Missing detoured.dll file

Question

Whenever I tried to launch the Steam Client, it would return an error message saying "detoured.dll was not found." After lots of troubleshooting, the problem seems to no be with Steam itself but rather a Windows issue. I'm unsure how to proceed in determining where the problem lies exactly and how I should go about fixing it. If it's necessary, I have windows 11 with both an AMD CPU and GPU.

Answer 1

Hi ,

Search for msinfo32.exe in the search bar, take a screenshot, and post it here so we can see the correct laptop model or desktop configuration.

What is the GPU model?

Thanks

Answer 2

The missing detoured.dll message when launching Steam is most likely caused by a third‑party tool that hooks or “detours” other processes (for example, an overlay, injector, antivirus, or mod/cheat tool) rather than by Steam or Windows itself.

detoured.dll is commonly associated with “detours”‑style API hooking. When such a tool is installed or partially removed, it can leave behind registry entries or startup hooks that still try to load detoured.dll into every process (including Steam). When the DLL is no longer present, Windows shows the “was not found” error.

Because the context only documents detours in relation to SQL Server, the only supported guidance here is how to confirm that detours‑style code injection is present and then remove the responsible software.

Actionable steps:

1. Uninstall any software that injects into other processes
   • Remove overlays, performance tuners, FPS counters, recording/streaming tools, game “optimizers,” or any mod/cheat/injection utilities installed shortly before the problem started.
   • Also review third‑party antivirus or security tools that advertise “exploit protection,” “code injection protection,” or “SQL injection protection,” as these can use detours‑style hooks.
2. Check for detoured code (advanced) If the issue persists and advanced diagnostics are desired, detours can be detected with Debugging Tools for Windows as described in the SQL Server article:
   1. Install Debugging Tools for Windows.
   2. Attach the debugger to the affected process (for example, Steam.exe) or load a full user dump.
   3. Run the command:

            !for_each_module "!chkimg -v @#Base -d"
      

   4. If the in‑memory image of a module has been altered by a detour, the output will show jump instructions redirecting to an injected DLL (similar to MyDLL!MyGetQueuedCompletionStatus).
   5. Use the module name or path of the injected code to identify which product installed it, then uninstall or reconfigure that product.
   The article notes that antivirus programs that track SQL injection attacks can detour code in this way, and recommends contacting the provider of the detours for details on how they use them.
3. After removal, repair system files Once the offending software is removed, run a system file check to repair any system components that may have been affected:

      sfc /scannow
   

   If sfc reports issues it cannot fix, run:

      DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
   

4. Reinstall Steam (if needed) If the error persists only with Steam after removing detouring software and repairing system files, reinstall Steam so its own files and registry entries are clean.

If, after these steps, detoured code is still detected in processes, contact the vendor of the software that installed the detours (for example, antivirus or security software) for specific removal or configuration guidance.

---

References:

• Detours or similar techniques may cause unexpected behaviors with SQL Server
• SFC detects Opencl.dll as corrupted in Windows 10