"It won't open" is actually three distinct conditions: a blank white window, a process that dies immediately, or a UI that runs fine while nothing connects. Each has its own causes — find your symptom below and follow that branch.

Symptom 1: The window is blank

The UI process is alive but the rendering engine never started. In practice this is a missing or broken WebView2 runtime, endemic on stripped-down Windows images.

Pick one fix:

  • Reinstall using the package marked fixed_webview2 from the download page — the runtime comes bundled;
  • Or install Microsoft's WebView2 Runtime (Evergreen) and keep your current install.

Symptom 2: Nothing happens, or it crashes at launch

  1. Rule out "hidden, not dead": check the tray — Clash Verge may have started minimized as designed. See silent start.
  2. Antivirus quarantine: proxy cores get flagged. Restore verge-mihomo.exe from quarantine and whitelist the install folder. If that worries you, verify the installer's hash first, then whitelist with confidence.
  3. Corrupt window-state cache: happens after monitor or resolution changes. Delete the window-state file inside %APPDATA%\io.github.clash-verge-rev.clash-verge-rev and relaunch.
  4. Full reinstall: last resort — follow clean uninstall and reinstall, backing up profiles first.

Symptom 3: UI fine, no connectivity

That is a core-level problem. Open the Logs page (level INFO or higher), restart the core, and read the first ERROR line:

The Clash Verge log page showing a core startup error and its meaning
The log names the exact reason the core cannot start — read the first ERROR
Log saysMeaningFix
address already in usePort takenPort conflict fix
parse config errorConfig syntax/field errorThe error includes a line number: subscription issues go to the provider; your own Merge/Script errors, fix that line
unsupport proxy typeSubscription uses a protocol this core lacksUpdate Clash Verge — new client ships a newer core
start service errorService Mode brokenUninstall and reinstall the service from Settings, accept the UAC prompt
No ERROR at allCore is healthyThe problem is nodes or rules — go to the quick start checklist

Fast bisect: create an empty Local profile and select it. Core starts → your subscription or enhancement config is at fault. Core still fails → it is the app or system environment.

Asking for help that gets answered

When posting an issue or forum question, include three things: the Clash Verge version, your OS version, and the complete ERROR block from the logs. "It doesn't open, help" sits unanswered; a post with logs usually gets a reply the same day.