DirectX Errors and How to Fix Them
DirectX errors name a component, and the component tells you whether the problem is the runtime, the driver or the hardware.
The short answer
DirectX errors generally indicate either a missing runtime component or a graphics driver failure rather than a problem with Windows itself, since modern Windows includes DirectX and it cannot be reinstalled directly. Errors naming d3d files usually require the DirectX End-User Runtime installer, which supplies legacy components that Windows does not include. Device removed or device hung errors indicate a graphics driver crash and require driver or stability investigation instead.
Verified and last updated August 12, 2026.
- Time needed
- 13 min
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Read time
- 3 min
DirectX errors get treated as one problem and they are at least three, with completely different fixes.
The error text tells you which. Reading it properly saves an hour.
You cannot reinstall DirectX
Modern Windows includes it and updates it through Windows Update. What you can install is the End-User Runtime, which supplies older components games still need. Those are different things.
Step 1: Read which kind of DirectX error you have
The two big categories are missing component and device failure, and they share nothing but the word DirectX.
Step 2: Install the legacy runtime for missing components
If the error names a specific file such as d3dx9_43 or d3dcompiler_47, the fix is the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.
Those files are legacy redistributable components. Windows does not include them and many games still require them, which is why this installer remains necessary years after DirectX itself stopped being separately installable.
Run it, restart, done. It does not replace or downgrade the DirectX in Windows.
The DLL guide covers the same logic for Visual C++ files, and the same warning applies: never download individual files from DLL sites.
Step 3: Treat device removed errors as driver instability
DEVICE_REMOVED and DEVICE_HUNG mean the graphics driver stopped responding and Windows reset it. Nothing is missing.
Work through these in order:
- Clean driver reinstall. Not an update over the top. Use the vendor's clean installation option.
- Remove any overclock, including factory overclocks on the card. Test at stock speeds.
- Check temperatures under load. Thermal problems produce this and get worse over a session.
- Check power delivery. A marginal power supply produces device removed errors under transient load spikes, which are brief enough not to show in monitoring.
- Disable overlays, which inject into the rendering pipeline and can trigger resets.
The power supply cause is under-diagnosed. Modern graphics cards produce transient spikes far above their rated draw, and a supply that seems adequate on paper can trip on them.
The crash diagnosis guide covers isolating hardware instability properly, and the driver update guide covers rolling back when a new driver is the cause.
What works
What doesn't
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
Can I reinstall DirectX?
Not the core component, because modern Windows includes DirectX as part of the operating system and it updates through Windows Update. What you can install is the DirectX End-User Runtime, which supplies older redistributable components that many games still depend on and that Windows does not include by default. That installer is what people actually need.
What does DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED mean?
The graphics driver stopped responding and Windows reset it, which is a driver crash rather than a missing file. Common causes are unstable overclocks, insufficient power delivery, overheating, or a genuine driver bug. It requires stability investigation rather than reinstalling anything DirectX related.
Why does a game say it needs a DirectX 11 compatible GPU when mine is newer?
Usually because the game is being run on integrated graphics rather than the dedicated card, or because the driver installation is damaged. It is rarely a genuine hardware capability problem on any modern system. Checking which GPU Windows assigns to the game is the first step.
Does DirectX 12 make games faster?
Sometimes, and it depends heavily on the game and the hardware. DirectX 12 reduces processor overhead, which helps most on systems where the processor is the limiting factor. On others it makes no difference or occasionally performs slightly worse than DirectX 11. Trying both where a game offers the choice is worthwhile.
About the author
PC Hardware & Performance Editor
Marcus has been building, breaking and repairing gaming PCs since 2011, first as a weekend favour for friends and then for eight years as a bench technician at an independent repair shop in Portland, where roughly a third of the job was diagnosing machines that "ran fine yesterday".
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