MSVCR110.dll is Missing: Here’s How to Fix It

If you’re an avid user of Microsoft’s Visual Studio, or similar programs like XCode or Firebase, you may have encountered a troubling error that claims the file msvcr110.dll is missing or cannot be found. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry. Below we’ll walk you through what this error means, why you might be seeing it, and steps you can take to resolve it so that you can get back to work.

What is msvcr110.dll?

The file msvcr110.dll is a Windows Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file and part of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package. This package installs run-time components required to run C++ applications built using Visual Studio 2011, which is an integrated development environment used to develop web applications, mobile applications, and computer programs either through native coding or managed code. In other words, msvcr110.dll is necessary for any program written in C++ to function properly and, if missing, causes various problems ranging from crashes to errors to freezes. 

What causes the msvcr110.dll is missing error?

So, why might you be seeing the error that msvcr110.dll is missing or cannot be found? There are a few potential reasons. One possibility is that you’ve recently installed or uninstalled a program written in C++ and, in doing so, removed or corrupted the msvcr110.dll file. If this is the case, reinstalling the program should resolve the issue as it will replace the missing file.

Another potential reason is that your computer may be infected with malware that has deleted or damaged the msvcr110.dll file. In this situation, you will need to run a virus scan using reliable anti-malware software in order to remove the malware before repairing any damage that has been done to your system.

Messages that accompany the msvcr110.dll is missing error

In addition to the “msvcr110.dll is missing” or “msvcr110.dll not found” error, you may also see one of the following messages:

• The program can’t start because msvcr110.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.
• This application has failed to start because msvcr110.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
• The code execution cannot proceed because msvcr110.dll was not found.
• Cannot find [PATH]\msvcr110.dll.
• Cannot start [APPLICATION]. A required component is missing: msvcr110.dll. Please install [APPLICATION] again.

These additional messages are usually displayed when attempting to run a program written in C++ that is missing the msvcr110.dll file. As mentioned above, in most cases, reinstalling the program will resolve the issue as it will replace the missing file. 

How to resolve the msvcr110.dll is missing error

There are a few different ways that you can go about fixing this error, depending on the cause and the level of technicality you’re willing to use and are comfortable with. We’re going to start with some of the easiest steps first and then move into the more advanced resolutions. 

1. Restore msvcr110.dll from your recycle bin.

If you accidentally deleted the msvcr110.dll file, it may still be in your Recycle Bin. To check your Recycle Bin: 

1. Open up your Recycle Bin which is found on your Windows desktop, 
2. Locate the msvcr110.dll file and right-click it.
3. From the little menu that pops up, choose the Restore option. 
4. Once restored, restart your Windows computer. 
5. Once rebooted, try relaunching the program that was failing before restoring the missing msvcr110.dll file. 

If you could not find the msvcr110.dll file in your recycle bin, then move on to one of the resolution steps below. 

2. Check for Windows updates.

It’s possible that a recent Windows update may have included a new or updated version of the msvcr110.dll file, which would replace any missing or damaged files on your system. To check for updates:

1. In your computer’s search bar, type in “Windows Update”.
2. Click on the Windows Update Settings to open a new window.
3. From here, click the Check for updates button. 
4. If there are any updates, download and install them.
5. Once the updates are installed, restart your computer.
6. Once rebooted, try relaunching the program to see if it works. 

3. Run a malware scan.

As mentioned above, one potential reason for the msvcr110.dll file to go missing is due to malware infection. In this case, you will need to run a malware scan using reliable anti-malware software in order to remove the malware and repair any damage that has been done to your system.

While you can use third-party antivirus software, we recommend using Windows Defender. Here is how to access this:

1. In your computer’s search (start) menu, type in “Windows Security”.
2. Click into the Windows Security App. 
3. On the left-hand side panel, select Virus & threat protection from the list. 

4. From here, you can run a quick scan, but we recommend that you run a full scan of your computer. 
5. To do this, click on Scan Options, and choose Full Scan from the list.
6. Then hit the Scan now button. 

Wait until the scan is complete, then reboot your computer, and try relaunching the program. 

4. Install DirectX runtime libraries.

DirectX is a set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) used by programs, especially games, to interact with your system’s hardware. Many programs require specific versions of DirectX in order to function properly, and if you’re seeing the “msvcr110.dll is missing” error, it’s likely that your system is missing the required version of DirectX.

You can download and install the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft’s website.  Here is how to do this:

1. In a web browser, go to Microsoft’s DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer page, which you can find here. 
2. Select the language of your choice, and hit the red Download button. 

3. Once the program is downloaded, run the setup wizard for it. 
4. Follow the on-screen instructions, clicking I Accept and Next to install the run-time components. 

Restart your Windows computer once the DirectX installer has installed all of the components to see if the msvcr110.dll has been properly reinstalled. 

5. Run an SFC Scan to fix corruption.

The System File Checker (SFC) is a built-in Windows tool that allows you to scan your system for corrupted or missing files and then replace them, such as the msvcr110.dll. To run an SFC scan, do the following:

1. In your computer’s search (start) menu, type in “CMD” (Command Prompt), and under the best match, right-click on the Command Prompt app to open it as an administrator.

2. In the CMD prompt window, type in “SFC /Scannow” and press Enter.
3. Allow the scan to run through and automatically repair any corrupted or missing files. Keep in mind that this scan may take several minutes to complete.
4. Once the scan has been successfully completed, restart your computer, and see if the msvcr110.dll is missing error has been resolved.

Note: If you run into an SFC /Scannow error when starting the scan, don’t worry. We have written dedicated articles on what to do if SFC scannow is not working, including:

• Windows Resource Protection Could Not Perform The Requested Operation
• Windows resource protection could not start the repair service

6. Reinstall the program that requires msvcr110.dll.

If you’re still having issues with the file, then it’s recommended that you reinstall the program that is giving you the error. Sometimes, programs can overwrite existing DLL files and cause errors. By reinstalling the program, you can replace any damaged or missing files.

The first step is to uninstall it:

1. In your computer’s search (start) menu, type in “control panel”.
2. Open the Control Panel app from the best match category.
3. In the Control Panel, locate and select the program that requires the msvcr110.dll to work.
4. You can either select uninstall from the top of the window or right-click on the selected program and choose to uninstall.

5. Once the program has been successfully uninstalled, you will need to reinstall it.
6. To reinstall the program, head to the program’s official web page and download it. Once it is downloaded, run its installation setup wizard.
7. Once the program is installed, restart your computer, and try relaunching the program to see if the issue persists. 

7. Copy the msvcr110.dll from the system32 folder of another computer.

If you have another computer that is running the same version of Windows as your own, you can try copying the msvcr110.dll file from its System32 folder to your computer. To do this:

1. On the other computer, open up Windows File Explorer. 
2. Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

3. In the System32 folder, find the msvcr110.dll file and copy it onto a USB flash drive. 
4. Then on your own computer, take the USB flash drive and copy the msvcr110.dll file into the same location you found it in on the other computer. 
5. Now restart your computer, and try relaunching the program that was having issues. 

How to manually download msvcr110.dll

If the above troubleshooting options do not work and your msvcr110.dll is still missing, you will need to download the file directly from Microsoft. It is important that you download the correct Visual C++ Redistributable Package for the version of Visual Studio that you have.

For instance, if you’re running Visual Studio 2012, you will want the redistributable packages for Visual Studio 2012, which you can find here. 

To install the package, do the following: 

1. Select the language of your choice, and click the red Download button on the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio page. 

2. Choose the download file that you want. This is dependent on what version of Windows you are running: x64, x86, or ARM.

3. To install the software now, hit the Run option once it is downloaded. If you don’t have time, you can save the file for later.
4. When you hit run, follow the on-screen instructions until the process is complete.
5. Then restart your computer, and try running your program again. 

You can always check the System32 folder after the installation process is done to ensure that the missing msvcr110.dll file is present. 

Conclusion

We hope this guide helped troubleshoot the msvcr110.dll is missing error. If you found it helpful, please share it with others who may find themselves in a similar situation. And, as always, if you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave us a comment below.