How to Fix Wintrust.dll Not Found or Missing Errors

Wintrust.dll errors are caused by situations that lead to the removal or corruption of the wintrust DLL file.

In some cases, wintrust.dll errors could indicate a registry problem, a virus or malware issue, or even a hardware failure.

Wintrust.dll Errors

There are several ways wintrust.dll errors can show up on your computer. Here are some of the more common errors you might see:

• Wintrust.dll Not Found
• This application failed to start because wintrust.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
• Cannot find [PATH]\wintrust.dll
• The file wintrust.dll is missing.
• Cannot start [APPLICATION]. A required component is missing: wintrust.dll. Please install [APPLICATION] again.

These error messages might appear while using or installing certain programs, or when Windows starts or shuts down.

The context of the error is an important piece of information that will be helpful while solving the problem.

Paladins and StarCraft are examples of video games that have been known to encounter an error related to this DLL file.

How to Fix Wintrust.dll Errors

Follow these steps in the order they're given below to try the simpler solutions first.

1. Restore wintrust.dll from the Recycle Bin. The easiest possible cause of a "missing" wintrust.dll file is that you've mistakenly deleted it.

   If you suspect this, but you've already emptied the Recycle Bin, you may be able to recover the file with a free data recovery program.

   Start Windows in Safe Mode to complete any of these steps if you're unable to access Windows normally due to the error.

2. Run the program or game as admin. The wintrust.dll might not be able to load with the current user's credentials, so launching the application with administrative rights might fix the wintrust.dll error.

3. Run a virus/malware scan of your entire system. Some wintrust.dll errors could be related to a virus or other malware infection on your computer that has damaged the DLL file. It's even possible that the wintrust.dll error you're seeing is related to a hostile program that's masquerading as the file.

4. Use System Restore to undo recent system changes. If you suspect that the wintrust.dll error was caused by a change made to an important file or configuration, System Restore could solve the problem.

5. Reinstall the program that uses the wintrust.dll file. If the wintrust.dll DLL error occurs when you use a particular program, reinstalling the program should replace the file.

   Try your best to complete this step. Reinstalling the program that provides the wintrust.dll file, if possible, is a likely solution to this DLL error.

6. Update the drivers for hardware devices that might be related to wintrust.dll. If, for example, you're receiving a "The file wintrust.dll is missing" error when you play a 3D video game, try updating the drivers for your video card.

   The wintrust.dll file may or may not be related to video cards—this was just an example. The key here is to pay very close attention to the context of the error and troubleshoot accordingly.

7. Roll back a driver to a previously installed version if wintrust.dll errors began after updating a particular hardware device's driver.

8. Run the sfc /scannow System File Checker command to replace a missing or corrupt copy of the wintrust.dll file. If this DLL file is provided by Microsoft, the System File Checker tool should restore it.

9. Install any available Windows updates. Many service packs and other patches replace or update some of the hundreds of Microsoft distributed DLL files on your computer. The wintrust.dll file could be included in one of those updates.

10. Test your memory and then test your hard drive. We've left the majority of hardware troubleshooting to the last step, but your computer's memory and hard drive are easy to test and are the most likely components that might cause wintrust.dll errors as they fail.

    If the hardware fails any of your tests, replace the memory or replace the hard drive as soon as possible.

11. Repair your installation of Windows. If the individual wintrust.dll file troubleshooting advice above is unsuccessful, performing a startup repair or repair installation should restore all Windows DLL files to their working versions.

12. Use a free registry cleaner to repair wintrust.dll related issues in the registry. A free registry cleaner program may be able to help by removing invalid wintrust.dll registry entries that might be causing the DLL error.

    We rarely recommend the use of registry cleaners. We've included the option here as a "last resort" attempt before the destructive step coming up next.

13. Perform a clean installation of Windows. This will erase everything from the hard drive and install a fresh copy of Windows. If none of the steps above correct the wintrust.dll error, this should be your next course of action.

    All the information on your hard drive will be erased during this step. Make sure you've made the best attempt possible to fix the wintrust.dll error using a troubleshooting step prior to performing a clean installation.

14. Troubleshoot for a hardware problem if any wintrust.dll errors persist. After a clean install of Windows, your DLL problem can only be hardware related.

Need More Help?

If you're not interested in fixing this DLL 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 whole lot more.