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Fix a missing runtime

A missing-DLL message at launch almost always means one official Microsoft runtime is absent.

How-toUpdated 2026-10-13
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At a glance

Symptom
Missing DLL error at launch
Fix
Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 x64 runtime
Publisher
Microsoft, official download
Architecture
x64 — the x86 build will not do

What the error means

If Vesper closes immediately with a message naming a DLL it could not find, the app itself is fine. Windows is telling you a shared library it depends on is not present on the machine.

That library is part of the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable, Microsoft's own official runtime. A great many Windows programs rely on it, which is why most PCs already have it and why a fresh install sometimes does not.

Installing the runtime

  1. Go to Microsoft's official download page for the Visual C++ Redistributable.
  2. Choose the 2015-2022 x64 package. Vesper is 64-bit, so the x86 version will not resolve this.
  3. Run the installer and accept the prompts.
  4. Restart Windows if it asks you to.
  5. Open Vesper again.

Get it from Microsoft directly. DLL download sites that offer individual files are a well-known way to acquire something other than what you asked for, and they are never necessary here.

If it still will not start

  • Confirm you installed the x64 package rather than x86. Installing both is harmless.
  • Check your CPU supports AVX2, which Vesper requires absolutely.
  • Update your graphics driver, since a Vulkan 1.3 failure can also stop the app early.
  • Reinstall Vesper from the download page in case the first download was incomplete.

A missing runtime produces a specific named-DLL message. If your error is different, the cause is probably one of the other three above and the spec page is the place to check.

Questions

Which runtime does Vesper need?

The Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 x64 Redistributable, which is Microsoft's official runtime and available from Microsoft's own download page.

Should I download the DLL on its own?

No. Install the official Microsoft redistributable instead. Single-file DLL sites are unnecessary and a common source of unwanted software.

I installed it and the error remains.

Make sure it was the x64 package, not x86. If it was, the cause is more likely AVX2 support or an out-of-date graphics driver.

Will installing the runtime affect other programs?

Only positively. It is a standard shared Microsoft component that many Windows applications expect to find.

Get Vesper for Windows

Free installer for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11.

System guide Download