0xC00007B errors are caused by Windows not having access to a dependency that is required to run an application.
The error is indicative of a system error or some other problem with Windows files.
Regarding Fortnite, and how the system may display the error when trying to load the game, the answer is to make sure you have the required dependencies properly installed and accessible on your system.
While this is quite a difficult process, the underlying reality is that it is a common problem for Windows to suffer from dependency issues; the solution is to make sure everything works with the game.
Cause
As mentioned, error 0xC00007B indicates that your system needs a particular file to run an application, but it doesn’t have it.
The error is not specific to Fortnite; it can show up for a variety of applications and is a Windows bug.
Usually it will be displayed with the following message:
The application failed to start correctly (0xC00007B). Click OK to close the application.
The biggest problem with this particular error is the lack of explanation of what actually leads it to display. Many other errors explain the file or setting that caused the exception, not this.
To solve the problem, you must pinpoint the problem or work through a series of possible solutions in the hope that one will solve it.
Solution
As mentioned, the error has a wide variety of causes. However, to get the fix, you need to make sure you have the proper dependencies installed and accessible on your system.
In the case of Fortnite, the likes of DirectX, Unreal Engine, Visual C++, and .NET are required to ensure the game can actually run. So the first port of call is to make sure they are installed correctly.
To do this, you must follow these steps:
1. Change Fortnite app settings
The first step is quite simple: change the app’s settings to make sure it can run properly on Windows.
To do this, you need to be able to locate the “Binaries” for the game, which is archived with the following steps:
- Press the “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard
- Type “browser” in the box and press “OK”
- Navigate to the following: C:Program FilesEpic GamesFortniteFortniteGameBinariesWin64
- Right click on “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe” and select “Properties”
- In the tabs at the top of the screen, select “Compatibility”
- At the bottom of the window, check “Disable full screen optimizations”
- Check “Run this program as an administrator”
- Click OK”
After doing this, try running the game again. If the error persists (which it probably will), you’ll need to continue with the next steps.
2. “Verify” Fortnite
If the above does not work, you will need to “verify” the Fortnite installation.
To do this, you need to load the Epic Games Launcher app and run through the verification process. If you can’t open the launcher, you’ll need to skip to the next step.
- navigate to C:Program FilesEpic GamesFortniteFortniteGame (or wherever your Fortnite game is installed)
- Locate the Win64Binaries folder + delete it
- Click on your desktop > click on the “Epic Games Launcher” icon
- When the launcher loads, click on the “Fortnite” tab
- On the “Start” button (green), select the cogwheel
- From the list that appears, select “Verify”
- This will take some time, but will essentially reinstall the Fortnite executables so the game can work again.
- After this process is complete, please reboot your system and try the game again
This will most likely not allow the game to work properly again. The problem with the game is likely to come from a corrupted, faulty, or incompatible Windows dependency.
3. Reinstall the game
This is pretty drastic, but if you have the patience to do it, you should make sure the issue is resolved.
To do so, you must follow these steps:
- In Windows 7, click “Start” > “Control Panel” > “Add or Remove Programs”
- In Windows 10, right-click the “Start” button > select “Apps & Features”
- From the list, select “Fortnite” as well as “Epic Games Launcher”
- uninstall both
- After the uninstall process is complete, reboot your system
- Download a new version of Fortnite from the Epic Games website
- Install it back on your system
This should ensure that your computer can read the various files, etc., that the game requires (ie make sure the error is not with the game itself, but with Windows).
4. Reinstall Visual C++
The next step is to reinstall the Visual C++ Redistributable Packages that exist to help Windows run various applications.
VC++ may be familiar to many people, but it is actually quite an important tool for many different applications. Many require it to run, and it may be the case that some of your files are corrupted, damaged, or simply not written correctly.
To make sure this is not the issue, you need to follow the below troubleshooting steps:
- In Windows 7, click “Start” > “Control Panel” > “Add or Remove Programs”
- In Windows 10, right click “Start” > select “Apps & Features”
- After doing this, scroll down to the “Visual C++ Redistributable” section
- Make a note of each version installed on your system (including the “x86/x64” architecture)
- Uninstall each of them
- Restart your PC
After the uninstall process completes and your system reboots, browse the Internet and search for “Visual C++ Redistributable Latest Downloads”.
Click on the top link shown (it should be “Microsoft”) and download the various versions of VC++ that it listed before removing them.
Once you have installed the various VC++ libraries again, restart your PC and then try running the game. If the solution worked, the game should work.
5. Reinstall Unreal Engine
After reinstalling VC++, you’ll need to try Unreal Engine.
Unreal Engine is the tool that powers the Fortnite game and was developed by Epic Games.
In some cases, the engine can become corrupted or damaged, leading to errors like the one you are experiencing.
To resolve this, you can reinstall the engine:
- Go to “C:/Program Files/Unreal Engine”
- Click on “Uninst.exe”
- Follow the steps to uninstall the engine
- Once complete, go to the internet and search for “Unreal Engine Download”
- Click on the first link and save the executable to your system
- Run the executable files that are saved
- Try running Fortnite again, after the installation is complete
6. Use Dependency Walker
If you still see the error, it’s worth pointing out a tool that many people won’t consider: Dependency Walker.
Dependency Walker shows what “dependencies” an application uses, and therefore what files it needs to run.
If your system does not have the appropriate file, it will appear in red within this application.
If you can run this system correctly, it should point out which files are missing from your system, allowing you to reinstall any packages needed to get it working again:
- Click on your preferred search engine and search for “Download Dependency Walker“
- You should find a page that highlights “depends.exe”
- From here, download the version compatible with your system
- Run it and select the Fortnite executable file (it is the file “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe” from Step 1)
- Identify any of the files that may be missing
- If you find any files that it mentions, you will need to search online for which package they are part of and reinstall that package.
After doing this you will need to test the game and if it *still* doesn’t work, it usually means you have a problem with Windows itself or some other library/package.
To resolve the problem at this point, it is strongly recommended that you seek more specific support (more than can be provided in an article on the Internet). To do this, you need to search online in communities like SuperUser or Microsoft Answers.
If this doesn’t help, you’ll probably want to get the opinion of a technical specialist, who usually infers the cost.
