Visual C++ Redistributable 2013 — Download & Install

What Visual C++ Redistributable 2013 is

Visual C++ Redistributable 2013 is Microsoft’s official runtime package for applications built with the Visual Studio 2013 C++ toolset (VC++ 12.0). It installs shared libraries that those programs expect to find on the system—most commonly MSVCP120.dll (Standard C++ library) and MSVCR120.dll (C Runtime), along with related modules such as OpenMP, ATL, and MFC components when the package includes them.

You do not need Visual Studio itself to run those applications. You need the redistributable on machines that only run the finished software. That is why installers and error dialogs often name “Visual C++ 2013” or a specific *120.dll file instead of asking you to install the full IDE.

Microsoft currently lists the latest available English packages for this line as version 12.0.40664.0 for both x86 and x64 on the supported Visual C++ redistributable documentation. The 2013 redistributable is documented as a legacy product line (no longer under active product support like current v14 packages), but the installers remain published for applications that still depend on them.

x86 vs x64 — which package to install

This is the decision most people get wrong on the first try.

On a 64-bit Windows PC it is normal to need the x86 package. Windows runs 32-bit programs through WoW64; those programs load 32-bit runtime DLLs from locations such as SysWOW64, not the 64-bit copies in System32. Installing only x64 will not satisfy a 32-bit binary that looks for MSVCP120.dll in the 32-bit path.

Conversely, a native 64-bit application will not use the x86 redistributable. If you only install x86, a 64-bit build can still report missing runtime files.

How to tell what an app needs:

• Read the error or the vendor’s system requirements—many name “Visual C++ 2013 x86” explicitly.
• In Task Manager, 32-bit processes are often labeled as such on 64-bit Windows.
• If the installer folder ships both vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe, install the one that matches the main executable you launch.

How to install Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable

1. Open the official Microsoft redistributable page and download vcredist_x86.exe and/or vcredist_x64.exe for Visual Studio 2013 (build 12.0.40664.0 as listed).
2. Close the application that reported the missing runtime.
3. Run the installer. Use Run as administrator if a standard launch fails with access errors.
4. Accept the license terms and complete the setup.
5. If Windows does not prompt for a restart, restart once before testing—especially after repairing a previous broken install.
6. Launch the application again.

Silent install (IT / scripts), typical pattern:

vcredist_x86.exe /install /quiet /norestart
vcredist_x64.exe /install /quiet /norestart

Confirm flags against Microsoft’s redistributable command-line documentation if you deploy at scale; package behavior is consistent across recent VC++ redistributable installers but should always be tested in your environment.

How to verify the install

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Programs and Features on older layouts).
2. Search for Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable. You should see separate entries for x86 and x64 if both are installed.
3. Confirm the version is in the 12.0.x range (current listed package: 12.0.40664.0).
4. Relaunch the application that previously failed.
5. Optional: in File Explorer, locate MSVCP120.dll / MSVCR120.dll under System32 (64-bit) or SysWOW64 (32-bit on 64-bit Windows) and check Properties → Details for a Microsoft copyright and a 12.0.x file version.

MSVCP120.dll is missing

What it means: The program needs the Visual C++ 2013 Standard C++ library DLL (MSVCP120.dll). Windows could not load it from the expected system location for that process architecture.

Why it happens:

• Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable was never installed.
• Only the opposite architecture was installed (x64 when the app is x86, or the reverse).
• A previous install was interrupted or partially removed.
• A third-party “DLL fixer” replaced the file with an incompatible copy.

What to do:

1. Install the official Visual C++ 2013 package for the application’s architecture from Microsoft.
2. If the package is already listed in Apps, use Repair (or uninstall → restart → reinstall).
3. Do not treat a random MSVCP120.dll download as the primary fix—the redistributable registers and versions the full set of runtime files correctly.

When reinstalling the redistributable is not enough: the executable may be corrupted, blocked by security software, or dependent on additional private DLLs that ship with the app. If other programs that use VC++ 2013 work fine after a verified install, repair or reinstall the specific application next.

MSVCR120.dll is missing

What it means: The Visual C++ 2013 C Runtime (MSVCR120.dll) is missing or not loadable for that process. This is the CRT companion to MSVCP120.dll; both come from the same 2013 redistributable family.

Why it happens: Same pattern as MSVCP120—absent package, wrong bitness, damaged install, or manual file tampering.

What to do:

1. Install or repair Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x86 and/or x64 as required).
2. Restart and retest the application.
3. If the error persists only inside one product, repair that product’s installation.

Visual C++ 2013 will not install or setup fails

Typical causes:

• A broken leftover from an older 2013 install still registered in Apps.
• Installer launched without elevation on a locked-down account.
• Endpoint protection quarantining vcredist_*.exe.
• Insufficient free disk space on the system volume.
• Corrupted installer download (hash/size mismatch—re-download from Microsoft).

Practical sequence:

1. In Settings → Apps, uninstall every “Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable” entry for the architecture you are fixing.
2. Restart Windows.
3. Download a fresh vcredist_x86.exe / vcredist_x64.exe from Microsoft Learn or the Download Center.
4. Run as administrator and complete the wizard.
5. If setup still fails, check Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application around the install time for MSI or Visual C++ runtime error codes, and temporarily pause third-party antivirus for the install only.

Side by side with newer Visual C++ packages

Visual C++ 2013 does not get replaced by Visual C++ 2015, 2017, 2019, or 2022 redistributables for applications that were built with the 2013 toolset. Microsoft documents that redistributables for 2013 and earlier remain installed side by side with newer major versions.

Practical implications:

• Installing the latest 2015–2022 (v14) package is still useful for modern software—but it will not satisfy an app that hard-depends on MSVCP120.dll.
• Keeping both 2013 and 2015–2022 installed is normal on real-world PCs.
• Uninstalling “old” VC++ entries to “clean the system” is a frequent way to break legacy tools that still work fine.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 notes

The 2013 redistributable is commonly installed on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 for older games, engineering utilities, and line-of-business apps that have not been rebuilt. The install steps are the same: download the matching architecture from Microsoft, run the package, verify under Apps, relaunch the program.

Windows Update does not remove a healthy 2013 redistributable during ordinary quality updates. After a major in-place feature update, if a previously working app suddenly reports missing *120.dll files, repair the 2013 redistributable first, then the application.

Microsoft’s public OS lists on older Download Center pages include earlier Windows versions; for current consumer PCs the practical targets are Windows 10 and Windows 11. Always use the latest listed 12.0.40664.0 packages rather than archived third-party mirrors.

Repair, reinstall, and cleanup

Repair (preferred when the entry already exists): Settings → Apps → Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x86 or x64) → Modify / Advanced → Repair.

Clean reinstall: Uninstall the architecture you need to fix → restart → install 12.0.40664.0 from Microsoft → restart → test.

Duplicate or partial entries: If Apps shows multiple broken 2013 items, remove all of them for that architecture, reboot, and install once from a fresh official download. Layering installers on top of a half-registered package is a common reason setup reports success while the app still fails.

When reinstalling the redistributable is the wrong next step

• The error names a different runtime (MSVCP140.dll, VCRUNTIME140.dll) — that is the newer v14 family, not 2013.
• Other VC++ 2013-dependent apps work, but one product still fails — focus on that product’s install and integrity.
• The message is a generic application crash without a missing-module dialog — collect the faulting module from Event Viewer before assuming a redistributable gap.
• You already verified 12.0.40664.0 x86 and x64 are present and healthy — chasing more redistributable installs will not help.

Quick reference

Who actually needs Visual C++ 2013

Install this package when a specific application tells you to—or when it fails with a missing *120.dll module. Typical cases include older desktop tools released around 2013–2017, some industrial and CAD utilities that have not been recompiled, plugins that still link against the VS2013 CRT, and games or middleware whose launchers still ship a private check for the 2013 runtime.

You do not need to pre-install every historical Visual C++ redistributable “just in case.” Modern installers either bundle what they need or pull the current v14 family. Speculative installs only make sense on managed images where a known application set still depends on 2013.

If nothing on the PC names Visual C++ 2013 or MSVC*120, leave the system alone. Extra runtimes do not speed up Windows; they only matter to binaries linked against them.

What the installer puts on the system

The redistributable is not a single DLL drop. The Microsoft installer deploys a defined set of runtime binaries into architecture-appropriate system locations, records the product so Apps / Programs and Features can repair or remove it, and leaves the libraries available to any process that loads them by name.

For the updated 12.0.40664.0 line, Microsoft’s package documentation associates files such as msvcr120.dll and msvcp120.dll with that version. On 64-bit Windows, 32-bit builds of those DLLs belong under the 32-bit system directory used by WoW64 processes; 64-bit builds belong under the native system directory. Hand-copying one file into System32 often targets the wrong place for a 32-bit application and skips versioning that the official setup performs.

That is why “download MSVCP120.dll” guides are a weak substitute. Even when the file is genuine, a lone copy does not reliably recreate the full runtime state the redistributable maintains.

Decision flow: pick a package in under a minute

1. Did the error mention MSVCP120 or MSVCR120 or “Visual C++ 2013”? If yes, stay on the 2013 family—not 2015–2022.
2. Is the failing program 32-bit or 64-bit? Install x86 or x64 accordingly.
3. If you cannot tell, install both official 2013 packages, restart, and retest.
4. If the error names *140 DLLs instead, switch to the modern Visual C++ 2015–2022 redistributable—not this page’s package.

“This program requires Visual C++ 2013”

Some setup programs check for a registered Visual C++ 2013 product before they continue. Others only fail when the main EXE starts. In both cases the remediation is the same: install the official redistributable matching the product’s architecture, then run the vendor installer or application again.

If the vendor ships their own copy of vcredist_x86.exe inside the setup folder, prefer a current Microsoft build of the same major version when the bundled file is years out of date—provided the vendor does not pin an exact private build in their support policy. For most commercial apps, the latest 12.0.40664.0 packages Microsoft publishes are the correct servicing baseline.

Should you always install both x86 and x64?

Not always—but it is often reasonable on a general-purpose 64-bit PC that runs mixed software. Installing both does not create a conflict: Microsoft supports side-by-side major runtimes, and x86/x64 2013 packages target different machine types.

Install only one architecture when you know the dependency graph (for example, a locked-down workstation that runs a single 64-bit LOB app). Install both when users launch a mix of older 32-bit utilities and newer 64-bit tools, or when support tickets repeatedly alternate between the two missing-DLL messages.

How to see what is already installed

Before downloading anything, search Installed apps for “Visual C++ 2013”. Healthy systems often already show:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x64) — 12.0.x
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x86) — 12.0.x

If the entry exists but the app still fails, use Repair or a clean reinstall of that architecture. If the entry is missing, install from Microsoft. If only x64 is present and the app is 32-bit, add x86.

After installation: still broken?

Work through this short ladder:

1. Confirm the correct architecture is installed and version is 12.0.x.
2. Repair the redistributable, then reboot.
3. Repair or reinstall the application itself.
4. Check whether the error actually names a different runtime (*140, *110, *100).
5. Review Event Viewer for the faulting module path—sometimes a private DLL beside the EXE is missing, not the system runtime.

Security software can also quarantine a newly installed runtime file immediately after setup. If install succeeds but the DLL “vanishes,” check the quarantine log before repeating downloads.

Notes for developers shipping VC++ 2013 apps

If you still ship binaries built with Visual Studio 2013, do not assume customer PCs already have the redistributable. Either bootstrap the official Microsoft redistributable from your installer (quiet mode), or document a direct link to Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2013 redistributable section and state clearly whether you need x86, x64, or both.

Merging only selected DLLs next to your EXE can work for simple private deployment, but it is easy to omit dependencies and harder for users to patch. The redistributable remains the supportable approach for shared system installation.

When you can rebuild with a supported toolset, migrating off VC++ 12.0 reduces future friction: the 2013 line is legacy, while the v14 redistributable family continues to receive broader servicing attention.

Why the official installer matters

Runtime installers elevate and register components used by many processes. A trojaned “vcredist” from a file-hosting mirror is not a minor risk. Microsoft-signed packages from Learn or the Download Center keep the trust chain intact. WinFileHub pages for this product link only to those Microsoft destinations—not to third-party one-click runtime bundles.

Uninstall impact

Removing Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable can break every remaining application that loads MSVC*120 libraries from the system. Uninstall when you are replacing a corrupted install or retiring a machine image—not as routine “cleanup.” If disk space is the concern, the package size is small relative to modern SSDs; the stability cost of removal is usually higher.

Look-alike errors that are not Visual C++ 2013

Support tickets often mix runtime families. Before you download 2013 packages, read the exact file name:

• MSVCP140.dll / VCRUNTIME140.dll → Visual C++ 2015–2022 (v14), not 2013.
• MSVCP110.dll / MSVCR110.dll → Visual C++ 2012.
• MSVCP100.dll / MSVCR100.dll → Visual C++ 2010.
• MSVCP120.dll / MSVCR120.dll → Visual C++ 2013 (this page).

Installing the wrong major version wastes time and does not satisfy the loader. Match the number in the DLL name to the redistributable generation first; then match x86 vs x64.

Summary

For visual c++ redistributable 2013 download and setup intent: use Microsoft’s VC++ 12.0 packages (listed build 12.0.40664.0), choose x86 for 32-bit apps and x64 for 64-bit apps, verify the product under Installed apps, and repair rather than hunting standalone DLL files when MSVCP120.dll or MSVCR120.dll is missing. Keep newer Visual C++ runtimes installed as needed—they coexist; they do not replace 2013 for software built against Visual Studio 2013.

Frequently asked questions

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