How to Fix VCRUNTIME140.dll Missing in Windows 11

The Problem

VCRUNTIME140.dll is part of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable — a shared runtime that thousands of programs and games are built against. When an app reports it is missing, the app itself is fine; the runtime it depends on is absent, the wrong architecture, or damaged.

Windows does not ship every version of this runtime by default, so a fresh install, a cleanup tool that removed "unused" components, or an antivirus quarantine are the usual reasons it disappears.

Different DLL name in the error? The same fix applies to MSVCP140.dll — see fix MSVCP140.dll missing. App opens then closes immediately? See fix an app crashing or not opening.

Symptoms

• Dialog reading "The code execution cannot proceed because VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found."
• "VCRUNTIME140_1.dll is missing from your computer" — a separate file that ships with the same package.
• A game launcher closes silently, or the game exits to desktop with no error at all.
• The error appears for several unrelated programs at once, which confirms it is the shared runtime, not one app.

Step 1: Install the Current Visual C++ Redistributable

Almost every case is fixed here.

1. Go to the Microsoft download page for the latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable (search Microsoft's site directly — never download a DLL from a third-party "DLL library" site).
2. Download both packages: vc_redist.x64.exe and vc_redist.x86.exe.
3. Install the x64 version, then the x86 version. 32-bit apps need the x86 runtime even on 64-bit Windows, and most missing-DLL reports come down to exactly this.
4. Reboot, then try the app again.

Step 2: Repair an Existing Installation

If the redistributable is already listed, the files are damaged rather than absent.

1. Run vc_redist.x64.exe again. When it detects an existing install it offers Repair — choose it.
2. Do the same for vc_redist.x86.exe.
3. Alternatively, open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find each Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable entry, click the ⋯ menu → Modify → Repair.
4. Reboot after repairing both.

Step 3: Install the Older Runtimes Too

Older games and utilities are linked against earlier runtimes that the current package does not replace.

1. Install the Visual C++ 2013, 2012, and 2010 redistributables from Microsoft, in both x64 and x86 where offered.
2. These install side by side — they do not conflict with the 2015-2022 package.
3. If a game shipped a _CommonRedist or Redist folder (common on Steam and GOG titles), run the installers inside it. Steam: right-click the game → Manage → Browse local files.

Step 4: Check Antivirus Quarantine

Security software occasionally flags a runtime DLL from a game installer as suspicious and removes it.

1. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history.
2. Look for a quarantined item with VCRUNTIME140 or the app's folder in its path.
3. If you recognise the app and trust its source, choose Actions → Restore.
4. Check any third-party suite's own quarantine as well.
5. If you do not recognise the app, leave it quarantined and scan properly: remove viruses and malware in Windows 11.

Step 5: Verify or Reinstall the App Itself

1. Steam: right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.
2. Epic Games: library → ⋯ → Manage → Verify.
3. For a normal program, uninstall from Settings → Apps → Installed apps, reboot, and install it again from the official source.
4. Related: avoid malware in fake downloads — a "free" installer from a search ad is a common source of broken app installs.

Step 6: Repair Windows System Files

1. Open Terminal (Admin) and run:

   sfc /scannow
   

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   

2. Reboot and run sfc /scannow once more to confirm a clean result.
3. Full walkthrough: how to run SFC and DISM.

Step 7: Install Pending Windows Updates

1. Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
2. Open Advanced options → Optional updates and install anything listed there too.
3. Reboot and retest. If updates will not install: fix Windows 11 update errors.

Step 8: Roll Back with a Restore Point

If the error started after a cleanup utility or a driver install, going back is faster than hunting the cause.

1. Press Windows + R, type rstrui.exe, press Enter.
2. Pick a restore point dated before the problem started and follow the wizard.
3. Restore points do not touch your documents, but they do remove programs installed after that date.
4. If you have none: create a system restore point so the next problem is a five-minute fix.

What Not to Do

• Never download VCRUNTIME140.dll from a DLL download site. Those files are a well-known malware delivery route, and a mismatched DLL breaks more apps than it fixes.
• Don't copy the DLL from another PC into System32. Version mismatches cause harder-to-diagnose crashes later.
• Don't register it with regsvr32. It is not a COM component; that command will fail and change nothing.

Still Not Working?

If both redistributables are installed and repaired, the app verifies clean, and SFC reports no problems, create a new local user account (Settings → Accounts → Other users → Add account) and try the app there. If it works, your user profile is damaged — move your data to the new profile.

If it fails for every user and every app, do a repair install that keeps your files: reinstall Windows without losing data.

Related: fix application error 0xc0000142 and fix the Microsoft Store not working.