How to Fix Fortnite Error 20006 (Easy Anti-Cheat Launch Error)

By FixMyError · Updated October 14, 2026 · 7 min read

What Error 20006 means

Error 20006 is Fortnite's way of telling you its anti-cheat system never got off the ground. Before Fortnite lets you into the lobby, it hands control to Easy Anti-Cheat — the background component that checks no cheating software is running on your PC. To do that job, Easy Anti-Cheat registers a Windows background service and starts it every time you launch the game.

When that service can't be created or started, Fortnite shows error 20006, usually with an extra line like "Cannot create service (StartService failed: 1058)" or "StartService failed: 193". The number in parentheses is the Windows error detail: 1058 generally means the service is disabled or has no enabled devices associated with it, while 193 points to a corrupted or incompatible service executable. Either way, the practical meaning is the same — the anti-cheat engine never started, and Fortnite won't run without it.

The important thing to understand is that error 20006 is almost never about your Fortnite installation itself. Your account, skins, and progress are completely safe, and you don't need to redownload the whole game. The problem lives in the anti-cheat layer between Windows and Fortnite, which is exactly why repairing that layer — rather than reinstalling everything — is the fix that works.

Common causes

• Corrupted Easy Anti-Cheat files: the anti-cheat service's core files are damaged or missing, so Windows can't register the service.
• Disabled EasyAntiCheat service: the Windows service is stopped, set to Manual, or Disabled, so it never starts when Fortnite launches.
• Antivirus or firewall blocking: security software treats the anti-cheat driver as suspicious and quarantines it or blocks the service from starting.
• Missing administrator permissions: the Epic Games Launcher or Fortnite was launched without the rights needed to create the background service.
• Damaged Windows system files: corrupted core Windows files or a broken driver environment prevent the service from registering correctly.

How to fix Error 20006 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Most players are launching again by step 2.

1. Repair the Easy Anti-Cheat service. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\EasyAntiCheat. Right-click EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe, choose Run as administrator, select Fortnite in the dropdown, and click Repair Service. Restart your PC when it finishes, then try launching Fortnite again.
2. Start the EasyAntiCheat Windows service. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Find EasyAntiCheat in the services list. If it is stopped, right-click it and choose Start. Then double-click it, set Startup type to Automatic, and click OK so Windows starts the service every time.
3. Run Fortnite and the launcher as administrator. Right-click the Epic Games Launcher shortcut, choose Run as administrator, and sign in. Then launch Fortnite from the library. Administrator rights let the launcher and the anti-cheat service create the background services that error 20006 says are missing.
4. Whitelist Easy Anti-Cheat in antivirus and firewall. Open Windows Security, go to Virus & threat protection, then Manage settings, then Exclusions, and add the Fortnite folder and the EasyAntiCheat folder as exclusions. Then open Windows Defender Firewall, click "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall," and confirm Fortnite and Easy Anti-Cheat are checked for Private and Public networks. Repeat the exclusions in any third-party antivirus you use.
5. Reinstall the Easy Anti-Cheat driver files. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers. Find EasyAntiCheat.sys and delete it — Windows will recreate it. Then go back to the Fortnite EasyAntiCheat folder, run EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe as administrator again, and choose Repair Service. Restart your PC and launch Fortnite.
6. Verify Fortnite's files, then check Windows system files. In the Epic Games Launcher, go to Library, click the three dots next to Fortnite, and choose Verify to repair damaged game files. If the error still appears, press Win + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator, type SFC /scannow, and press Enter. Restart your PC when the scan finishes, then try Fortnite again.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Fortnite launches past the loading screen without error 20006
• EasyAntiCheat shows "Running" in services.msc
• No "Cannot create service" message on startup
• The game loads into the lobby successfully

If error 20006 persists, try launching Fortnite from the Epic Games Launcher rather than a desktop shortcut, and check that no third-party anti-cheat tools or overlay software (like Discord overlays or RGB controllers) are interfering. As a final measure, a clean reinstall of Fortnite also reinstalls a fresh copy of Easy Anti-Cheat — but try every step above first, because a full redownload rarely adds anything.