Troubleshoot Visual C++ Redistributable installation problems

This article is for users who experience problems when they install Visual C++ Runtime components by using the Visual Studio Installer or the Visual C++ Redistributable (VC Redist) installer.

If you experience any problems, make sure that you're installing the latest version of the Visual C++ Redistributable.

Collect failure logs

The first step to diagnose a problem 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.

After 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 at a glance section to identify the problem.

Other log locations

The VC Redist installer is often run as a prerequisite of other products. In such cases, you might find the installation log 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, you can find the path to the logs 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 that you can try to resolve problems 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 (such as Symantec or McAfee).
3. Retry the installation.
4. Reenable any disabled protection software.

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 problems.

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

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 the 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. Enter Installed Apps in the search bar at the top of the window.
3. Search for Visual Studio Installer.
4. Select the ellipsis (...), and then select Modify.
5. Select the Repair option to repair the Visual Studio Installer.
6. Retry the Visual Studio installation.

Delete the Visual Studio Installer folder

This method helps if the installer metadata is corrupted. Deleting the installer folder forces the Visual Studio Installer to regenerate it.

1. Download VisualStudioSetup.exe from the Welcome to Dev Essentials page.
2. Delete the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer. You might be prompted to run this operation as an administrator.
3. Run VisualStudioSetup.exe.

Common problems

Common errors at a glance

• Generic installation failure (return code 1603)
• Access denied (return code 5)
• File is locked (return code 32)
• Corrupt or invalid installer package (return code 1620)
• Older version can't be removed (return code 1714)

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 problem. Often, the log files produced by the VC Redist installer contain relevant information that might lead to a solution or workaround.

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

Access denied

Installation fails with error code 5. This error code typically indicates a permissions problem. Specifically, the problem is access denied.

Steps to resolve

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

If the installation fails, try to run the VC Redist installer as an 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 the General troubleshooting steps when using Visual Studio Installer section.

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. The problem is likely because of 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: Indicates that several payloads failed verification because of hash mismatches.
• Error code 0x80070654: Occurs when an MSI package fails to run.

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, make a note of the VC Redist version causing the problem. Two methods are available to resolve the problem:

• 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 problem.
  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 an 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

Download the VC Redist installer from the Welcome to Dev Essentials page. Search for Visual C++ Redistributable on the downloads page.

For the latest supported VC Redist version for each version of Visual Studio, see Microsoft Redistributable Visual C++ latest supported downloads.

The following table lists links for older or legacy versions.

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 problems was collected from feedback reported to Microsoft through the Developer Community.

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

Your report must include the following information about your environment:

• The version of VC Redist you're trying to install.
• If you're upgrading, the version of previously installed VC Redist installations.
• If you're installing through the Visual Studio Installer, the version of the Visual Studio Installer.
• The logs collected when you follow the steps in the Collect failure logs section.

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

Related content

• Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads
• C++ binary compatibility between Visual Studio versions
• Audit Visual C++ Runtime version usage
• Lifecycle FAQ: Visual C++ Redistributable and Runtime libraries