Question

Helium does not start. What can I do?

Answer

There are several possible causes, ranging from a missing runtime component to a corrupt settings file. Work through the steps below from top to bottom and stop as soon as Helium starts successfully.

Step 1 — Check the error message

If a message box appeared when you tried to start Helium, the text gives a strong clue about the cause.

  • "File: [filename] is missing. Please reinstall the application." — Go to Step 4.
  • "Helium failed to start." or "Helium failed to show the main window." — Continue with the steps below. Check the log files in Step 7 for more detail.
  • "Unable to create database" or "Invalid database" — Go to Step 5 and delete db.json.
  • No message box appeared and Helium simply did not show up — The .NET runtime may be missing. Go to Step 3.

Step 2 — Check that no other instance is running

Helium only allows one copy of itself to run at a time. If a previous Helium process is still in memory — for example, after a crash — a new instance will exit silently without showing any window.

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Look for a Helium.exe entry in the process list.
  3. If you find one, right-click it and choose End Task.
  4. Try starting Helium again.

Step 3 — Verify the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime is installed

Helium 18 requires the .NET 10.0 Desktop Runtime (x64). If it is not installed, Helium will not appear at all and no error message is shown. This is the most common cause of a fresh installation not starting.

  1. Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/10.0 and download the .NET 10.0 Desktop Runtime (x64).
  2. Run the installer.
  3. Restart your computer.
  4. Try starting Helium again.

Step 4 — Reinstall Helium and check your antivirus

  1. Download the latest Helium installer from the Helium website and run it. This restores any missing or damaged files.
  2. If the problem persists after reinstalling, install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) from https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe. This package is required by Helium's audio engine and is not always present on a fresh Windows installation.
  3. Check your antivirus quarantine. Security software sometimes incorrectly quarantines Helium's audio files. If you find any Helium files there, restore them and add the Helium installation folder to your antivirus exclusions. Then try starting Helium again.

Step 5 — Fix a corrupt configuration or database

Work through the sub-steps below in order. Try starting Helium after each one and stop as soon as it works.

Sub-step 5a — Delete helium.json

  • Path: %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\helium.json
  • This resets your Helium settings to defaults. Your music library is not affected.
  1. Open Windows Explorer and paste %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\ into the address bar, then press Enter.
  2. Delete the file helium.json.
  3. Try starting Helium.

Sub-step 5b — Delete db.json

Only do this if sub-step 5a did not help.

  • Path: %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\db.json
  • This removes the pointer to your database. Helium will ask you to reconnect to a database on next start. Your actual music database file — the file that contains your library — is not deleted.
  1. In the same folder, delete the file db.json.
  2. Try starting Helium.

Sub-step 5c — Delete all .json files in the Helium 18 folder

Only do this if sub-steps 5a and 5b did not help.

  • Path: %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\
  • This resets all settings. You will need to reconnect to your database after Helium starts. Your music data is safe.
  1. In the folder, delete every file ending in .json.
  2. Try starting Helium.

Sub-step 5d — Reinstall

If none of the above helped, download the latest installer from the Helium website and reinstall Helium.

Step 6 — Try running as Administrator

On some systems, Helium cannot write to a folder it needs during startup due to restricted permissions. Running as administrator can resolve this.

  1. Right-click the Helium shortcut or the Helium executable.
  2. Choose Run as administrator.
  3. If Helium starts successfully this way, your user account may have restricted permissions. Contact your system administrator for assistance, or check the permissions on %ProgramData%\Imploded Software\.

Step 7 — Check the log files

Helium writes a detailed log file during every startup. If none of the steps above resolved the problem, the log file can reveal exactly what went wrong.

  • Location: %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\logs\
  • The most recent file is named helium-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-mm-SS.txt and can be opened in any text editor such as Notepad.
  • Look for lines marked as errors or warnings near the end of the file — these usually identify the cause.
  • When contacting support, please attach the most recent log file. It significantly speeds up diagnosis.

Still not solved?

If you have worked through all the steps above and Helium still does not start, please contact support at https://imploded.freshdesk.com. Include the following:

  • The most recent log file from %APPDATA%\Imploded Software\Helium 18\logs\
  • The exact error message shown, if any.
  • Your Windows version.

See also