Microsoft Windows is made up of a large library of different kinds of files. Most of the Windows system files are found inside the system32 folder. Across the whole Windows folder, you will find a lot of different DLL files.

These DLL files are very important for Windows to run properly and smoothly. In case any of the important DLL files go missing, then either your Windows will be corrupted, or some of the services or features will stop working for you.

Microsoft has made their Windows intelligent enough that it will show you the error about the DLL file missing. In this post, we will discuss how we can find and fix the DLL file missing error.

For most cases, Windows will give you an error that will say the .dll file is missing.

Missing DLL File Error in Windows 10

The DLL files stand for Dynamic Link Libraries and they contact bits of common utility codes and data that are usually used by different programs and processes of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

The basic idea behind using lots of DLL files is to use modularization and reuse common code files for a new version of Windows.

As a result, we get efficient use of resources, reduced system complexities and thus it allows the operating system and program files to run faster and efficiently on a computer.

Usually, the missing DLL files error can occur when you by chance delete a folder or a file that is important for Windows to run. Or, if one of the DLL files is corrupted or being replaced or overwritten by an older or non-compatible version of that same DLL file. So, to fix such types of issues you can follow through with some of the troubleshooting methods written below.

Restarting Your Computer

Sometimes the missing DL files could be because of faulty indexing of windows, due to which it fails to locate the file. So, a restart of the computer might fix this issue.

Restore DLL Files

If by any chance you have accidentally deleted the DLL files of Windows, you should first check the Recycle bin, it should be available there.

1. On your computer go to the Recycle Bin and then look for files that have an extension of .dll.
2. Right-click on those files and then click on the Restore option from the contextual menu.

Run Malware Scan

One of the major reasons for missing DLL files is when your computer is being attacked by malware. This malware directly attacks the system files of your computer, so there are chances that they might have captured or deleted the important DLL files for Windows. To fix this you should scan your computer for any unwanted files or programs or malware. you can scan your computer using Microsoft Windows Defender.

Uninstall and Reinstall Applications

In case you are feeling that your computer is missing some of the DLL files after installing a particular program or app. There are chances that the app or the program was not installed on your computer properly, or it may be that the app might be corrupted and have eaten up the DLL files from your computer.

You should quickly uninstall the program and then see if the error goes away. After you have checked, you can reinstall the program back on your computer.

Update Device Drivers

As we all know Microsoft Windows requires a lot of drivers to run properly, and the missing DLL file error can also be caused due to an incompatible driver or outdated driver files. To fix this error, follow the tutorial below.

1. On your computer right-click on the Start button and then click on the device manager.
2. Inside the Device manager screen, find and click on the Actions tab and then click on Scan for hardware changes option.
3. Windows will automatically check the computer for any hardware changes and will tell you to install the required driver files if needed.

Run System File Checker

If you have tried all of the above-mentioned troubleshooting steps and none of them worked for you, then you can try this system file checker tool which comes built into Microsoft Windows. It is also known as the SFC scan command. To run the SFC tool on your computer follow the tutorial below.

1. Make sure you are logged into your computer from the admin account.
2. Right-click on the Start button and then click on Command Prompt(Admin).
3. On the command prompt window, you need to type sfc /scannow and then press enter key from the keyboard of your computer.
4. Wait for the system to finish scanning and then restart your computer to check if your problem has been fixed or not.

Repair System Image Using DISM

Alternatively, you can also try to fix your computer by using the DISM command. Below we have a quick guide to running the DISM.

1. On your computer make sure you are logged in from the Admin account. Right-click on the Start button and then click on the Command Prompt(ADMIN) from the menu.
2. On the command prompt terminal window, you need to type Dism /online /cleanup-image /Restorehealth and then hit enter from the keyboard of your computer.

It will take a while to check and fix the error if the DISM finds any error on your computer. The DISM command checks for Windows component store corruption and then stores good health.

The DISM command usually takes around 15 minutes, but it can take more if your computer is slow, or if the error is having a major impact on the performance of your computer, so make sure to wait for it to finish, only try anything else.