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Troubleshoot Visual C++ Redistributable installation issues

This guide is for users experiencing issues installing Visual C++ Runtime components using the Visual Studio (VS) Installer or the Visual C++ Redistributable (VC Redist) installer.

If you experience any issues, start by ensuring you're installing the latest version of the Visual C++ Redistributable.

Collect failure logs

The first step to diagnose an issue with the Visual C++ Redistributable installer is to collect its failure logs.

  1. Download the Microsoft Visual Studio and .NET Log Collection Tool.
  2. Run Collect.exe.
  3. Extract the contents of %TEMP%/vscollect.zip.

Once you extract vscollect.zip, the VC Redist logs are located inside the Temp folder. The relevant log files are prefixed with the pattern dd_vcredist_<arch>_yyyyMMddHHmmss.

Search the VC Redist logs for terms like "Error", "Failed", or "System Error" and consult the Common Errors to identify the issue.

Other log locations

The VC Redist installer is often executed as a prerequisite of other products. In such cases, the installation log might be found in a different path.

For example, Configuration Manager upgrades VC Redist as part of its own upgrade process by running vcredist_x64.exe with the /l option that overrides the default log location.

In such cases, the path to the logs can be found by reading that product's own logs:

Example: Configuration Manager logs

<ConfigMgr_Installation_Directory>\Logs\cmupdate.log

10-31-2025 17:40:06.421    CONFIGURATION_MANAGER_UPDATE    67368 (0x10728)    [Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x64)] with older version 14.28.29914 is installed. it needs to upgraded.
10-31-2025 17:40:06.421    CONFIGURATION_MANAGER_UPDATE    67368 (0x10728)    INFO: Start install Visual C redistributable ("C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\CMUStaging\AA928926-5C76-4DE0-B51F-0FE4D365DFE2\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\vcredist_x64.exe"  /q /norestart /l "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\Logs\VCRedist64Install.log").
10-31-2025 17:40:14.553    CONFIGURATION_MANAGER_UPDATE    67368 (0x10728)    ERROR: Failed to install Visual C redistributable. Return code: 1603.
10-31-2025 17:40:14.553    CONFIGURATION_MANAGER_UPDATE    67368 (0x10728)    ERROR: 64-bit VC Redist installation ("C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\CMUStaging\AA928926-5C76-4DE0-B51F-0FE4D365DFE2\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\vcredist_x64.exe") failed. Please check log file [C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\Logs\VCRedist64Install.log].
10-31-2025 17:40:14.554    CONFIGURATION_MANAGER_UPDATE    67368 (0x10728)    Failed to install vc redist. Please manually install it from C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\CMUStaging\AA928926-5C76-4DE0-B51F-0FE4D365DFE2\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64

General troubleshooting steps when using the Visual C++ Redistributable installer

This section describes general troubleshooting methods you can try to resolve issues with the VC Redist installer.

Disable antivirus software temporarily

Antivirus software often blocks installation of VC Redist components.

  1. Turn off Windows Defender real-time protection.
  2. Disable any corporate endpoint protection temporarily (Symantec, McAfee, etc.).
  3. Retry the installation.
  4. Reenable any disabled protection software.

Warning

Re-enable any disabled protection software after completing these steps.

Run the Visual C++ Redistributable installer as administrator

File-access failures are heavily correlated with insufficient permissions.

  1. Right-click the VC Redist installer and select Run as Administrator.
  2. Retry the installation.

Check for Windows updates

On rare occasions, outdated system components can cause installation issues.

  1. Go to Windows Update and install all pending updates.
  2. Reboot your PC.
  3. Retry the installation.

General troubleshooting steps when using Visual Studio Installer

Manually install Visual C++ Redistributable

Note

The VS Installer might prompt for a reboot when VC Redist is installed separately.

  1. Download the latest VC Redist installer.
  2. Run the VC Redist installer.
  3. Retry the Visual Studio Installer.

If the manual installation fails, follow the general troubleshooting steps for the standalone VC Redist installer.

Clear the Visual Studio Installer cache

  1. Open %ProgramData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages.
  2. Delete all files inside the folder to force the Visual Studio Installer to regenerate them.
  3. Retry the Visual Studio Installer.

Repair the Visual Studio Installer

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Search for Installed Apps using the search bar at the top of the window.
  3. Search for Visual Studio Installer.
  4. Click on the "..." button and select Modify.
  5. Select the option to Repair the Visual Studio Installer.
  6. Retry the VS installation.

Delete the Visual Studio Installer folder

Warning

This method requires that you have the Visual Studio Installer Setup downloaded (VisualStudioSetup.exe). You can download the Visual Studio Installer Setup from https://my.visualstudio.com.

This method helps in case the installer metadata is corrupted, deleting the installer folder forces the Visual Studio Installer to regenerate it.

  1. Download VisualStudioSetup.exe from https://my.visualstudio.com.
  2. Delete the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer, you might be prompted to run this operation as administrator.
  3. Run VisualStudioSetup.exe.

Common issues

Common errors at a glance

Generic installation failure

Return code 1603 indicates a generic installation failure produced by the Windows Installer during the installation of the Visual C++ Runtime components.

Because many factors can produce a 1603 code, the code by itself doesn't provide enough information to diagnose the cause of the issue. Often, the log files produced by the VC Redist installer contain relevant information that might lead to a solution or workaround.

The Common issues section describes examples of how to diagnose common installation errors and steps that might resolve them. If your issue isn't found here, then follow the instructions to report an issue in the Visual C++ Redistributable installer.

Access denied

Installation fails with error code 5. This error code typically indicates a permissions issue; specifically, an access denied issue.

Steps to resolve

  1. Disable antivirus, group policies, and firewalls temporarily.
  2. Run the VC Redist installer.
  3. Re-enable any disabled protection software.

If the installation fails, try to run the VC Redist installer as administrator.

File is locked

Installation fails with error code 32. Files in use by another process, interference from antivirus software, group policies, or corrupted files are common causes.

Steps to resolve

  1. Close any running software in your PC.
  2. Try the methods in General troubleshooting steps.

If the installation fails, try to restart your PC to release any locked files.

Corrupt or invalid installer package

Installation fails with error code 1620. This error code indicates that a Windows Installer package (MSI) couldn't be opened, likely due to corruption or invalid files.

The presence of these error messages indicates a corrupted cache.

  • Error code 1620: indicates that the Windows Installer package couldn't be opened.
  • Error code 0x80091007: several payloads failed verification due to hash mismatches.
  • Error code 0x80070654: occurs when an MSI package fails to execute.

Steps to resolve

Try the steps in the General troubleshooting steps when using Visual Studio Installer.

Older version can't be removed

Installation fails with the error code 1714. This error code indicates a corrupted Windows Installer cache that results in failure to remove a previous version of VC Redist.

The presence of these error messages indicates a corrupted cache.

In dd_vcredist_<arch>_<timestamp>.log

Error 0x80070003: Failed to get size of pseudo bundle: C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\{43d1ce82-6f55-4860-a938-20e5deb28b98}\VC_redist.x64.exe
Error 0x80070003: Failed to initialize package from related bundle id: {43d1ce82-6f55-4860-a938-20e5deb28b98}

In dd_vcredist_<arch>_<timestamp>_vcRuntimeMinimum_<arch>.log:

SOURCEMGMT: Trying source C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\{455DF12C-7D43-4EFF-AE2F-43C8AF2817A3}v14.28.29914\packages\vcRuntimeMinimum_amd64\.
Note: 1: 2203 2: C:\ProgramData\Package Cache\{455DF12C-7D43-4EFF-AE2F-43C8AF2817A3}v14.28.29914\packages\vcRuntimeMinimum_amd64\vc_runtimeMinimum_x64.msi 3: -2147287037 
SOURCEMGMT: Source is invalid due to missing/inaccessible package.

Note: 1: 1714 2: Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 X64 Minimum Runtime - 14.40.33816 3: 1612 
CustomAction  returned actual error code 1612 (note this may not be 100% accurate if translation happened inside sandbox)
Product: Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 X64 Minimum Runtime - 14.40.33816 -- Error 1714. The older version of Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 X64 Minimum Runtime - 14.40.33816 cannot be removed.  Contact your technical support group.  System Error 1612.

Error 1714. The older version of Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 X64 Minimum Runtime - 14.40.33816 cannot be removed.  Contact your technical support group.  System Error 1612.

In VSSetupEvents.txt

Error 1714. The older version of Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 X64 Minimum Runtime - 14.40.33816 cannot be removed.  Contact your technical support group.  System Error 1612.] [(NULL)] [(NULL)] [(NULL)] [(NULL)] [(NULL)] []

Steps to resolve

From the log files, take note of the VC Redist version causing the issue.

Method 1: Use the Windows Installer.

  1. Try using the Windows Installer to manually remove the old VC Redist version. If prompted, let the Windows Installer Troubleshooter attempt to fix the issue.
  2. Retry the installation.

Method 2: Manually remove the old version.

  1. Download the VC Redist installer for the old version. Follow the steps to download and old version of the VC Redist installer
  2. Run the installer to uninstall the old VC Redist.
  3. Retry the installation.

Download old versions of the Visual C++ Redistributable installer

Warning

Never install a Visual C++ Redistributable installer that wasn't downloaded from a Microsoft site. Never install a Visual C++ Redistributable installer that isn't signed by Microsoft.

Download the VC Redist installer from my.visualstudio.com. Search for Visual C++ Redistributable on the downloads page.

The latest supported VC Redist version for each version of Visual Studio can be found in this article.

Links for older or legacy versions:

Version range Download link template Example
14.50 or later https://aka.ms/vs/18/release/<version>/VC_redist.<arch>.exe https://aka.ms/vs/18/release/14.50.35719/VC_redist.x64.exe
14.30 to 14.44 https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/<version>/VC_redist.<arch>.exe https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/14.32.31332/VC_redist.arm64.exe
14.20 to 14.29 https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/<version>/VC_redist.<arch>.exe https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/14.28.29914/VC_Redist.x86.exe
14.10 to 14.19 https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/<version>/VC_redist.<arch>.exe https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/14.12.25810/VC_redist.x64.exe

You might be able to find installers for older versions through a Bing search. Only download VC Redist installers from a Microsoft site. Only install packages signed by Microsoft.

Report a Visual C++ Redistributable installation problem

The list of common issues was collected from feedback reported to Microsoft through Developer Community.

If you encounter an issue not found in that section, or if the steps in this troubleshooting guide don't resolve your issue, use the Report a Problem form to create a new feedback item.

Your report must include the following information about your environment:

  • Version of VC Redist you're trying to install.
  • If upgrading, version of previously installed VC Redist installations.
  • If installing through the Visual Studio Installer, version of the VS Installer.
  • Logs collected by following the steps in the Collect failure logs section.

Feedback without this information, especially without logs, is nonactionable and may be closed if additional information isn't submitted promptly.

See also

Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads
C++ binary compatibility between Visual Studio versions
How to audit Visual C++ Runtime version usage
Lifecycle FAQ - Visual C++ Redistributable and runtime libraries

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