Games for Windows — LIVE Sign-in issues

If you receive an error or experience problems connecting when attempting to sign in to the Games for Windows — LIVE software, try these steps to resolve the issue.

Check the Status of Windows — Live ID (sign-in) and LIVE services

A service may be down, which will prevent you from accessing the LIVE services or sign-in. To check status of the servers click the links below:

If you cannot connect to any of these sites, please contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance.

Valid account

Make sure you did not mistype your e-mail address or password. If you are entering the correct information, this Windows Live ID may not be setup for LIVE. To create a LIVE account, please view Join Games for Windows — LIVE.

You may have originally set up a LIVE account using a different e-mail address and password. Sign out of Games for Windows — LIVE, uncheck the automatic sign-in option, and sign in with your original account information.

Verify Sign-in

Make sure you can successfully sign in to Windows Live by signing in to http://www.live.com with your current e-mail address and password. If you are unable to sign in, please contact Windows Live ID support for assistance.

Check Internet Options Settings

This issue may also occur if cookies are not enabled or a setting in Internet options is preventing you from signing in.

  1. Close any Internet browser windows that are open.
  2. Click Start and then Control Panel. If the Control Panel window is empty, click View all Control Panel Options in the left section of the window to display all the icons.
  3. Open Internet Options. You may need to click Network and Internet Connections before clicking Internet Options.
  4. In the Temporary Internet files section on the General tab, click Delete Files. In Windows Vista or Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher installed, click Delete in the Browsing history section and then Delete Files in the Temporary Internet files section. Click Yes or OK to remove these files.
  5. Next, click Delete Cookies and then Yes or OK to remove these files. In Windows Vista or Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher installed, close the Delete Browsing History window when completed.
  6. Click Settings on the General tab.
  7. Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages," click Every visit to the page.
  8. Click Apply.
  9. Click the Privacy tab.
  10. Click "Advanced."
  11. If "Override automatic cookie handling" is checked, click once in the check box to uncheck this setting.
  12. Click OK.
  13. On the Privacy tab, click Default Level and lower the slider to Medium or a lower setting.
  14. Click Apply.
  15. Click the Security tab.
  16. In the Security level for this zone section, click Custom Level to open Security Settings.
  17. In the Reset custom setting section, change the "Reset to:" option to Medium or Medium-low. If you already have this setting skip to Step 18.
  18. Click Reset. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP REGARDLESS OF YOUR SETTINGS.
  19. Click OK to close the Security Settings window.
  20. Click the Advanced tab.
  21. Scroll down to the Security section and make sure "SSL 2.0" and "SSL 3.0" are checked. If these options are unchecked, check them and click Apply.
  22. Click OK and restart your computer. Once your computer restarts, try signing in again.

Troubleshooting connection errors and disconnect problems

Sign-in issues can also be caused by network connectivity problems. To resolve these issues, view the following article: Internet Connection Issues.


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