What does "MSVCP140.dll was not found" mean?

Ask Mini NOVA, then restore the runtime

Leave the dialog open. Microsoft's own note on a missing runtime library is to reinstall the program, or to install the Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft. Do not download the DLL on its own from a random site.

1. Leave the error on screen. Keep the message, the formula bar, or the settings page in view. Mini NOVA captures the screen when you submit the question, so scroll until the error and a little of the window around it are visible.
2. Press Insert and type your question. Press Insert, then type what you want to know. Mini NOVA sees that screen and guides you step by step. You make the click. There is no server or browser extension to set up, and no Microsoft 365 plan is needed.
3. Change one thing, then look again. You make the change. If the error is still there, ask a follow-up with the new screen visible. Mini NOVA remembers the conversation context. There is no chat history list.
4. Reinstall the program that showed the dialog. Microsoft Learn says that when Windows cannot find a required redistributable DLL, the message is along the lines of: the application failed to start because the library was not found, and reinstalling the application may fix it. Use the program's own installer, from the publisher, so it can put its runtime back.
5. Install the Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft. If reinstalling the program does not clear it, install the latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable. Microsoft Learn names msvcp140.dll as version 14 of that C++ standard library, and publishes x64, x86, and ARM64 packages. A 32-bit program needs the x86 package, including on a 64-bit PC. A 64-bit program needs the x64 package. An ARM64 program needs the ARM64 package. The downloads page is the source. A site that offers the DLL by itself is not.
6. Repair it if a copy is already installed. The Redistributable supports /repair as well as /install. In Settings, under Apps, you can also select the installed Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and choose Modify or Repair when that option is there. You may get a User Account Control prompt. That prompt is the installer asking to run. Read it before you allow it.

Other dialogs on the same PC

A different message needs a different check. This app can't run on your PC is about a program Windows will not start. Printer offline is a printer Windows has marked offline. The error messages guide is for a dialog that is already on screen.

Sources

Checked on 9 Oct 2026. Support pages change, so open the source before you rely on a step. Mini NOVA is not affiliated with Microsoft. Questions about the account itself go to admin@deskwithnova.com.

• Deployment in Visual C++ (Microsoft Learn), which names msvcp140.dll
• Redistribute Visual C++ Files (Microsoft Learn), including the missing-DLL message
• Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads (Microsoft Learn)

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