DirectX — all versions

DirectX is the set of Microsoft programming interfaces that Windows games and multimedia apps use to talk to the graphics card and sound hardware. On this page you can download the DirectX installers for Windows: DirectX 12, 11, 10 and 9.0c, all of them free and published by Microsoft.

What DirectX actually does

A game does not draw its world by sending commands to a particular graphics card. It calls DirectX, and DirectX together with the driver translates those calls into something the hardware understands. That is why one game can run on cards from different manufacturers, and why a missing or damaged DirectX component usually shows up as a game that refuses to start with an error about a missing file. DirectX is part of Windows itself: a current Windows installation already contains the newest version the system supports, and Windows Update keeps it up to date. The separate installers exist mainly for older games, which were built against components of earlier versions and expect to find exactly those on the PC. Installing them adds the missing pieces next to the newer ones, without replacing anything.

Versions by year

Which version do you need?

• A new game relies on the DirectX already built into Windows. Update Windows and your graphics driver rather than installing anything by hand.
• An older game with an error about DirectX usually needs the components of the version it was made for, most often DirectX 9.0c. Install that package from the list on this page.
• Not sure? Check the requirements on the game's store page or box: they name the DirectX version it was built for.

System compatibility: how to check your version

Press Win + R, type dxdiag and press Enter. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool shows the installed DirectX version on the System tab and the supported feature levels of your graphics card on the Display tab. Keep in mind that what matters for a game is support in both the system and the graphics card: an old card may not handle the features of DirectX 12 even on a fully updated system. The developer documentation for DirectX is on learn.microsoft.com.

How to install DirectX

1. Close running games and launchers.
2. Download the installer of the version you need from the list on this page.
3. Run it and accept the Microsoft licence terms; the installer checks which components are missing and adds only those.
4. Restart the PC if the installer asks you to, then launch the game again.

If the error does not go away, reinstall the graphics card driver from the manufacturer's website: many DirectX errors actually come from the driver.

Is DirectX free and safe?

Yes, DirectX is free: Microsoft does not charge for it, and it needs no licence key. The installers are safe as long as they come from Microsoft. Be careful with sites that offer single DirectX files or packs of missing libraries to copy into a system folder: such files are a common way to spread malware, and a wrong version can break other games.

Pros and cons of the standalone installers

• Pro: fixes start-up errors in older games without touching the system.
• Pro: adds components alongside newer ones instead of replacing them.
• Con: does nothing for new games, which rely on Windows Update.
• Con: cannot add features that your graphics card does not support.