The Application Was Unable to Start Correctly (0xc000007b)? Fix the Runtimes

Q: Should I download a missing DLL by hand?

No — that's how you *create* a bitness mismatch. Reinstall the proper redistributable instead.

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read March 27, 2025 · by Ryan Bennett

An app or game closes immediately with “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b). Click OK to close the application.”

Why: 0xc000007b generally means a DLL the program loads is the wrong architecture (a 64-bit process pulling in a 32-bit DLL, or vice-versa) or a shared runtime is corrupted. In practice the common culprits are a broken or mismatched Visual C++ Redistributable and damaged system files — so reinstalling the runtimes and repairing Windows resolves most cases.

Fix 1: Reinstall the Visual C++ Redistributable (both x86 and x64)

A mismatched or damaged C++ runtime is the most frequent cause. Reinstall Microsoft’s official packages:

x64: https://aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x64.exe
x86: https://aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x86.exe

Install both packages — many apps load 32-bit components even on 64-bit Windows, so a missing x86 runtime triggers 0xc000007b.
Run each .exe, click Install (or Repair if already present), then reboot.
Launch the app again.

Fix 2: Repair corrupted Windows system files

If a system DLL is damaged, runtimes won’t load cleanly. In an admin Command Prompt, run DISM first, then SFC:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Reboot when both finish. Re-run sfc /scannow once more if it reported and repaired problems.

Fix 3: Reinstall the specific app

If only one program shows 0xc000007b, its own files are probably corrupted:

Settings → Apps → Installed apps → uninstall the program.
Reboot, then reinstall it from the original installer so its bundled runtimes are placed fresh.

Fix 4: Update Windows

Out-of-date components can break compatibility. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, install everything, and reboot — then retry the app.

FAQ

Why both x86 and x64 redistributables? 0xc000007b is fundamentally a bitness/loading mismatch. Installing both ensures the app finds the runtime that matches whatever DLLs it loads.

It only happens after a Windows update — now what? Run Fix 2 (DISM + SFC) to repair components, then reinstall the affected app’s runtimes (Fix 1).

Should I download a missing DLL by hand? No — that’s how you create a bitness mismatch. Reinstall the proper redistributable instead.

Sources: Microsoft Learn — Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads · Microsoft Support — Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files