There are two ways to give a program access to the standard toolbox:
If you have used a Windows PC for more than a few weeks, you have almost certainly encountered it. You try to launch a new game, a proprietary corporate tool, or an obscure utility from GitHub, and instead of the program opening, a cryptic error box appears: "The code execution cannot proceed because VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found." Or perhaps: "This application failed to start because the VC runtime could not be initialized."
If you see VCRUNTIME140_1.dll , that indicates a program that uses a newer update to the VS 2015-2022 runtime. If you are reading this, you likely need a solution. Here is the troubleshooting hierarchy:
The "VC" in VC Runtime stands for , Microsoft’s flagship C++ development tool. Static vs. Dynamic Linking: The Root of the Problem Why doesn't every program just include the runtime inside its own .exe file? It can—and that choice is the source of all your runtime errors.
For many users, this is a frustrating dead end. For developers, it is a simple reminder of a fundamental truth: Every application relies on a shared library of pre-written code. In the Microsoft ecosystem, that shared foundation is the Visual C++ Runtime (often abbreviated as VC Runtime or CRT). What Is a Runtime, Anyway? To understand the VC Runtime, you must first understand the difference between writing code and running code.
The occasional error message is simply the cost of that deal—a reminder that the invisible glue holding your digital world together is, in fact, a real set of files that need to be present and accounted for. So the next time you see vcruntime140.dll , do not curse it. Thank it. And then download the Redistributable.