How to Fix Ubisoft Connect 17003 Error

Most people including myself absolutely despise Ubisoft, especially since they made a mess of Star Wars Outlaws and Assassins Creed Shadows. But they do have a few older games that are worth playing, though you'll have to use their garbage launcher Ubisoft Connect which quite often gets an Unable to start download: 17003 error. Luckily this error isn't all that hard to solve so follow along as we walk you through the steps.

Check for Special Game Edition Codes.

If you have a special edition or early review copy of a game, you may need a specific code to download it.

• Go to your Ubisoft library, find the game, click the three dots next to it, and select Manage.
• Under the Version tab, check if you need to enter a password to unlock the game.

If you've just got a normal game and are having this issue you'll need to do the following.

Check Ubisoft Servers

If you're unable to download the game, there may be an issue with Ubisoft servers.

• Check your internet connection to ensure you can browse websites.
• Visit the Ubisoft Support website and check the server status by clicking on Help at the top of the page. Look for any current issues related to Ubisoft Connect or the Ubisoft store.

If there are server issues causing the problem you'll just have to wait until the issues are resolved. It usually doesn't take more than a couple of hours in most cases.

Ensure You Have Enough Storage Space

Not having enough free storage space may also cause this problem

• Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E).
• Check if you have enough disk space on your drive to download the game by navigating to My Computer or This PC.

Run Ubisoft Connect as Administrator

This works surprisingly well a lot of the time.

• Exit Ubisoft Connect.
• Press Start, type "Ubisoft," then right-click Ubisoft Connect and choose Run as Administrator.
• This ensures that Ubisoft Connect has the necessary permissions to run properly.

Temporarily Disable Antivirus or Firewall

If you've recently installed new protection software it may be causing problems. Honestly, though They are basically a waste of time these days and Windows Defender is all you really need.

• If you're using a third-party antivirus or firewall, it may be blocking Ubisoft Connect.
• Temporarily disable both your antivirus and firewall, as some third-party firewalls are built into antivirus programs.

Reinstall Ubisoft Connect

If nothing so far has solved the problem, there's a good chance you probably have some weird file corruption so it's time to clean install Ubisoft Connect on your computer.

• Backup your save files: Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\savegames and copy the savegames folder to your desktop.
• Uninstall Ubisoft Connect.
• Download and install the latest version from Ubisoft’s website.
• Restore your save files by copying them back into the same location.

Refresh Your Network Connection

• Open Command Prompt as an administrator (type CMD in Start, right-click, and select Run as Administrator).
• Type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each:

• This will refresh your DNS cache and reset your network connection.
• Restart your computer afterwards.

Update DNS Settings

• Open Network and Sharing Center:
• Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
• Find your internet connection, click the blue link, then select Properties.
• Scroll down to find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
• Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter:

• Click OK and close all windows.

• After completing all the steps, restart your PC and try running Ubisoft Connect again.
• If you’re still experiencing issues, the problem may be with Ubisoft’s servers, which should be resolved soon.