How to Fix D3drm.dll Not Found or Missing Errors

If restarting your computer doesn't help, install the latest DirectX version

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on August 12, 2022

D3drm.dll issues are caused in one way or another by an issue with Microsoft DirectX.

This DLL file is one of many files contained in the DirectX software collection. Since DirectX is utilized by most Windows-based games and advanced graphics programs, d3drm.dll errors usually show up only when using these programs.

D3drm.dll Errors

There are several ways these errors can show up on your computer. Here are several of the more common specific d3drm DLL error messages:

  • The file d3drm.dll is missing
  • D3drm.DLL Not Found
  • File d3drm.dll not found
  • D3drm.dll not found. Reinstalling might help fix this.
  • D3drm.dll is not loaded.
d3drm DLL error message

Any of Microsoft's operating systems since Windows 98 may be affected by this error and other DirectX issues. This includes Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

How to Fix D3drm.dll Errors

Follow these steps in the order they're presented so that the simpler solutions are tried first.

Don't download this DLL file individually from any "DLL download site." There are a number of reasons why downloading DLLs from these sites is a bad idea. If you've already downloaded it, remove it from wherever you put it and continue with these steps.

  1. Restart your computer if you haven't yet. The d3drm.dll error might be a fluke and a simple restart could clear it up completely.

  2. Install the latest version of Microsoft DirectX. Chances are, upgrading to the latest version will fix the "not found" error.

    Windows 11, 10, 8, etc., are all supported by this same DirectX installation package. It will install any DirectX file needed and supported in that version of Windows.

    Microsoft often releases updates to DirectX without updating the version number or letter, so be sure to install the latest release even if your version is technically the same.

  3. Assuming the latest DirectX version from Microsoft doesn't fix the d3drm.dll error you're receiving, look for a DirectX installation program on your game or application CD or DVD. Usually, if a game or ​another program utilizes this software, the developers will include a copy of it on the installation disc.

    Sometimes, though not often, the version included on the disc is a better fit for the program than the latest version available online.

  4. Open the game or program in compatibility mode with an older version of Windows. This might force the software to ignore the need for this DLL file, thus eliminating the error message.

  5. Uninstall the game or software program and then reinstall it again. Something might have happened to the program files that work with this DLL file and a reinstall could do the trick.

  6. Restore the d3drm.dll file from the latest DirectX software package. If the above troubleshooting steps haven't worked to solve the error, try extracting the file individually from the DirectX downloadable package.

  7. Update the drivers for your video card. While it's not the most common solution, in some situations updating the drivers for the video card in your computer could correct this DirectX issue.

Need More Help?

If you're not interested in fixing this problem yourself, see How Do I Get My Computer Fixed? for a full list of your support options, plus help with everything along the way like figuring out repair costs, getting your files off, choosing a repair service, and a lot more.

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