League of Legends: “Unable to connect to authentication service”

The “Unable to connect to authentication service” in League of Legends is an error that’s very similar to the one “unable to connect to the server” and the solution, in general, it’s simple and it shouldn’t really take that much time for you to solve. Usually, when this happens, the way to fix this revolves around the Windows Defender or Changing the configuration of the DNS of your PC. If you want to get rid of this annoying error once and for all, then keep on reading.

How to Solve the “Unable to connect to authentication service” in League of Legends

To solve this error code there are certain methods you can try, or just all of them in case you want to leave no doubts around. When this error pops up on your screen, it has to do with the communication between your PC and Riot Games’ servers. The firewall that comes with Windows PCs, Windows Defender, is responsible for the correct communication and data processing between your PC and, e.g., a server of a video game such as League of Legends.

Changing your DNS address is a solution that often seems to work when it comes to this error. For someone who isn’t that good at configuring their PC, might sound scary, that’s where Riot Games’ Hextech Repair tool is a great option for those who just want to run a program to do everything for them.

Fix your Windows Firewall

When it comes to handling your Windows Firewall to solve this connection issue, there are some things you can do about it, such as updating it, or making sure League of Legends is allowed in the programs that can communicate through the Firewall. To do this, follow these steps.

1. Click “Start”, and then “Control Panel”.
2. Now, click on Windows Firewall.
3. In this section there is a pane on the left, do you see it? Click on the option that says “Allow an app or feature through the windows firewall”.
4. In this section you will find a list of programs, find League of Legends and click on the boxes “Public network” and “Private network”.

Once you’ve followed these steps, the connection error message shouldn’t appear anymore. Before you launch the League of Legends client, restart your PC and always make sure to keep your Windows Defender updated.

Change your DNS address

Changing your DNS settings is another option to solve the authentication error in League of Legends and fix the connection, it’s actually simple and easy to do. Follow these steps to change your DNS address.

1. Open the “Control Panel”.
2. Click on “Network and Internet”, and then “Network and Sharing Center”.
3. Then, click on the option that says “Change adapter settings” that is located in the left pane.
4. On the network adapter, you’re going to right-click it and select its properties.
5. In this part, you’re going to click on the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
6. Then, you’ll see an option that says “Use the following DNS server address”.
7. In this section you will have two options, one for the “Preferred DNS address” and the other for the “Alternate DNS address”.
8. For each field of the DNS addresses input 8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively.

After completing these steps, open the League of Legends launcher and the problem must be solved.

Use the Hextech Repair tool

The Hextech Repair tool is a program developed by Riot Games to help troubleshoot as many errors and problems that are related to the League of Legends launcher.

Its usage it's quite simple, you just have to download it from the official player support website, install the program, and follow the step by step instructions that are shown on the screen once you open the program. 

The Hextech Repair tool could also work to solve other issues such as the friends list not showing, reinstall the game in case you uninstalled League of Legends, or even solve problems related to the region you play in.

Most of the errors that League of Legends tend to present that have to do with the server, are pretty much solved in the same way. Therefore, knowing the basic steps to do what’s necessary in order to get rid of those annoying errors, is the key to not getting caught off guard by them.