How to download and install DirectX

Article ID: 179113 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q179113

Summary

This article contains information about how to obtain the latest version of Microsoft DirectX to enable games and multimedia applications on your system.

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The DirectX runtime is included as an important part of the Windows operating system. To update your version of DirectX means that you must update your Windows system with the latest service pack and other updates by using Microsoft Windows Update.

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Operating System	DirectX Version
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Windows XP Service Pack 3 Windows XP x64 Edition Service Pack 1 or a later version Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or a later version	DirectX 9.0c
Windows Vista Windows Server 2008	DirectX 10.0 Note This includes all the components of the DirectX 9.0c runtime, except for Direct3D Retained Mode, DirectPlay Voice, and the Visual Basic 6.0 DirectX 7 and DirectX 8 support.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or a later version Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1 or a later version	DirectX 10.1
Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Vista SP2 together with update 971644 or update 971512 Windows Server 2008 SP2 together with update 971644 or update 971512	DirectX 11.0 Note This includes all the components of the DirectX 10.0 and 10.1 runtimes

To obtain the latest updates for your Windows system, visit the following Microsoft Windows Update website:

Get latest version of Microsoft DirectX runtime

(http://update.microsoft.com)

Note: To be able to download DirectX runtime component you need to use Genuine Windows. More information about Genuine Windows

(http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cu_sc_genadv_master/)

DirectX End-User Runtime package

The DirectX End-User Runtime package (also known as "DirectSetup") does not install any version of DirectX, and the DirectX End-User Runtime package does not update the version of DirectX on a Windows operating system. Be aware that the only way to update your version of DirectX is to update your version of Windows.

In addition to the DirectX Runtime, some additional files may be required for a specific game or application. Although the application setup should deploy any required files, a Microsoft Download package is available to work around issues with installers that have problems.

If you have issues with an application failing because any of the following files are missing, you may be able to resolve the failure by running the DirectX End-User Runtime installer on your system:

D3DX9_24.DLL through D3DX9_43.DLL
D3DX10.DLL through D3DX10_43.DLL
D3DCompiler_33.DLL through D3DCompiler_43.DLL
D3DX11_42.DLL
D3DX11_43.DLL
D3DCSX_42.DLL
D3DCSX_43.DLL
XACTENGINE2_0.DLL through XACTENGINE2_9.DLL
XACTENGINE3_0.DLL through XACTENGINE3_7.DLL
XAUDIO2_0.DLL
XAUDIO2_1.DLL
XAUDIO2_2.DLL
XAUDIO2_3.DLL
XAUDIO2_4.DLL
XAUDIO2_5.DLL
XAUDIO2_6.DLL
XAUDIO2_7.DLL
XAPOFX1_0.DLL through XAPOFX1_5.DLL
X3DAUDIO1_0.DLL through X3DAUDIO1_7.DLL
XINPUT1_1.DLL
XINPUT1_2.DLL
XINPUT1_3.DLL

To download and install the latest version of the DirectX End-User Runtime package, follow these steps:

Visit the following Microsoft website:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/aa937788.aspx
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/aa937788.aspx)
Follow the steps on the website to download and install DirectX.

Note When you run this package, there is no affect at all on your version of DirectX, Direct3D 9, Direct3D 10.x, Direct3D 11.x, DirectInput, DirectSound, DirectPlay, DirectShow, or DirectMusic.

Important Do not install the DirectX SDK to resolve application compatibility problems.

Information for developers

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2010/09/08/not-so-direct-setup.aspx
(http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2010/09/08/not-so-direct-setup.aspx)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee416644.aspx
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee416644.aspx)

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References

969150
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969150/ )
Direct3D Retained Mode removed from Windows Vista
970978
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970978/ )
DirectPlay Voice removed from Windows Vista and later
971028
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971028/ )
Visual Basic 6.0 DirectX applications fail to run on Windows Vista and later
971512
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971512/ )
Description of the Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
971644
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971644/ )
Description of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista