Summary
UEFN 43.00 fails to launch with “Bad Image” error 0xc0e90002, followed by a ShaderCompileWorker crash. Windows logs confirm that Smart App Control blocks the bundled unsigned dxcompiler.dll. Verifying UEFN through Epic Games Launcher did not resolve the issue. Please provide a fix that allows UEFN to run with Smart App Control enabled.
Please select what you are reporting on:
Unreal Editor for Fortnite
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
Stability
Steps to Reproduce
Use Windows 11 with Smart App Control enabled.
Launch Unreal Editor for Fortnite version 43.00 from Epic Games Launcher.
Observe the “Bad Image” error referencing ShaderConductor\Win64\dxcompiler.dll, with error status 0xc0e90002.
Dismiss the error. ShaderCompileWorker reports a crash and failure to load the same DLL.
Verify UEFN files through Epic Games Launcher, then launch again. The issue persists.
Expected Result
UEFN should launch successfully and load its shader compiler components with Windows Smart App Control enabled, without DLL errors or crashes.
Observed Result
UEFN fails to launch with a “Bad Image” error (0xc0e90002) referencing dxcompiler.dll. ShaderCompileWorker then crashes because it cannot load that DLL. Windows Code Integrity logs confirm Smart App Control blocked the file. The issue persists after verifying UEFN through Epic Games Launcher.
Platform(s)
PC — Windows 11, version 25H2 (build 26200.9711).
