How to Install DirectX 12, 11, and 9 on Windows 11/10 (Complete Guide)

DirectX 12: Pre-installed on Windows 10/11. Cannot be separately downloaded.

DirectX 11/10: Also pre-installed, but some components may be missing.

DirectX 9.0c: Legacy version required by many older games. NOT included with Windows 10/11 by default.

When you see errors like "d3dx9_43.dll is missing", you need to install the DirectX End-User Runtime, which provides the legacy DirectX 9/10/11 support libraries.

This installs all legacy DirectX components (d3dx9_xx.dll, xinput1_x.dll, xaudio2_x.dll, etc.).

Step 1: Download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.

Step 2: Run dxwebsetup.exe.

Step 3: Follow the installation wizard.

Step 4: Restart your computer.

This will install approximately 100 MB of DirectX runtime files.

If you have multiple computers or a slow internet connection:

Step 1: Download the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) - this is a 96 MB standalone package.

Step 2: Extract the files to a folder.

Step 3: Run DXSETUP.exe from the extracted folder.

This package contains all DirectX 9/10/11 runtime components released through June 2010.

To verify your DirectX installation:

Step 1: Press Win + R.

Step 2: Type dxdiag and press Enter.

Step 3: The DirectX Diagnostic Tool will show your DirectX version.

On the "Display" tab, you can see the Feature Level your GPU supports.

If games still report DirectX errors after installation:

1. Run as Administrator: Right-click the game executable, select "Run as administrator".

2. Install to Game Folder: Some games include their own DirectX installer in the game folder (usually in a "redist" or "_CommonRedist" subfolder). Run it.

3. Update GPU Drivers: Outdated graphics drivers can cause DirectX issues. - NVIDIA: nvidia.com/drivers - AMD: amd.com/support - Intel: intel.com/support

4. Verify Game Files: On Steam, right-click the game > Properties > Local Files > Verify integrity.