The vcruntime140.dll file is a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that is part of Microsoft's Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio. Specifically, this library includes functions and resources that are used by programs built with Visual C++ 2015, 2017, and 2019. This DLL contains runtime components that handle features such as exception handling and certain mathematical operations. Applications that are built with these versions of Visual C++ usually require vcruntime140.dll to run properly, as they do not package these runtime components within the application itself.
If you're trying to run an application and you encounter an error message stating that vcruntime140.dll is missing or not found, it generally means that the Visual C++ Redistributable package is either not installed on your computer, or the installed version is outdated or corrupted. To resolve this issue, you can download and install the appropriate Visual C++ Redistributable package from Microsoft's official website. Doing so will install this DLL, along with other necessary runtime components, into the system directory, allowing applications to locate and use it as needed.
Because it's a common dependency for many applications, you should exercise caution when deleting or moving this file. Missing or corrupted vcruntime140.dll files can lead to software malfunctions, error messages, or even system instability. Therefore, it's usually best to leave the management of system-level DLL files like this to the operating system or to installers that specifically update runtime components.