7 Ways to Fix a “LoadLibrary failed with error 126” on Windows

Launch your apps and games without issues

Can’t access your favorite app or game because Windows keeps displaying a “LoadLibrary failed with error 126: The specified module could not be found” error message? More often than not, this error occurs when your installed graphics card drivers are faulty. There are other reasons this error pops up and prevents you from accessing your item. We’ll show you a few ways to get around this error on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC. Let’s get started.

A few reasonsyou can’t launch your app or gameand get the above error are that your item doesn’t have admin rights, your PC has multiple graphics adapters, your graphics card drivers are outdated, you have a malicious app on your PC, and more.

1.Run Your App as an Administrator

When you havetrouble launching an appor game, the first solution to apply is to open that item with admin privileges. Your item may be lacking the required rights to function, which you can resolve by launching that item as an administrator.

Opening an app or game as an admin is easy on both Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs.

If your app or game works with administrator rights, make Windows always launch that item as an admin by following these steps:

From now on, Windows will always launch your selected desktop shortcut as an administrator.

2.Disconnect Your Secondary Display

Another reason you may get a “LoadLibrary failed with error 126” error is that you have multiple monitors connected to your PC. Your app or game may be struggling to find the correct display to show the content, leading to the above error.

In this case, unplug your secondary display from your PC and see if that fixes your problem. Your app or game won’t have an issue if you’ve only connected one monitor to your computer.

Another way to fix the issue is to make your primary monitor the default in your Windows settings. To do that on Windows 11, head intoSettings>System>Display, select your primary monitor, chooseMultiple displays, and turn on theMake this my main displayoption.

If you’re a Windows 10 user, navigate toSettings>System>Display, select your primary display, and enable theMake this my main displayoption.

3.Disable Your Secondary Graphics Adapter

If your Windows PC has multiple graphics adapters, disable the unwanted ones to possiblyresolve your app or game launch issue. Your item may have trouble working with multiple adapters, which you can fix by keeping only one adapter active at a time.

4.Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

If your graphics card drivers are outdated, that may be why youcan’t launch your appor game. Outdated drivers are often buggy and have many other issues, causing random problems on your computer.

You can fix that byupdating your driversto the latest version.

If Device Manager couldn’t find the latest drivers, check out your graphics card manufacturer’s website to see if newer drivers are available. Graphics card makers likeAMDandNVIDIAusually have the latest drivers available for download on their sites. You can download and manually install the drivers on your PC to resolve your issue.

5.Uninstall and Reinstall Your Graphics Card Drivers

Ifyour app or game doesn’t launcheven after updating your graphics card drivers, your drivers may be faulty. Corrupted drivers often cause many issues, including preventing your graphics card from properly communicating with your PC.

In this case, remove your faulty drivers and reinstall the appropriate drivers to resolve your issue. This deletes the existing broken drivers and brings working driver files.

6.Fix Windows’ Corrupted System Files

If your Windows operating system’s core files are corrupted, that may be whyyou can’t launch your appor game. Core file corruption can cause many problems on your computer.

Luckily, you canfix all those broken system filesusing a built-in Windows utility. You can run an SFC (System File Checker) command to find and fix all the corrupted files on your Windows system.

7.Clean Boot Your Windows System

If your “LoadLibrary failed with error 126” issue persists, another app installed on your PC may be causing the problem. Your PC may have an app interfering with your current app,preventing you from successfully launching your item.

In this case,clean boot your Windows PCto verify if that’s the case. When you clean boot the system, Windows only loads the essential files, allowing you to find any culprit items. Check out our guide on that topic to learn how to perform the procedure.

Resolve a LoadLibrary Error to Launch Your Apps or Games Without Issues

There are many reasons your installed app or game doesn’t launch. Your item may not have the required permissions, your PC may have corrupted files, and more. Luckily, you can resolve the issue using various ways, as explained above, and access your item without any problems. Enjoy!

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio

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7 Ways to Fix a “LoadLibrary failed with error 126” on Windows#

1.Run Your App as an Administrator#

2.Disconnect Your Secondary Display#

3.Disable Your Secondary Graphics Adapter#

4.Update Your Graphics Card Drivers#

5.Uninstall and Reinstall Your Graphics Card Drivers#

6.Fix Windows’ Corrupted System Files#

7.Clean Boot Your Windows System#

Resolve a LoadLibrary Error to Launch Your Apps or Games Without Issues#