VCRUNTIME140.dll or MSVCP140.dll was not found: the official fix

Why this error appears

Many games and desktop apps are built with Microsoft Visual C++ and need Microsoft's C and C++ runtime libraries to start. VCRUNTIME140.dll and MSVCP140.dll are part of those libraries, and Microsoft ships them in the Visual C++ Redistributable. If the package is missing, too old or damaged, Windows can't start the program and names the DLL it couldn't find.

Microsoft sets two rules on its download page: the Redistributable on the PC must be at least as recent as the build tools used to make the app, and the package's architecture must match the app's target architecture.

Fix it in four steps

1. Download from Microsoft only. Open Microsoft's "Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads" page on learn.microsoft.com. Our Visual C++ Redistributable listing links straight to it. The page has permanent links for each architecture: aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x64.exe, aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x86.exe and aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.arm64.exe.
2. Pick the architecture of the app, not only of Windows. A 64-bit app needs the X64 package and a 32-bit app needs the X86 package, even on 64-bit Windows. If you don't know which kind the program is, installing both X64 and X86 covers both cases. On an Arm PC, Microsoft notes that the X64 package contains both ARM64 and X64 binaries.
3. Run the installer as administrator. Right-click the downloaded file and select Run as Administrator. Microsoft's troubleshooting guide says file-access failures are heavily linked to missing permissions. When it finishes, restart the PC and open the program again.
4. If the installer fails, update Windows first. Microsoft's guide: go to Windows Update, install all pending updates, reboot, then retry the installation.

One package now covers apps built with Visual Studio 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2026. Microsoft says the latest build supports only Windows 10 and 11 (and Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025).

Don't download the DLL on its own

Searching for "vcruntime140.dll download" brings up many sites that offer the single file. Microsoft's own warning is plain: never install a Visual C++ Redistributable installer that wasn't downloaded from a Microsoft site, and never install one that Microsoft didn't sign. A loose DLL from a third-party site skips both checks, and it may be the wrong version or architecture for your app. "DLL fixer" and "driver updater" tools aren't needed either; the official package is the fix. To confirm a file really comes from Microsoft, see our guide to checking a digital signature.

If that didn't work

• The installer shows an error code. Microsoft's guide lists the common ones: 1603 (generic installation failure), 5 (access denied), 32 (file is locked), 1620 (corrupt or invalid installer package) and 1714 (older version can't be removed).
• Code 5: temporarily turn off Windows Defender real-time protection and any other antivirus, run the installer, then turn the protection back on.
• Code 32: close all running software and try again; if it still fails, restart the PC to release locked files.
• Code 1714: Microsoft suggests removing the old Redistributable version with Windows Installer (and letting its troubleshooter fix the problem if asked), or downloading that old version's installer from Microsoft and using it to uninstall, then retrying.
• You need the logs. Download Microsoft's Visual Studio and .NET Log Collection Tool from aka.ms/vscollect, run Collect.exe and extract %TEMP%\vscollect.zip. The Redistributable logs start with dd_vcredist_. Search them for "Error" or "Failed".
• The same DLL error comes back after a clean install. Microsoft notes that its download page is written for developers and says that if you're trying to fix an app by updating these runtime libraries, you should contact the app's vendor for instructions. Very old programs may need one of the older packages (2013, 2012, 2010 or 2008) that Microsoft still lists on the same page; those are out of support.