Fix: MSVCR120.dll is Missing on Windows 7, 8 and 10

By Kevin ArrowsUpdated on August 27, 2022

Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

msvcr120.dll is an essential file for the Windows operating system. It is used to extract various resources for third-party applications. It is linked to the C++ programming language. Missing the file means that the programs which are running in this language won’t launch successfully as they won’t find the required file.

There are various fixes for this problem. We can try reinstalling the C++ redistributable packages. Start with the first solution and work your way down. After performing each solution, you should try running the application. If it still doesn’t work, try reinstalling it. Do note that these solutions work for almost all versions of Windows.

To reinstall a program, follow the following steps:

Press Windows + R and type “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter.
A new window will come forth consisting of all the applications currently installed on your computer. Right-click on the application and select “uninstall”.
Restart your computer before reinstalling it again.

Solution 1: Running System File Checker

System File Checker (SFC) is a utility present in Microsoft Windows which allows the users to scan their computers for corrupt files in their operating system. This tool has been there in Microsoft Windows since Windows 98. It is a very useful tool for diagnosing the problem and checking if any problem is due to corrupt files in windows.

We can try running SFC and see if our problem gets solved. You will get one of the three responses when running SFC.

Windows didn’t find any integrity violations
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired them
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them

Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “taskmgr” in the dialogue box and hit Enter to launch your computer’s task manager.
Now click on File option present at the top left side of the window and select “Run new task” from the list of options available.

Now type “powershell” in the dialogue box and check the option underneath which states “Create this task with administrative privileges”.

Once in the Windows Powershell, type “sfc /scannow” and hit Enter. This process may take some time as your entire Windows files are being scanned by the computer and being checked for corrupt phases.

If you encounter an error where Windows states that it found some error but was unable to fix them, you should type “sfc /verifyonly”. Wait for the process to complete fully.
If you are still unable to repair the corrupt files, run the command “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” in the PowerShell. This will download the corrupt files from the Windows update servers and replace the corrupt ones. Do note that this process can also consume some time according to your internet connection. Don’t cancel at any stage and let it run.

If an error was detected and was fixed using the above methods, restart your computer, reinstall the application and check if it is launching correctly.

Solution 2: Downloading MySQL Installer Community

If you are experiencing problems when running various MySQL applications such as MySQL Workbench etc. it is recommended that you install MySQL Installer Community on your PC. This tool will detect that your system lacks some Visual Studio components and will probably launch a Visual Studio minimal components installer and fill in the gaps. Always make sure that you are downloading the application from the official MySQL website.

Solution 3: Reinstalling the Visual C++ Redistributable Packages

The msvcr120.dll is an essential file for the Windows Operating System. If msvcr120.dll is missing, you won’t be able to launch games as explained in the introduction. In order to replace the missing file, we can download the whole redistributable package and install it. Do note that you should always avoid downloading .dll files from the internet from non-official websites. They may be infected with malware and virus and can infect your computer easily.

Head over to the official Microsoft downloading
Click the Download button after selecting the language.

Select “vredist_x64.exe” and press Next. Soon after the download will commence. Save the file in an accessible location and run the exe file.

After the installation is complete, restart your computer and check if the problem is solved.

Note: If you are using 64 bit Windows, you can install both (vredist_x64.exe and vredist_x86.exe). However, if you have 32 bit, you should only install “vredist_x86.exe”.

Solution 4: Scanning for Virus

.dll files are one of the most popular hosts for viruses and malware to enter your computer. If you suspect that your computer is infected, you should scan your computer as fast as possible to remove malware/virus. You should use the antivirus you are currently using. If you don’t have one, you can use Windows Defender.

Press Windows + S to launch the start menu’s search bar. Type “Windows Defender” and open the first result which comes forward.

At the right side of the screen, you will see a scan option. Select the full scan and click on Scan This process might take some time as Windows scans all of your computer’s files one by one. Be patient and let the process complete accordingly.

If there was malware present on your computer, let the utility remove and restart your computer before launching the application again.

Note: You can also run the Microsoft safety scanner since it has the latest virus definitions and check if it finds any discrepancies.

Solution 5: Install both VC Redist Packages

Sometimes, you might need to reinstall all of your VC Redist packages and then install both the 32-bit and the 64-bit version of the software in order for it to work properly. Therefore, in this step, we will first uninstall older VC Redist installations and then reinstall all VC Redist packages. For that:

Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt.
Type in “appwiz.cpl” and press “Enter” to open the app management window.
Type appwiz.cpl and Press Enter to Open Installed Programs List
In the app management window, scroll down and right-click on the “Visual C++ Redistributable” application.
Select “Uninstall” from the list and then follow the on-screen instructions to remove the software from your computer.
Uninstalling Visual C++
Repeat this step for all the installations of the software.
Now, head on over to the Microsoft website and download the following installations one by one.
After downloading all of these, install them on your computer one by one by executing the setup files.
After installing these, check to see if the issue still persists.

Solution 6: Installing Windows Updates

It is possible that there are updates available for your Windows operating system but they haven’t been implemented on your system due to which this issue is being triggered. Therefore, in this step, we will be checking for and applying any updates. For that:

Press “Windows” + “I” to open settings and click on the “Updates and Security” option.
In the Updates section, click on the “Windows Update” button from the left pane and click on the “Check for Updates” option.
Check For Updates in Windows Update
After checking for updates, Windows will automatically install any available updates on your computer.
After updating your Windows, check to see if the issue still persists.

Solution 7: Reinstalling Application

If you are facing this issue on a specific application or on a game that is unable to launch and springs up this error, it is possible that it wasn’t installed correctly to begin with. Therefore, it is important that if you are unable to fix it with all the steps that we have mentioned above, we should move on towards reinstalling the game/application that is unable to launch. For that, uninstall it from its own uninstaller or from the app management window as we have done above and then reinstall it by downloading it from the source again.

By Kevin ArrowsUpdated on August 27, 2022

Kevin is a certified Network Engineer