4 Ways to Fix the Error Opening Adapter in Dolphin
Performing a system restore should fix this error

The Dolphin emulator is a great software program with Nintendo’s GameCube and Wii consoles. With the Dolphin emulator, you can play games designed for these consoles with various enhancements, including multiplayer modes, turbo speed, and much more.
But regardless of these great features, many gamers have complained about the error opening adapter in Dolphin, and in this article, we will highlight the cause of this problem and provide you with the necessary troubleshooting techniques to fix this error.
What causes the error opening adapter in Dolphin?
There are many reasons why you could be facing an error opening adapter in Dolphin. Some of the most common causes include:
- Your system does not meet requirements – If your device does not meet the needs to run the Dolphin emulator, you will encounter this error.
- Outdated Graphics Processing Units (GPU) – You will also face this error if you run an older GPU that does not support DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.4.
How do I fix the error opening adapter in Dolphin?
1. Toggle the switches
- Select Wii U Gamecube adapter driver Dolphin in the controller settings. The error will now be shown. This error will be displayed when the adapter switch is set to Wii U mode. The controller is identifiable, but the system cannot interact with it.
- Next, Switch to PC Mode. The driver is still not recognized, and no error message is shown.
- Activate the Wii U Mode switch on the adapter once more and click to configure. At this point, there should be no errors visible, and the driver should be recognized.
2. Update the Dolphin GameCube Adapter Driver
- Hold the Windows + R keys together, type devmgmt.msc in the text field, and hit Enter.
- In the Device Manager window, look for any unidentified device (usually marked by a yellow exclamation sign).
- Right-click on the device, select Update driver, and choose Browse my computer for driver software.
- Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
- Choose the Show Compatible Hardware checkbox in the pop-up window. Then, from the list of available drivers, choose the appropriate driver, then click Next. This process will instantly install the driver.
- Reboot your device and see if the error opening adapter Dolphin has been fixed.
3. Perform a system restore
- Hold the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run dialogue, type cmd in the text field, then hold Ctrl + Shift and hit Enter to open the command prompt in administrator mode.
- Once in the command prompt, input the command below and hit Enter.
rstrui.exe
- Click Next in the system restore window to continue.
- Now, select a restore point that goes way before you started having this error and click Next.
- Click Finish to complete this process.
- After reverting your Windows to an earlier date, check to see if the error opening adapter dolphin persists.
4. Use the Official Dolphin GameCube Adapter Installation Guide
As you may already be aware, there are numerous driver and installation manual variations for the same Dolphin GameCube adapter.
The error opening adapter Dolphin problem may occur if you follow the incorrect instruction related to your driver version. You should therefore use this official adapter installation. We highly recommend this.
In conclusion, following the instructions listed in this article will help you overcome the error opening adapter dolphin and enable you to get back to playing your favorite games.
Try as many solutions as possible until you find one that helps you resolve the Dolphin GameCube adapter detected but not working error.
Lastly you may be interested in some other game fixes we have written, so check out some of our top gaming guides.