How to Fix Error 0xc000007b (“The Application Was Unable to Start Correctly”)

Quick Fix

Try this first (under a minute):

1. Right-click the app or game’s shortcut and choose Run as administrator.
2. If it still fails, restart your PC, then try launching the app again.
3. If that doesn’t work, uninstall and reinstall the application — this fixes the error in many cases when it’s caused by corrupted app files.

Step-by-Step Guide

What Does Error 0xc000007b Mean?

0xc000007b is a Windows error that appears with the message “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b). Click OK to close the application.” Status code 0xc000007b indicates an application or system error due to incorrect system file configurations, often involving a conflict between 32-bit and 64-bit system architecture, meaning the application cannot start because the system is unable to load the necessary files or components, possibly due to missing or corrupted system libraries, such as .dll files. It commonly shows up when launching games, Microsoft Office apps, Adobe Creative Cloud software, or any program that can affect a wide range of applications, from games and software to system utilities and drivers, including Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

This is a Windows-specific error (it does not occur on Mac or consoles). Below are fixes ordered from quickest to most advanced.

Step-by-Step Fixes

1. Restart Your PC

A possible reason you get this error is that your PC has a minor glitch, and rebooting your PC can possibly resolve the issue. Open the Start menu, select the Power icon, and choose Restart, then try launching the app again.

2. Run the App as Administrator

Some apps require admin rights to properly function, and yours may be one of them — launching your app with admin privileges can help resolve your 0xc000007b error. Right-click the app’s shortcut and choose “Run as Administrator.” If it works, right-click the shortcut, go to Properties > Shortcut > Advanced, and check “Run as administrator” so it happens automatically every time.

3. Reinstall the Application

If the error is caused by an issue with the application itself, reinstalling it may resolve the problem — uninstall the application you’re trying to run and ensure all related files are removed from your computer, then reinstall it. Temporarily disable your antivirus during installation, as security software can sometimes interfere with file extraction (just remember to re-enable it afterward).

4. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

Missing or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages are the most common cause of 0xc000007b errors, since these runtime packages provide essential DLLs required by many apps. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, uninstall every entry named “Microsoft Visual C++ [year] Redistributable,” then download and reinstall them fresh from Microsoft’s official site. Install both x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions of Visual C++ 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2015–2022, installing from oldest to newest to ensure legacy support, for Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.

5. Update or Repair .NET Framework and DirectX

A broken or outdated .NET Framework can trigger 0xc000007b on its own — press Windows key + R, type optionalfeatures, and in the Windows Features dialog, check .NET Framework 3.5 and .NET Framework 4.8 Advanced Services, then click OK to let Windows download and install the missing components. Also ensure DirectX is up to date, since many games and graphics-heavy apps depend on it.

6. Run SFC and DISM to Repair Corrupted System Files

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run System File Checker (sfc /scannow) and DISM (DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth) to automatically fix corrupted system files or missing DLLs. For best results, run DISM first, then SFC: DISM provides the files required to repair your corrupted files, so you should run DISM prior to running the System File Checker. Each command can take several minutes to finish — let them complete fully, then restart your PC and try the app again.

7. Check for a 32-bit vs. 64-bit Mismatch

The error generally indicates an invalid image format, which often happens when you try to launch a 64-bit application on a 32-bit version of Windows, since a 32-bit system cannot load 64-bit DLLs. Make sure you downloaded the correct version (32-bit or 64-bit) of the software for your system, and that you got it from the official/legitimate source rather than a third-party mirror.

8. Update Windows

Using an outdated Windows version can also cause this error, since older software versions often cause issues that get fixed by updating your system to the latest version. On Windows 10/11, go to Settings > Windows Update (or Update & Security on Windows 10) and install any pending updates, then restart and retest.

9. Advanced: Replace a Specific Corrupted DLL (Use With Caution)

In many game-related cases, the specific culprit is a corrupted xinput1_3.dll or related Direct3D/DirectX DLL (such as D3DCompiler_43.dll). One documented fix involves copying D3DCompiler_43.dll and xinput1_3.dll to the WindowsSystem32 folder (for 64-bit) and to WindowsSysWOW64 (for the 32-bit versions), replacing existing files when prompted. Only download DLL replacement files from reputable, well-known sources, as replacing system DLLs from untrusted sites can introduce malware or cause further errors. If you’re not comfortable editing system files, skip this step and seek official support instead.

10. Check for Malware or Disk Issues

Malware can occasionally replace or corrupt DLL files, which causes this error — if standard fixes don’t work, run a full malware scan before assuming the problem is hardware. You can also run a disk check (chkdsk) since the error can also result from hardware issues, especially from your hard drive.

When to Seek Further Help

If you’ve tried the above and the error persists across many unrelated applications (not just one game or program), or it appeared right after a Windows Update, this may point to a deeper system corruption issue that a basic reinstall won’t fix — one Microsoft support thread describes a case where the issue started with a Windows 10 update and two applications were no longer able to start, exiting immediately with error code 0xc000007b, and ultimately required a full Windows reset to resolve permanently. In that scenario:

1. Contact the software vendor’s official support if only one specific app is affected — they may have a known patch or compatibility fix.
2. Perform a Windows System Restore to a point before the error started, if a restore point is available.
3. As a last resort, reset or reinstall Windows (keeping personal files) if the error affects many apps and persists after all other fixes.

Always back up important files before attempting system-level repairs like SFC/DISM, System Restore, or a Windows reset.