on a SSD drive
Method 1: Disable add-ons for troubleshooting
The WoW long loading screen issue can be caused by outdated or corrupted add-ons. Disabling all add-ons to see if the loading time increases. If the loading time increases, enable the add-ons one by one to find out which ones are the cause.
To do so:
1) Open File Explorer.
2) Navigate to the following directory:
C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\Addons
Note this is the default directory where the game was installed. If you select a directory while installing the game, just navigate to that directory.
3) Select all add-ons and move them to another folder so they’re not in the “World of Warcraft” folder.
4) Restart your computer and launch the game. Check to see if the long loading screen issue is resolved.
If the issue is resolved, enable the add-ons one by one to determine which add-on is causing the problem. After you find out the add-on causing the problem, you can update the add-on or remove the add-on to fix the problem.
Method 2: Close the background applications
Third-party applications can interfere with WoW or take over the system resources. They can cause various game issues like the long loading screen issue. You may not notice that but these applications may be running in the background.
You can close all background applications and find out which application is causing the problem. Here’s how to do it:
1) On your keyboard, press Win+S (the Windows logo key and the S key) to open the search box.
2) Type “task manager” into the search box and click on Task Manager.
3) Select the Startup tab. Select one application and then click on Disable. Repeat this step until you disable all applications.
4) Restart your computer. Launch WoW to check to see if the problem is resolved.
If the problem is resolved, then follow the below steps to enable the applications one by one to find out which application is causing the problem.
1) Open Task Manager again.
2) Select one application and then click on Enable.
3) Restart your computer and check to see if the problem is resolved.
4) Repeat the steps above to disable all applications then you’ll find out which application is causing the problem.
Method 3: Edit the configuration file
To fix the WoW stuck on loading screen issue, you can try to edit the configuration file. Here’s how to do it:
1) Close WoW and ensure it’s not running in the background.
2) Open File Explorer.
3) Open the “World of Warcraft” folder again. Inside the “World of Warcraft” folder, you’ll see another folder called “WTF” where you can find the “Config.wtf” file
4) Once you find the “Config.wtf” file, open it with Notepad.
5) Add the following line to the bottom of the file:
SET worldPreloadNonCritical “0”
Note: Ensure you use normal ASCII “quotes here. If you’re not sure, you can copy the quotes from the existing lines in the document.
6) Save and exit the document.
7) Restart your computer and launch WoW to see if you’re still facing the long loading screen issue.
Method 4: Delete the configuration file
If editing the configuration file doesn’t work, you can try to delete it.
1) Close WoW and ensure it’s not running in the background.
2) Delete the “Config.wtf” file.
3) Restart your computer and launch WoW. Then WoW will automatically generate the “Config.wtf” file and reset the game. After that, the long loading screen issue may be able to resolve.
Method 5: Reinstall the game
When WoW is stuck on the loading screen for a long time, it’s possible the game installation files are corrupt. To fix the problem, you can try to reinstall the game.
Firstly, you need to uninstall the game. Follow these steps:
1) On your keyboard, press Win+R (the Window logo key and the R key) at the same time to invoke the Run box.
2) Type “appwiz.cpl” into the Run box and click OK to open the Programs and Features manager.
3) Right-click on World of Warcraft and select Uninstall.
If World of Warcraft is not listed, manually uninstall the game by deleting the folder where the game was installed.
4) After you’re done with the uninstallation, restart your computer and install the game again.
Method 6: Install WoW on a SSD drive
Usually, we install games on HDD, which can make games load slowly. To increase the loading time of WoW, you can try to install the game on a SSD drive. After that, you’re supposed to see the loading time is much faster.