Fix: Program can’t start because d3dx9_27.dll is missing

Some users have been reporting receiving the “The program can’t start because d3dx9_27.dll is missing” error when opening various applications. Most of the time, the issue is reported to occur on Windows 10 and Windows 8.

Most of the time, this issue is caused by a problem with Microsoft DirectX. While d3dx9_27.dll is just tiny part of the many files of DirectX, it’s known to cause quite a lot of error messages (especially with fairly old applications and games).

Besides the “The program can’t start because d3dx9_27.dll is missing” error,  users have reported problems with the d3dx9_27.dll file packaged in different error messages. Here’s a list with the most popular occurrences:

• “The file d3dx9_27.dll is missing”
  
• “Cannot find d3dx9_27.dll”
• “The dynamic link library d3dx9_27.dll could not be found in the specified path [PATH]”
• “Error initializing the application because the file d3dx9_27.dll was not found”
• “The application failed to start because d3dx9_27.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem”
• “D3DX9_27.DLL is missing. Replace D3DX9_27.DLL and try again”

Most of the time, these errors are encountered right after the user tries to open a video game or another piece of software that uses some type of graphical feature.

The d3dx9_27.dll is part of DirectX 9 suite. Typically every software that needs this file should include it in the installation package, but in reality, not all developers do this. Even more, d3dx9_27.dll is part of an optional update of the DirectX 9 suite.

Over the years, DirectX 9 has been regularly updated with performance tweaks and updates to ensure the best compatibility with the newest games. Because DirectX 9 is not part of the most recent Windows operating systems, some users will not have this particular file installed on their PC. This is even more frequent on Windows 10 because DirectX 9 is replaced with DirectX 12 – a newer version that doesn’t contain a lot of files that were included with DirectX 9 (including the d3dx9_27.dll).

Errors related to the d3dx9_27.dll are typically reported in relation to outdated or fairly old applications that weren’t designed to run on DirectX 10 and above. If you receive the “The program can’t start because d3dx9_27.dll is missing” error (or a similar one) when opening a game or a different application, the methods below might help. Below you have a collection of methods that other users have used to get past errors associated with the d3dx9_27.dll file. Please follow each potential fix in order until you discover a method that resolves the problem in your particular situation.

Method 1: Install the missing d3dx9_27.dll via DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

Since the newer DirectX version won’t contain most of the libraries for DirectX 9 and earlier (which include the d3dx9_27.dll file), you need to install the missing redist package yourself in order to resolve the issue.

There are several different ways that you can do this, but the most simple approach would be to use the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Visit this link (here) and download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer by clicking the Download button.
   
2. Next, uncheck Microsoft’s recommendation and hit the Next DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer button.
3. Wait until the dxwebsetup.exe installer is completely downloaded and open it.
4. Accept the license agreement and follow the on-screen prompts to allow the DirectX web installer to download and install the missing libraries.
   Note: Uncheck the box associated with Install the Bing Bar if you don’t want any further Microsoft bloatware.
5. When the missing DirectX components are installed, close the setup and restart your computer. At the next startup, open the application that was previously showing the “d3dx9_27.dll is missing” error. It should now open normally without displaying the “The program can’t start because d3dx9_27.dll is missing” message or a similar one.

In the event that you got a message saying that you already have the latest version of DirectX, move down to Method 2.

Method 2: Install d3dx9_27.dll via DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) 

Some users have reported that following Method 1 resulted in a message saying that their DirectX version was already the latest. Turns out that this issue regularly occurs on Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 computers and it happens because the installer sees that the operating system uses DirectX 12 (or DirectX 11) without checking the optional DirectX files (which are our interest).

Luckily, you can easily go around this minor inconvenient by downloading the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) version instead. This will contain most optional DirectX files that are regularly needed, including the d3dx9_27.dll file.

Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:

1. Visit this link (here), scroll down and click the Download button associated with DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010).
   
2. Uncheck the boxes associated with Microsoft’s recommendations and click the No thanks and continue DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer button.
   
3. Wait until the DirectX redistributable package is downloaded to your computer. Once it’s ready, open the installer, click the Yes button and choose a viable location where you wish to extract the archive.
   
4. Once the extraction is finished, open the folder where you extracted the DirectX files and double-click on DXSetup.exe.
5. Next, follow the on-screen prompts to install the missing optional components on your computer. Once the installation is complete, close the DirectX setup and restart your computer to complete the installation.
   
6. At the next startup open the application that was previously showing the “d3dx9_27.dll is missing” error and see whether the issue has been resolved. You should be able to open the application without the error message now.