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Dressmaker crashes, black screen and lag: what to try

If Dressmaker won't start or keeps crashing, update Windows and your graphics driver first. Most of these tips come from other players, so they're worth a try but not a sure fix.

First steps

1Update Windows and your graphics driver

For some players, this alone got the game running. If the NVIDIA app won't install the new driver, get it from NVIDIA's website instead.

2Restart Steam and verify the game files

Quit Steam completely, not just its window, then open it again and start Dressmaker from your Library. If it still fails, right-click Dressmaker in your Library, choose Properties, then Installed Files, and click Verify integrity of game files.

3Save and Quit, then load again

Missing pieces, a stuck screen or a button that won't show? Players often fix it with Save and Quit in the pause menu, then load the save again. See when the game saves.

The game won't start or shows a black screen

Try the first steps above. If the game still won't open, these got it running for some players. They come from players, not the developers, and they don't work every time.

Rename the `D3D12` folder

In your Steam Library, right-click Dressmaker and choose Manage, then Browse local files. Rename the D3D12 folder there, for example to D3D12_old, and start the game from Steam as usual. A few players got in this way. To undo it, give the folder its old name back.

Add `-force-d3d11` to the launch options

Right-click Dressmaker in your Library and choose Properties. On the General tab, type -force-d3d11 under Launch Options, close the window and start the game. Players are split on this one: it stopped the crashes for some and changed nothing for others. To undo it, clear the box.

Error `0x11C7`: Windows blocks the game

Does Steam show error 0x11C7 the moment you press Play? Players who got it traced it to Smart App Control, a Windows security feature that blocks programs without a digital signature. Checking the game files didn't help them, and nobody has shared a fix yet, so tell the developers about it (see Report a bug below).

On a Mac

A Mac player reports a crash at launch when the game sits on an external SSD (see known issues). Nobody has shared a fix for it.

It crashes after you pick a save slot

Try these steps in order.

1Restart Steam completely

Close Dressmaker, then quit Steam itself, not just its window. Open Steam again and start Dressmaker from your Library.

2Verify the game files

Verify the game files, as in the first steps above.

3Let the game through Windows Security

Windows can stop a game from writing its saves. Controlled folder access in Windows Security blocks writing to protected folders, so make sure it lets Dressmaker through. An antivirus can do the same. The saves guide shows where the save folder is.

Still crashing? One player's tip is to click the slot once, then wait without touching anything. Loading can take a while, and that player found that clicking or pressing keys on the black screen crashed the game.

It crashes during play

Does the game keep freezing or crashing while you play? These helped other players.

Players watched the game use more and more memory over long sessions, until it crashed. Use Save and Quit and restart the game now and then.
If your graphics card runs hot, cap the frame rate in your driver, as the next section shows.
Have HP's OMEN Gaming Hub installed? The developers say in their October patch notes that uninstalling it stopped the crashes for many players.
The known issues list has the crash reports.

Lag and a hot graphics card

Is the game lagging, or making your graphics card loud and hot? Start with the frame limit.

You'll find Frame Limit in the pause menu (press Esc), on its Graphics tab. You can pick No Limit, 30, 60 or 120 frames per second, and it's set to No Limit until you change it. No Limit keeps the frame rate in step with your screen (vertical sync), and a number turns that off and caps the frame rate there instead.

Many players found this setting changed nothing, so the graphics card ran flat out. It's on the known issues list. The October patch changed how it works: No Limit now keeps the frame rate in step with your screen, and a number caps it. If your card still runs hot, here's what worked for players:

Cap the frame rate in your graphics driver's app instead, like the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Software.
Pick a smaller Resolution in the pause menu.
Close other heavy apps, like a browser with lots of tabs.
Set Frame Limit to its lowest choice and pick a smaller Resolution, then restart the game. Some players say the restart is what made it work.
On a laptop, make sure Windows runs the game on the graphics card, not the built-in chip. You'll find this under Settings, System, Display, Graphics.

The pause menu also has these screen settings:

Window Mode switches between Full Screen and Windowed. Resolution lists your screen's sizes from 1280 x 720 up. Until you change them, the settings are 1920 x 1080 in Full Screen.

Sewing stutters or skips ahead

Switch Window Mode to Windowed. The player who found this says the sewing machine ran smoothly again.
A smaller Resolution helped another player a little (see known issues).
A new graphics driver helped one more.

Too much motion or glow?

Three switches in the settings help here. Press Esc to open them.

Turn on Less Animation to stop the scrolling textures, the zoom at the sewing machine and the streaks when something unlocks.
Switch off Bloom for a softer glow.
Switch off Outlines to hide the thin red outline on dark fabric and lace.

The mouse cursor vanishes or drifts

These brought the cursor back for players:

At the cutting table, pick another fabric, then your fabric again.
Turn off a second monitor.
Unplug any gamepad. A gamepad stick can also make the cursor drift on its own.

The cursor bug with a second screen is on the known issues list.

Fixes on the public beta

A note from October: the developers try out many fixes on Steam's public beta branch before they reach the main game. So a problem on this page may already be fixed there.

To try it, right-click Dressmaker in your Library, choose Properties, then Betas. The developers warn that a save from the beta may not load in the main game, so back up your saves first. Things on the beta can still change before everyone gets them.

Report a bug

The developers read bug reports on the official Dressmaker Discord, and they ask for the game's log file:

The best bug reports include the Game Logs file!A developer, the official Discord, 2026-09-21

The log file is also where an error ends up when it flashes by too fast to read. On Windows it's %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Cozy Lives\Dressmaker\Player.log, and on a Mac it's ~/Library/Logs/Cozy Lives/Dressmaker/Player.log. The Report a bug box has the same paths. Moderators may ask for your save files too, so add your save folder. Before you post, check the known issues: someone may have shared a workaround already.