Vcomp110.dll Is Missing on Windows: 7 Safe Fixes That Work

The vcomp110.dll missing error blocks Windows apps built with Microsoft’s Visual C++ 2012 toolchain, including older games and CAD tools. The DLL is the OpenMP runtime shipped in the Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable, so any 2012-era program refuses to launch when it goes missing. We tested every fix below on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2, reproducing the prompt: “The program can’t start because VCOMP110.dll is missing.”

#Why Vcomp110.dll Goes Missing on Windows

Vcomp110.dll is the Microsoft OpenMP runtime library that ships inside the Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable package. The number 110 in the filename matches Visual Studio version 11.0, the toolset Microsoft released in 2012. Any application compiled with that compiler can call vcomp110.dll for multithreaded loops, which is why the error often shows up with older CAD software, photogrammetry tools, and pre-2018 PC games.

According to Microsoft’s latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable documentation, each Visual Studio version installs its own runtime side-by-side, so Visual C++ 2015–2022 does not replace the 2012 package. That means installing the newest redistributable won’t fix a vcomp110.dll error; you need the 2012 release specifically.

The file goes missing for four common reasons:

• A botched uninstall removed shared runtime files along with the parent application.
• A malware scanner or rogue cleaner deleted the DLL on a false-positive flag.
• A failed Windows Update left the redistributable in a half-patched state.
• A failing storage drive corrupted the file during a normal read or write.

When we tried opening a Visual Studio 2012-compiled audio plugin on a fresh Windows 11 install without the redistributable, the error appeared instantly on first launch, confirming that the parent app does not bundle its own copy of vcomp110.dll.

#Method 1: Reinstall the Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable

This is the fix that worked in our testing more often than any other single step. Microsoft hosts the installer permanently on the Visual C++ download page.

1. Open the Visual C++ Redistributable list on learn.microsoft.com and scroll to the Visual Studio 2012 (VC++ 11.0) row.
2. Download both vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe. On 64-bit Windows you still need the x86 copy because many older apps run 32-bit.
3. Right-click each installer and choose Run as administrator.
4. Pick Repair if the installer detects an existing installation. If not, accept the license and click Install.
5. Reboot the PC, then relaunch the failing app.

In our testing across Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines, the Repair option fixed most of them; the rest needed an Uninstall + reinstall cycle. If Repair greys out, uninstall the package from Settings > Apps > Installed apps, reboot, and run the fresh installer.

For other Visual C++ runtime files like msvcp100.dll missing on Windows and mfc100.dll missing, the same redistributable-reinstall pattern applies. Just match the year number in the filename to the redistributable version.

#Method 2: Run SFC and DISM to Repair System Files

System File Checker (SFC) compares protected system DLLs against a cached known-good copy. DISM repairs the underlying component store that SFC reads from, so the two commands work as a pair.

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and pick Run as administrator.
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. The scan can take 10 to 30 minutes.
3. When SFC finishes, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter.
4. Run sfc /scannow a second time so it can pick up the freshly restored cache.
5. Reboot and test the failing app.

Microsoft’s System File Checker support article confirms that SFC pulls replacement files from a compressed cache at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache, which is exactly the surface DISM rebuilds. That is why running SFC alone sometimes fails: the cache itself was already damaged before the DLL error ever appeared.

#Method 3: Reinstall the App That Triggers the Error

If only one specific program throws the vcomp110.dll error and other Visual C++ 2012 apps work fine, the program’s own copy of the DLL is the suspect.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Find the failing program, click the three-dot menu, and pick Uninstall.
3. Reboot.
4. Reinstall the app from the official vendor’s site or store listing.

When we reinstalled a misbehaving photogrammetry tool, the new installer dropped its own vcomp110.dll into the program folder, and the error went away on the next launch. This is also the fastest fix for tools that ship vcomp110.dll alongside their .exe instead of relying on the system copy.

#Method 4: Restore Vcomp110.dll From the Recycle Bin

If you or a cleaning utility deleted the file recently, it might still be sitting in the Recycle Bin.

1. Double-click Recycle Bin on the desktop.
2. Sort by Original Location and look for C:\Windows\System32\vcomp110.dll or C:\Windows\SysWOW64\vcomp110.dll.
3. Right-click the file and choose Restore.

If you can’t find it there, skip ahead to Method 1 or run a file-history rollback instead of downloading random copies from the web. We pulled the file back out of the Recycle Bin once during testing after a third-party PC cleaner flagged it as “unused,” and that was enough to fix the app without reinstalling anything.

#Method 5: Update Windows to Apply Missing Components

Cumulative updates occasionally repackage Visual C++ runtime files, especially when a security advisory ships a new build of the OpenMP runtime.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Click Update & Security (Windows 10) or Windows Update (Windows 11).
3. Click Check for updates and install everything in the queue, including optional driver updates.
4. Reboot when prompted.

If Windows Update itself errors out (for example with the Windows update error 0x800705b4), fix that first, because nothing else in this list will install cleanly until the update pipeline works again.

#Method 6: Scan Your PC for Malware

Malware sometimes deletes or replaces vcomp110.dll to hijack programs that load it. A clean scan rules this out before you spend more time on the symptom.

1. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
2. Click Scan options, pick Microsoft Defender Offline scan, and click Scan now.
3. Let the PC reboot into the offline scanner.

In our testing, an offline scan caught a fake “VCRedist installer” that a user had downloaded from a knockoff DLL site; the real installer from Microsoft was clean. After Defender quarantined the loader, the legitimate redistributable installed without complaint on the next try.

#How Do You Check RAM and the Hard Drive for Errors?

When the redistributable installer fails repeatedly, or when several different DLL errors pop up in the same week, the storage drive or memory is usually the culprit. Two built-in Windows tools surface those failures without third-party software.

For RAM: Run Windows Memory Diagnostic from the Start menu and pick Restart now and check for problems.

For the hard drive: Open an elevated Command Prompt and run chkdsk C: /f /r /x. Microsoft’s chkdsk command reference confirms that the /r flag locates bad sectors and recovers readable information, while /f fixes file-system errors. The scan needs a reboot to run on your system drive and can take several hours on a spinning disk.

If chkdsk reports unrecoverable sectors, clone the disk to a healthy drive before continuing. Copying with MiniTool Partition Wizard preserves partitions and boot data so you can swap drives without reinstalling Windows. Don’t put more time into DLL fixes on a drive the system itself has flagged as failing.

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#Method 7: Run Startup Repair or Reset Windows

If nothing above works, the system image itself is damaged and a Windows-level repair is the last clean step before a reinstall.

1. Connect a USB drive (at least 8 GB).
2. Download the Windows Media Creation Tool on a working PC.
3. Run it, choose Create installation media for another PC, pick your language and edition, and write the ISO to the USB.
4. Boot the failing PC from the USB, choose Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Startup Repair.
5. If Startup Repair can’t fix the issue, use Reset this PC and keep your files; this reinstalls Windows binaries (including Visual C++ runtimes) while preserving your data.

Microsoft recommends Reset this PC over a clean install when files matter, because the reset path keeps personal data and most Microsoft Store apps. A clean install is only necessary if the reset itself fails or if the drive shows pre-existing sector damage from Method 6.

Related DLL fixes that use the same Startup Repair workflow:

• msvbvm50.dll missing
• gdiplus.dll missing on Windows
• WLDCore.dll missing

#Is It Safe to Download Vcomp110.dll From Third-Party Sites?

No. Microsoft doesn’t support manual DLL downloads, and random copies on “DLL fix” sites are often unsigned trojans riding the right filename into your System32 folder.

In practice, you don’t need a manual download because the Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable installer in Method 1 places a fresh, signed vcomp110.dll into C:\Windows\System32\ (and SysWOW64\ for 64-bit Windows) automatically. Microsoft’s redistributable page also lists the exact SHA-256 hashes so you can verify the installer before running it.

If you’ve already downloaded a copy from a “DLL fix” site, delete it, run the offline Defender scan from Method 6, and replace it via the official redistributable. Manual DLL drops are also the single biggest reason we see follow-up fixes fail: the file is the wrong build, signed with an invalid certificate, or quarantined the moment SmartScreen wakes up.

#Bottom Line

Install both the x86 and x64 Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable packages from Microsoft and reboot. If the error stays, run SFC /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, then SFC /scannow again. That pair fixed every test machine where Method 1 alone was not enough. Save Windows Memory Diagnostic and chkdsk /r for cases where two or more unrelated DLL errors appear in the same week, since that pattern points to failing drive or RAM rather than a Visual C++ problem.

#Frequently Asked Questions