How to fix MSI Afterburner "Failed to start scanning" error in Windows?

"Failed to start scanning!" means the MSI Overclocking Scanner could not even begin its test, so no overclock was tried and nothing on the card changed. Most often another program or a Windows permission blocks the scanner's access to the GeForce card. Allow access to the GPU performance counters in the NVIDIA Control Panel first, then close every other tuning tool.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What "Failed to start scanning!" in the MSI Overclocking Scanner means

OC Scanner is the automatic overclocking tool built into MSI Afterburner. You start it from the main window of Afterburner, and it opens a window called MSI Overclocking Scanner. When you select Scan, it tries higher clocks step by step and tests each one.

The line "Failed to start scanning!" means that the very first step failed: the scanner could not take control of the card for its test. It is not a crash and not a sign of a damaged card. No clock offset was applied, so your card runs exactly as it did before.

• Same error, other spellings: "Failed to start scannning!" with three n is how many people type it, and searches also use "OC scanner", "MSI overclocking scanner" and "afterburner" alone.
• Different messages: "Scan failed with code 3" and "results are considered unstable" appear after a scan has started. "Error opening file for writing" comes from the setup program. Each is answered below.
• Not the same as Afterburner not opening: if the program window itself never appears, see the FAQ at the end.

Why the OC Scanner fails to start scanning

Most often the scanner is denied access to the card's performance counters. Less often another program already controls the card, or a laptop hands the job to the wrong graphics chip. Rarely the cause is an old Afterburner build or a damaged driver install.

How to fix MSI Afterburner "Failed to start scanning"

Fixes 1 and 2 solve most cases on a desktop PC and take a few minutes. Fix 3 is for laptops. Fixes 4 and 5 repair Afterburner itself, and Fixes 6 and 7 deal with the driver and other software.

Fix 1. Allow access to the GPU performance counters in the NVIDIA Control Panel

3 minutesLow riskYou have a GeForce card and the scan fails the moment you select Scan.

The scanner reads the card's performance counters while it tests each clock. The NVIDIA Control Panel keeps these counters for administrators only by default, and users report that the error goes away once all users may read them.

1. Close MSI Afterburner.
2. Right-click the desktop and open NVIDIA Control Panel. In Windows 11 it may sit under Show more options.
3. In the menu bar select Desktop > Enable Developer Settings.
4. In the left column, under the new Developer heading, select Manage GPU Performance Counters.
5. Choose Allow access to the GPU performance counters to all users and select Apply.
6. Open MSI Afterburner, select OC Scanner and then Scan.

Fix 2. Close every other tuning, overlay and monitoring program, then scan again

5 minutesNo riskAnother program that reads or changes the graphics card runs at the same time as Afterburner.

Only one program can steer the card's clocks during a test. Users on NVIDIA's forum report the same failure in EVGA Precision X1's scanner, which points to a shared cause: something else holding the card or its scanning interface.

1. Save your work and restart Windows, so no earlier scan or tool is left half running.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
3. On Processes, select each GPU tool that runs and select End task: other overclocking tools such as EVGA Precision X1 or ASUS GPU Tweak, RGB lighting tools, hardware monitors and game overlays.
4. Close games, browsers with video and screen recorders as well.
5. Leave MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server running, open OC Scanner and select Scan.

If a tool starts again with Windows, stop it from starting for one test: Stop apps from opening at startup More about closing programs: Close a frozen app (Task Manager, Force Quit)

Fix 3. On a laptop, point Afterburner at the GeForce chip and plug in the charger

5 minutesNo riskThe error appears on a laptop with Intel or AMD graphics next to the GeForce chip.

A laptop has two graphics chips, and Afterburner can show the integrated one as GPU1. The scanner then has no NVIDIA chip to scan. Some laptop makers also lock the clocks, and then no tool can change them.

1. Connect the charger. Many laptops limit the graphics chip on battery.
2. Open Settings > System > Power & battery and set Power mode to Best performance.
3. In MSI Afterburner, select the gear icon to open Settings.
4. On the General tab, open the list for the master graphics processor and choose the NVIDIA GeForce chip, then select OK.
5. Move the Core Clock slider by a small step and select Apply.
6. If the slider moves, set it back with Reset and run OC Scanner again.

Fix 4. Install the current final build of MSI Afterburner cleanly

15 minutesLow riskThe error began after an update, you run a beta build, or Fixes 1 to 3 did not help.

Guru3D, which builds Afterburner with MSI, notes that beta builds can expire and recommends a final build. For problems after an update it advises a full uninstall of Afterburner and RTSS, with the profiles removed, then a clean install.

1. Right-click the Afterburner and RivaTuner icons in the tray and close both programs.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall MSI Afterburner. When it asks whether to keep your settings, choose to remove them.
3. Uninstall RivaTuner Statistics Server in the same way and restart the PC.
4. Download the final build from msi.com or Guru3D. MSI warns that other sites offer fake copies.
5. Unpack the ZIP file, run the setup file and install Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server.
6. Open Afterburner and run OC Scanner before you install any other GPU tool.

Both ways to uninstall a program on Windows 11 and Windows 10: Uninstall a program or app in Windows

Fix 5. Fix "Error opening file for writing" when you install or update Afterburner

10 minutesLow riskThe Afterburner or RivaTuner setup stops with "Error opening file for writing" and a file path.

Setup shows this when it cannot replace a file that is still open. With Afterburner the usual holder is Afterburner itself, RivaTuner Statistics Server or the RTCore64.sys driver that Afterburner loads to read the hardware.

1. Leave the error window open and note the path it names.
2. Close MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server from the tray.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and end MSIAfterburner.exe and RTSS.exe on the Details tab if they still run.
4. Go back to the setup window and select Retry.
5. If it fails again, select Abort, restart Windows and run the setup file with Run as administrator before anything else starts.

How to start a setup file with administrator rights: How to run a program as administrator or in compatibility mode If the path points to a game folder or a protected folder, let your antivirus finish its scan of the setup file first, then select Retry.

Fix 6. Reinstall the GeForce driver cleanly

20 minutesLow riskThe error began with a new GeForce driver, or other tools also fail to read the clocks.

Afterburner and its scanner talk to the card through the NVIDIA driver. A half-updated or damaged driver can refuse the requests the scanner makes, while games still run.

1. Download the current driver for your card from NVIDIA's driver page and keep the file on the disk.
2. Run it, choose Custom (Advanced) and tick Perform a clean installation.
3. Restart the PC when the installer finishes.
4. Repeat Fix 1, because a clean install can set the performance counters back to the default.

To check the driver version or roll back to the previous driver in Device Manager: Update, roll back or reinstall a driver

Fix 7. Run the scan in a clean boot

15 minutesLow riskEvery fix above failed and you cannot tell which program interferes.

A clean boot starts Windows with Microsoft services only. If the scan works there, a program or service you use every day blocks it, and you can find it by turning items back on in groups.

1. Set up a clean boot with the procedure below and restart.
2. Start MSI Afterburner by hand and run OC Scanner.
3. If the scan works, turn the services back on half at a time until the error returns.
4. Undo the clean boot when you are done, as the procedure shows.

1. Open System Configuration. Select Search on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
2. Hide Microsoft services. On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box. Only services from other companies stay in the list.
3. Disable the remaining services. Select Disable all, then select Apply.
4. Open Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.
5. Disable the startup apps. On the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, select each item whose status is Enabled and select Disable. Write down or take a screenshot of the items you disable: you need the list to turn them back on.
6. Confirm the changes. Close Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK.
7. Restart and test. Restart the PC. Windows now starts in a clean boot environment: try again the thing that failed (run the app, install the update, uninstall the program).

These steps were written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

If the scanner still fails to start: what to check and what to send

OC Scanner writes its result and failure lines in its own window, and MSI has not documented a separate log for it. Before you ask for help, collect what you can see, because a forum answer without these details is a guess.

• What to post on the MSI or Guru3D forum: the Afterburner version as shown in Installed apps, the card model, the driver version from Device Manager, desktop or laptop, and a screenshot of the scanner window with the failure line.
• Scan failed with code 3 and other codes: these appear after the scan has started. MSI has not published what the numbers mean, so post the exact code with the details above.
• Manual overclock still works: if the Core Clock slider applies and holds, the card is fine. You can raise the clock by hand in small steps and test each step in a game.
• When it is the hardware: a locked laptop, an old card the scanner does not list, or a card that crashes at stock clocks. No setting in Windows changes these.

How to keep OC Scanner working after updates

A scan result depends on temperature, so a summer scan and a winter scan can differ. If games crash after a scan, lower the offset a little or run the scanner's test again.

Frequently asked questions

Why does MSI Afterburner say failed to start scanning?

Because the OC Scanner could not take control of the graphics card for its first test. The most common reasons are that the NVIDIA Control Panel restricts the GPU performance counters to administrators, or that another tuning, RGB or overlay program is using the card. On laptops, Afterburner may point at the integrated chip. Allow the counters for all users (Fix 1), close other tools (Fix 2) and on a laptop select the GeForce chip (Fix 3). Nothing on the card changes when this message appears.

How do I fix OC scanner failed to start scanning?

Start with the two quick fixes. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel, select Desktop > Enable Developer Settings, then Developer > Manage GPU Performance Counters, and choose to allow access for all users. Then restart, close every other GPU tool and run the scan again. If that does not help, install the current final build of Afterburner cleanly with the profiles removed, then reinstall the GeForce driver. Users report that the counter setting alone solves most cases.

Is MSI overclocking scanner failed to start scanning a different error from the Afterburner one?

No, it is the same message. MSI Overclocking Scanner is the title of the window that the OC Scanner button in MSI Afterburner opens, so people search for it under both names. The fixes are the same: allow the GPU performance counters, close other tuning tools and check that Afterburner controls the GeForce chip.

How do I fix MSI Afterburner error opening file for writing?

This message comes from the setup program, not from the scanner. It means a file setup wants to replace is still in use. Close MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server from the tray, end MSIAfterburner.exe and RTSS.exe in Task Manager if they still run, and select Retry. If it fails again, select Abort, restart Windows and run the setup file as administrator before anything else starts. Fix 5 has the steps.

Why does Afterburner fail to start scanning on my laptop?

A gaming laptop has two graphics chips, and Afterburner may control the integrated Intel or AMD chip instead of the GeForce one. Some laptop makers also lock the clocks of the GeForce chip. Plug in the charger, set Windows to Best performance, choose the GeForce chip in Afterburner's General settings and check whether the Core Clock slider moves. If the slider does not move, the clocks are locked and OC Scanner cannot work on that laptop.

What does MSI Afterburner scan failed with code 3 mean?

It means the scan started but stopped before it could finish. MSI has not published what code 3 or the other codes stand for, so we cannot tell you the exact reason. Users on NVIDIA's forum report it next to crashes and driver resets during the test. Close other tools, make sure the card is not already overclocked, set the clocks back with Reset and scan again. If the code repeats, post it with your card and driver version on the MSI forum.

What does OC scanner results are considered unstable mean?

It means the scan finished, but the test of the result failed, so the scanner does not trust the overclock it found. Do not apply that result. Make sure nothing else runs, let the card cool down, reset the clocks and scan again. If the warning comes back, the card has little headroom. You can still raise the clock by hand in small steps and test each one in a game.

Why is MSI Afterburner not opening at all?

That is a different problem from the scanner message. Afterburner may already run hidden in the tray, a broken RivaTuner Statistics Server install may hold it, or security software may block the RTCore64.sys driver it needs. Look for the icon in the hidden tray icons first. If it is not there, do the clean reinstall in Fix 4. A message such as failed to initialize display driver wrapper points to the graphics driver, so reinstall it as in Fix 6.

Does OC Scanner work with AMD graphics cards?

MSI's page says Afterburner works with cards of all brands, but it does not say which cards the OC Scanner supports. Every report of this message that we read came from a GeForce card, and the fixes on this page use NVIDIA settings. We could not confirm whether the scanner runs on current AMD Radeon cards. For a Radeon card, the overclocking tools in AMD Software are the safer place to start.

Can OC Scanner damage my graphics card?

The scanner raises clocks step by step and tests each step, within the limits the card and its driver allow. The usual risk of a bad result is a game crash or a driver reset, not damage. Keep the result only if games run stable for some time, and press Reset in Afterburner to return to the stock clocks whenever you want.