Detailed analysis
MSVCP140.dll missing means you need the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable, and the fix takes about 60 seconds. Download it from Microsoft (both x86 and x64 versions), install, restart, done. Do not download MSVCP140.dll from a random DLL website — those files frequently carry malware, and the Microsoft installer is free.
What's actually happening
MSVCP140.dll is the Microsoft Visual C++ Standard Library for version 14.0 (Visual Studio 2015-2022). It contains core C++ classes — string handling, file I/O, containers, algorithms — that almost every modern game and application uses internally. When a developer builds a game in Visual Studio and uses any C++ standard library feature (which is nearly universal), the compiled code expects MSVCP140.dll to be on your system at runtime.
MSVCP140.dll and VCRUNTIME140.dll are siblings. They come from the same Visual C++ Redistributable package and are always installed together. If you're seeing the MSVCP140.dll error, there's a good chance VCRUNTIME140.dll is also missing or corrupted — you just haven't hit the error for it yet because the loader checks MSVCP140 first. Installing the redistributable package fixes both in one shot.
The "140" refers to the internal toolchain version number. One install of the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable covers all four Visual Studio versions (2015, 2017, 2019,
2022) because they share the same runtime ABI. You don't need separate installs for each year.
Why you're seeing this (in order of likelihood)
The Visual C++ Redistributable was never installed. Fresh Windows installs don't include it. Most games install it silently as a prerequisite when you first launch through Steam or Epic, but that process can fail without any visible error. If you copied a game folder manually, installed from a backup, or skipped the initial setup, the prerequisites step never ran.
A Windows Update corrupted or removed the runtime. This is surprisingly common. Certain cumulative updates have been known to break Visual C++ runtime installations. The telltale sign: the game was working fine yesterday, you didn't install or change anything, and suddenly you get the DLL error. Check your Windows Update history — if a cumulative update installed overnight, that's your culprit.
Your antivirus quarantined it. Avast, Norton, Bitdefender, and Kaspersky have all flagged Visual C++ runtime DLLs as false positives at various points. The DLL gets silently moved to quarantine, and the next time you launch the game, you get the "not found" error with zero warning about what actually happened. Check your antivirus quarantine before anything else.
You only installed one architecture. Some games need the 32-bit (x86) version of the runtime even though your system is 64-bit. Many games ship 32-bit launcher components, background services, or anti-cheat modules alongside 64-bit game code. If you only installed the x64 redistributable, any 32-bit component that needs MSVCP140.dll will fail.
A game update changed its Visual C++ dependency. When a game updates, the new build might reference a newer version of MSVCP140.dll that includes security patches or bug fixes. If your installed redistributable is outdated, the version check fails and the loader reports the DLL as missing even though the file physically exists on disk.
How to fix it
- Install the Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 from Microsoft. Go to Microsoft's official Visual C++ downloads page (search "Visual C++ Redistributable download" — the Microsoft Learn page is the correct result). Download BOTH the x86 (32-bit) AND x64 (64-bit) installers. Yes, you need both even on a 64-bit system. Run both installers, click through the prompts, and restart your PC. This fixes the problem for roughly 80% of people. The entire process takes about 60 seconds.
- Repair existing installations. If you already have the redistributable installed (maybe the installer said "Repair" instead of "Install"), do a repair. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, search for "Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable." You should see two entries — one for x86 and one for x64. Click the three dots on each one > Modify > Repair. This replaces any corrupted or outdated DLL files without needing a full reinstall.
- Check your antivirus quarantine. Open your antivirus software and navigate to the quarantine, virus chest, or threat history section. Search for MSVCP140.dll. If it's there, restore it and immediately add your game's installation folder to the antivirus exclusion list to prevent re-quarantine. For Windows Defender: open Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Protection History, and look for recently blocked items.
- Nuclear option: uninstall everything and reinstall clean. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. Uninstall every entry that says "Microsoft Visual C++" — there may be several versions (2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015-2022). Remove them all. Restart your PC. Then install the 2015-2022 package fresh from Microsoft (both x86 and x64). If other games need older runtimes, reinstall those too (2012, 2013, etc.). This scorched-earth approach fixes cases where DLL versions are mismatched or the registry is pointing to wrong file paths.
- Verify game files through your launcher. On Steam: right-click the game > Properties > Installed Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files. On Epic: click the three dots > Manage > Verify. This re-runs the game's prerequisite installer, which should trigger the Visual C++ installation if it's missing. It also restores any game-specific DLLs that might have been corrupted.
- Run system file repair. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click Start > Terminal (Admin)). Run: sfc /scannow. This scans Windows system files and can restore corrupted DLLs from the Windows component store. If sfc reports issues it cannot fix, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth first, then sfc again.
Why you should NEVER download DLL files from random websites
If you Google "MSVCP140.dll download," the top results are sites like dll-files.com and similar. These offer individual DLL downloads and tell you to drop them into System32 or the game folder. Do not do this. Those files are frequently bundled with trojans, keyloggers, and crypto miners. You're downloading an executable binary from an untrusted source and placing it in a privileged system folder. Even if the file is clean, you're getting a single DLL without the rest of the runtime package, which means other dependent components may still be missing or version-mismatched. Microsoft provides the entire runtime for free. There is no reason to go to a third party.
Is this a hardware or software problem?
This is always a software problem. MSVCP140.dll missing has nothing to do with your GPU, CPU, RAM, or any hardware component. It's a missing software dependency, period. Nobody needs to buy new hardware to fix this error.
The one exception: if your storage drive is failing, it can silently corrupt files, including DLL files. If you keep getting DLL errors across many different programs even after clean installs, run CrystalDiskInfo and check your drive's health status. If it shows "Caution" or "Bad," your drive is the root cause and needs replacement.
If you're not sure, Crashless can check your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known patterns automatically — just use the chat above.
Games commonly affected
Call of Duty (all modern titles), Valorant, Apex Legends, Fortnite, GTA V, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3, The Sims 4, Palworld, Lethal Company, FIFA/EA Sports FC, Destiny 2, and virtually every game released after
2015. If a game was built with Visual Studio (which is almost all of them), it probably depends on MSVCP140.dll.
Frequently asked questions
Q: I installed the redistributable but I'm still getting the error. What's wrong?
A: Three things to check. First, did you install BOTH x86 and x64? You need both. Second, did you restart your PC after installation? A restart is required for the DLLs to register properly. Third, try the nuclear uninstall-everything-and-reinstall approach — sometimes a corrupted previous installation blocks the new one from registering correctly.
Q: What's the difference between MSVCP140.dll and VCRUNTIME140.dll?
A: They're from the same package but contain different things. VCRUNTIME140.dll is the low-level C runtime (memory allocation, basic I/O). MSVCP140.dll is the C++ standard library (strings, containers, algorithms). Most games need both. Installing the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable gives you both files plus all their companions.
Q: I keep getting this error after Windows updates. How do I stop it?
A: Some cumulative updates have a bug that damages Visual C++ runtime installations. After each Windows Update that breaks things, re-run the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable installer — it will detect the corrupted install and repair it. Unfortunately there's no permanent prevention; it's a Windows Update bug that Microsoft hasn't fully resolved.