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Fix VCRUNTIME140 and MSVCP140 Errors With the Right Runtime

A missing VCRUNTIME140.dll or MSVCP140.dll usually points to a Visual C++ runtime dependency. Find the app’s required package and install it safely from Microsoft.
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If an app reports “VCRUNTIME140.dll is missing” or “MSVCP140.dll was not found,” don’t download the named file from a DLL site. These files are part of the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime, and the safer fix is to identify the app’s required runtime and install or repair the matching Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.

What the VCRUNTIME140 and MSVCP140 errors mean

VCRUNTIME140.dll and MSVCP140.dll are Microsoft Visual C++ runtime libraries. Applications built with Microsoft Visual C++ can depend on these libraries to run. Microsoft’s Visual C++ Redistributable documentation explains that the redistributable installs Microsoft C and C++ runtime libraries used by such applications.

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The error does not, by itself, tell you which runtime generation or processor architecture the application needs. The correct package depends on the app, so installing a seemingly newer or more convenient file is not a reliable diagnosis.

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Choose the redistributable for the affected app

First identify the application that displays the error, then use its publisher’s requirements if available. Microsoft advises users troubleshooting an app’s runtime problem to contact the app vendor for instructions. If the vendor specifies a Visual Studio generation and architecture, use that information when selecting the package on Microsoft’s official documentation page.

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  • Runtime generation: Microsoft’s current v14 redistributable supports applications built with Visual Studio 2017 and later. Older applications may need a separate legacy redistributable; do not assume the current v14 package covers every program.
  • Architecture: Choose x86, x64, or ARM64 to match the application’s target architecture, not just the Windows edition or the architecture you assume is newer. Microsoft notes that its x64 package on ARM64 includes both x64 and ARM64 binaries, but the app’s target architecture still matters.
  • Download source and signature: Use Microsoft’s official page and an installer signed by Microsoft. The documentation provides current v14 links for x86, x64, and ARM64, as well as sections for older releases. Since endpoints can change, use the current page rather than relying on a version number copied from an old guide.

Install or repair the official package

  1. Write down the exact error text and the app that triggers it. Check the app publisher’s support page or documentation for its required Visual C++ runtime generation and target architecture.
  2. Open Microsoft’s Visual C++ Redistributable documentation. Select the appropriate generation and architecture. If the app’s requirements are unclear, ask its publisher rather than guessing.
  3. Download the redistributable from the Microsoft link on that page and run the installer. If it offers a repair option, use it to repair an existing installation; otherwise, install the package. Restart if prompted, then try the app again.
  4. If the error remains, follow the app publisher’s repair or reinstall guidance, or contact its support team. The publisher can identify app-specific dependencies that the error message does not reveal.

Why you should not download a standalone DLL

A third-party DLL download does not establish that the file is the right version or architecture for your application, and it bypasses the redistributable installer. Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance states: “Never install a Visual C++ Redistributable installer that wasn’t downloaded from a Microsoft site. Never install a Visual C++ Redistributable installer that Microsoft didn’t sign.” See Microsoft’s Visual C++ Redistributable troubleshooting guidance.

Do not copy a DLL downloaded from a file site into a Windows or application folder, and do not run a repackaged redistributable. Use Microsoft-hosted, Microsoft-signed installers; if the official installation does not fix the app, get app-specific instructions from its publisher.

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When to run DISM and System File Checker

If Windows system-file corruption is suspected, Microsoft Support’s Windows repair procedure says to run DISM first and then System File Checker (SFC). These commands address Windows component and system-file problems; they do not determine which Visual C++ runtime an application requires.

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  1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and wait for it to finish.
  3. Run sfc /scannow and allow the scan to complete.

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