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How to Fix msvcp110.dll: Repair the Visual C++ 2012 Runtime

By Freedom251 Team · · 8 min read

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The supported way to fix MSVCP110.dll was not found is to install or repair Microsoft’s Visual C++ 2012 (VC++ 11.0) Redistributable Update 4 package. Choose the installer that matches the application’s architecture: x86 for a 32-bit application and x64 for a 64-bit application. Do not download an isolated DLL from a random website or copy one from another computer; the complete runtime package installs the supporting files and registration the application expects.

What msvcp110.dll is and why the message appears

msvcp110.dll is a Microsoft runtime library from Visual C++ 2012, also identified as VC++ 11.0. Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2012 redistribution documentation lists the file in the Microsoft.VC110.CRT runtime folders for both x86 and x64 packages. Programs compiled with Visual Studio 2012 use those runtime components even when Visual Studio itself is not installed.

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Microsoft describes the package this way: “The Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable Packages install runtime components of Visual C++ Libraries required to run applications developed with Visual Studio 2012 using C++ on a computer that does not have Visual Studio 2012 installed.”

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Windows shows the error when the application cannot load the VC++ 11.0 library it was built to use. You may see any of these wordings:

  • MSVCP110.dll was not found
  • The code execution cannot proceed because MSVCP110.dll was not found
  • The program cannot start because msvcp110.dll is missing

The underlying cause is usually that the Visual C++ 2012 runtime is absent, damaged, or installed for the wrong architecture. Installing a newer Visual C++ package alone is not a guaranteed replacement for the VC++ 11.0 runtime that this error names.

Use this repair sequence first

  1. Identify the application producing the message and close it completely.
  2. Obtain the official Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable Update 4 installer from Microsoft’s Visual C++ Redistributable downloads or Visual Studio 2012 download pages.
  3. Select the package that matches the application’s architecture: vcredist_x86.exe for a 32-bit application or vcredist_x64.exe for a 64-bit application.
  4. Run the installer. Choose Repair if that option appears; otherwise complete the installation.
  5. Restart Windows if the installer requests it, then open the affected application again.
  6. If the message remains, reinstall the affected application with its vendor-provided prerequisite installer and follow Microsoft’s redistributable installation troubleshooting guidance.

The sections below explain how to carry out each decision and what to do when the straightforward repair does not work.

Step 1: identify the affected program

Read the title bar or the first line of the dialog before dismissing it. Note the exact executable or product name. The runtime package is shared by many programs, so knowing which application fails helps you choose the correct prerequisite installer if a repair is needed later.

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Close the application and any launcher or updater associated with it before running the redistributable setup. A program that is still open can keep runtime files in use and prevent setup from replacing them. If the dialog appears during Windows startup, record the name shown in the message and use that name when looking for the application’s own installer or support instructions.

Step 2: determine whether the application needs x86 or x64

Microsoft publishes separate VC++ 2012 packages. The choice follows the application, not simply the edition of Windows:

Application architecture Package to install What it provides
32-bit (x86) vcredist_x86.exe The x86 VC++ 11.0 runtime, including the x86 Microsoft.VC110.CRT files.
64-bit (x64) vcredist_x64.exe The x64 VC++ 11.0 runtime, including the x64 Microsoft.VC110.CRT files.

A 32-bit application running on 64-bit Windows generally needs the x86 package. A native 64-bit application needs x64. If the vendor’s documentation does not state the architecture, use the application’s prerequisite instructions or contact its vendor rather than guessing from the Windows edition. The fact that Windows is 64-bit does not make every installed program 64-bit.

Do not substitute the newest Visual C++ v14 package merely because it is newer. The application is asking for the VC++ 11.0 runtime, so install the Visual Studio 2012 package identified for that dependency.

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Step 3: download the complete Microsoft package

Open Microsoft’s official Visual C++ Redistributable downloads page and locate the Visual Studio 2012 / VC++ 11.0 entry. Microsoft also provides the official Visual C++ 2012 Update 4 download. Use the Microsoft-hosted installer rather than a search result offering only a loose msvcp110.dll file.

The redistributable is a package, not just one file. Along with msvcp110.dll, it supplies the runtime components and installation information that applications compiled with Visual Studio 2012 expect. A DLL-only download can be the wrong architecture or version and can leave the rest of the runtime absent.

Save the installer locally, make sure the download completed, and then launch it. If Windows asks for administrator approval, confirm only when the publisher and file are the Microsoft package you intended to run.

Step 4: install or repair Visual C++ 2012 Update 4

When setup offers Repair

If the setup program detects an existing Visual C++ 2012 installation and displays Repair, select it. Repair is appropriate when the package is present but one or more files or registration entries are damaged. Allow setup to finish without closing the installer.

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When setup offers Install

If no matching package is installed, choose the normal installation option and let the Update 4 package complete. Keep the architecture choice tied to the application you identified; installing a package for the wrong architecture will not satisfy a program that requires the other one.

After setup completes

Restart Windows when prompted. A reboot gives Windows a clean session in which to load the repaired runtime. After signing in, start the same application that produced the error. If it opens normally, the missing dependency was the VC++ 2012 runtime.

Repair versus a clean installation

Both approaches use the complete Microsoft runtime, but they address different situations:

Choice Use it when Architecture and source considerations
Repair an existing VC++ 2012 package Setup detects the matching package and offers Repair, or the runtime may be damaged. Use the package matching the application; obtain it from Microsoft.
Install VC++ 2012 Update 4 The required VC++ 11.0 runtime is not installed. Choose x86 or x64 for the application, not merely for Windows; use the Microsoft-hosted installer.
Reinstall through the application’s prerequisite installer The redistributable repair completes but the application still reports the missing DLL. Follow the application’s vendor instructions, which may include a bundled VC++ 2012 prerequisite.

A clean reinstall of the application is not the first step when the runtime itself is missing. Use it after repairing or installing the correct redistributable, or when the application vendor specifically directs you to do so.

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If MSVCP110.dll is still missing after installation

Confirm the architecture again

Recheck whether the failing program is 32-bit or 64-bit and compare that with the package you installed. A 32-bit program on 64-bit Windows can still require x86. If you installed x64 for that program, install or repair the x86 VC++ 2012 package instead. Conversely, a 64-bit program requires x64.

Use the application’s prerequisite installer

Some applications ship a prerequisite folder or setup option that installs the exact runtime build they tested. Reinstall the affected application using that vendor-provided prerequisite installer, rather than copying a DLL into the application’s folder. The vendor can also tell you whether its current release still depends on VC++ 11.0.

Follow Microsoft’s installation troubleshooting

If the redistributable setup fails, stops partway through, or reports another error, use Microsoft’s Visual C++ Redistributable installation troubleshooting guidance. Microsoft explicitly advises people who are fixing an application through runtime updates to contact the application vendor for instructions. Give the vendor the exact Windows error text, the application’s version, the x86 or x64 package you attempted, and any setup error code.

Check whether another program is the real source

If one application opens after the runtime repair but a different program still shows the message, treat the second program as a separate dependency case. Identify its architecture and repeat the VC++ 2012 package check for that application. A single successful repair does not prove that every installed program uses the same architecture or runtime version.

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Why downloading a single DLL is the wrong fix

  • Architecture can be wrong. A DLL built for x86 cannot satisfy a native x64 application, and the reverse is also true.
  • The version can be wrong. A file with the right name may not be the VC++ 11.0 build the application expects.
  • Supporting components are missing. The redistributable installs a coordinated set of runtime files and registration data; a copied DLL does not recreate that installation.
  • The source may be untrustworthy. Random DLL sites are not Microsoft’s distribution channel for this runtime.

Do not copy msvcp110.dll from another computer, place a downloaded file in the application’s directory, or use a registry cleaner or DLL-fixer utility as the primary remedy. Those actions can hide the original dependency problem, introduce an incompatible file, or create a new security and stability risk.

Microsoft installer or application-bundled prerequisite?

Source Best use What to verify
Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Update 4 installer The direct repair when the error names msvcp110.dll. Confirm the download is Microsoft’s VC++ 11.0 package and select the application’s architecture.
Application vendor’s prerequisite installer The Microsoft package did not resolve the error, or the vendor specifies a bundled runtime. Use the installer supplied for that application and ask the vendor for instructions if setup still fails.
Loose DLL download or copied file Not a supported repair method. Do not use it; it may be the wrong version or architecture and omits the rest of the runtime.

What to record before contacting support

Support can diagnose the problem faster when you provide:

  • The exact wording of the dialog, such as “The code execution cannot proceed because MSVCP110.dll was not found.”
  • The name and version of the application that fails.
  • Whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit, and whether the application is x86 or x64 if known.
  • Whether you ran the Visual C++ 2012 Update 4 x86 or x64 installer.
  • Whether setup offered Repair, completed an installation, or displayed its own error.
  • Whether restarting Windows changed the result.

Send those details to the application’s vendor when Microsoft’s runtime installation guidance tells you to seek application-specific instructions. The vendor can confirm the dependency and provide its tested prerequisite package.

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DLL errorsmsvcp110.dllTroubleshootingVisual C++Windows

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