Generally, no. Do not uninstall older versions of the redistributable (e.g., 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015). Many legacy apps expect those exact versions. The rule of thumb:
For the 2019 specifically: if you have the 2022 redist, you might not need the 2019 standalone, but some older installers check for the product code of VC++ 2019. Keeping it avoids unnecessary prompts.
To understand the Redistributable, you first need to understand Microsoft Visual C++ (often abbreviated as MSVC). This is Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE) used by millions of developers to create Windows applications. microsoft visual c 2019 redistributable
When a developer writes a program in C++, they rely on a set of standard functions and libraries (like input/output processing, math calculations, or memory management). These are known as the C++ Runtime Libraries.
You have two options to run such a program on a user's computer: Generally, no
The Redistributable is the package that contains these shared .dll files. So, when you install a game or software built with Visual C++ 2019, it will look for the corresponding redistributable on your system. If it isn't there, the application will crash instantly with errors like VCRUNTIME140.dll is missing.
Specifically for 2019: This version corresponds to the Visual Studio 2019 toolset (Version 16.0). It is the standard for thousands of applications released between 2019 and mid-2021. For the 2019 specifically: if you have the
This is usually a Windows Update issue. Fix: Run Windows Update to get the latest system certificates, or install the Windows Update Troubleshooter from Microsoft.
"The code execution cannot proceed because VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found." Cause: The C++ 2019 Redistributable is missing or severely corrupted. Fix: Reinstall the redistributable (see download links below).
Always download directly from Microsoft to avoid malware. There are two main versions:
Direct links (as of 2026, these remain valid from Microsoft’s official domain):