UE5 crashes when starting a project

General Feedback & Requests
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1

Im on windows, just installed UE5 and tried to start a new project but it crashes just before it opens. I also cant install Quixel Bridge it says file access error, check running processes.

this is the log for UE5
Fatal error: [File:D:\build++UE5\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Engine\Private\ShaderCompiler\ShaderCompiler.cpp] [Line: 4409] /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/TranslucentLightInjectionShaders.usf: 11: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” 1 error in preprocessor. /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Private/DeferredLightingCommon.ush: 9: #include “DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/Lumen/LumenSceneDirectLighting.usf: 12: #include “…/DeferredLightingCommon.ush” /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/BasePassVertexCommon.ush: 15: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” from /Engine/Private/BasePassVertexShader.usf: 7: #include “BasePassVertexCommon.ush” /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/DebugViewModeVertexShader.usf: 34: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file "/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders

UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_Engine
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor_CoreUObject
UnrealEditor
UnrealEditor
UnrealEditor
UnrealEditor
UnrealEditor
UnrealEditor
kernel32
ntdll

2

you can click the drop down by the engine and “verify” the install
are you the administrator?
perhaps you should up your user permissions to admin if not
also maybe do a windows update
if you installed 5.1 preview
try installing 5.0.3 or 4.27 as well and see if one of them runs

3

Also seeing in 5.0.3. Re-trying in 5.1.0.

Fatal error: [File:/Users/build/Build/++UE5/Sync/Engine/Source/Runtime/Engine/Private/ShaderCompiler/ShaderCompiler.cpp] [Line: 4409] /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/ShadowDepthPixelShader.usf: 34: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” 1 error in preprocessor. /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/LightMapDensityShader.usf: 10: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” /Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush(431): error: Can’t open include file “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” #include “/Engine/Generated/ShaderAutogen/AutogenShaderHeaders.ush” from /Engine/Generated/Material.ush: 21: #include “/Engine/Private/DeferredShadingCommon.ush” from /Engine/Private/BasePassVertexCommon.ush: 15: #include “/Engine/Generated/Material.ush” from /Engine/Private/BasePassVertexShader.usf: 7: #include “BasePassVertexCommon.ush” Failed to compile default material /Engine/EngineMaterials/WorldGridMaterial.WorldGridMaterial!

FShaderCompilingManager::ProcessCompiledShaderMaps(TMap<int, FShaderMapCompileResults, FDefaultSetAllocator, TDefaultMapHashableKeyFuncs<int, FShaderMapCompileResults, false> >&, float) Address = 0x11924ade2 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
FShaderCompilingManager::FinishAllCompilation() Address = 0x119252846 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UMaterialInterface::PostLoadDefaultMaterials() Address = 0x1185ac34c (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UMaterialInterface::PostLoad() Address = 0x11869049d (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UMaterial::PostLoad() Address = 0x1185bd1d3 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UObject::ConditionalPostLoad() Address = 0x10c6a2d9d (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
EndLoad(FUObjectSerializeContext*, TArray<UPackage*, TSizedDefaultAllocator<32> >) Address = 0x10c82819d (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
LoadPackageInternal(UPackage, FPackagePath const&, unsigned int, FLinkerLoad*, FArchive*, FLinkerInstancingContext const*, FPackagePath const*) Address = 0x10c82629b (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
LoadPackage(UPackage*, FPackagePath const&, unsigned int, FArchive*, FLinkerInstancingContext const*, FPackagePath const*) Address = 0x10c8296b3 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
LoadPackage(UPackage*, char16_t const*, unsigned int, FArchive*, FLinkerInstancingContext const*) Address = 0x10c8233f5 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
ResolveName(UObject*&, FString&, bool, bool, unsigned int, FLinkerInstancingContext const*) Address = 0x10c821193 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
StaticLoadObjectInternal(UClass*, UObject*, char16_t const*, char16_t const*, unsigned int, UPackageMap*, bool, FLinkerInstancingContext const*) Address = 0x10c823b9e (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
StaticLoadObject(UClass*, UObject*, char16_t const*, char16_t const*, unsigned int, UPackageMap*, bool, FLinkerInstancingContext const*) Address = 0x10c7fff19 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
UStaticMesh* ConstructorHelpersInternal::FindOrLoadObject(FString&, unsigned int) Address = 0x117d16d97 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
ConstructorHelpers::FObjectFinder::FObjectFinder(char16_t const*, unsigned int) Address = 0x117d16bbf (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UCameraComponent::UCameraComponent(FObjectInitializer const&) Address = 0x117ccae6c (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UClass::CreateDefaultObject() Address = 0x10c4fcf42 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
UClass::GetDefaultObject(bool) const Address = 0x10c3e5797 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
FObjectInitializer::CreateDefaultSubobject(UObject*, FName, UClass const*, UClass const*, bool, bool) const Address = 0x10c83b7f6 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
UObject::CreateDefaultSubobject(FName, UClass*, UClass*, bool, bool) Address = 0x10c69c65b (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
ACameraActor::ACameraActor(FObjectInitializer const&) Address = 0x117cc5a41 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Engine.dylib]
UClass::CreateDefaultObject() Address = 0x10c4fcf42 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
UClass::GetDefaultObject(bool) const Address = 0x10c3e5797 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
ProcessNewlyLoadedUObjects(FName, bool) Address = 0x10c80c105 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-CoreUObject.dylib]
FEngineLoop::PreInitPostStartupScreen(char16_t const*) Address = 0x10b2ae1af (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor]
GuardedMain(char16_t const*) Address = 0x10b29c62e (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor]
-[UEAppDelegate runGameThread:] Address = 0x10b2b8033 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor]
-[FCocoaGameThread main] Address = 0x10dbaa561 (filename not found) [in UnrealEditor-Core.dylib]
Unknown() Address = 0x7ff807d1f9f4 (filename not found) [in Foundation]
_pthread_start Address = 0x7ff806e0e4e1 (filename not found) [in libsystem_pthread.dylib]
thread_start Address = 0x7ff806e09f6b (filename not found) [in libsystem_pthread.dylib]

4

I’ve been struggling with this issue ever since upgrading to Windows 11. For any project, whenever Unreal generates the “Intermediate” directory, it creates the contents with “SYSTEM” file permissions, making them unreadable by anyone else. Then Unreal is unable to read the files it just put in there (throwing the errors seen by @Nick1346 ). Is there a way to force Unreal to generate this directory for “Everyone”?

This was not a problem on Windows 10. I upgraded to Windows 11 because DirectX 12 on Windows 10 stopped at Shader Model 6.5 for me.

5

I seem to have inadvertently resolved the issue. This is what I did…

First, delete the “Intermediate”, “Derived Data Cache”, and other directories with problematic permissions / missing files.

With the constant failures, I was hoping to make debugging the issue go a little faster, so I implemented the suggestions in this article:

Basically, whitelist UnrealEditor.exe and ShaderCompileWorker.exe in your Firewall settings. Also set BaseEngine.ini WorkerProcessPriority=0. For me, I also lowered PercentageUnusedShaderCompilingThreads to 25.

So it seems like some timing issue in Windows 11, where maybe shaders are processing too slowly due to firewall interference or priority being set too low, and this triggers a timeout which crashes the editor. Without looking at the engine code, maybe the permissions are set later than when the crash occurs, so the working directories end up being unreadable on the next attempt.

So this appears to have resolved the issue for me, and I am now able to open projects. Maybe it can help Unreal devs figure out a way to not crash here, and maybe it can help others who are encountering this issue.