DirectX 9.0c for Windows

DirectX 9.0c is a version of DirectX, Microsoft's collection of multimedia APIs for Windows. Many older PC games were built for it, and if such a game refuses to start on a modern PC, you can download the DirectX 9.0c components from Microsoft through the official end-user runtime installer.

Who needs DirectX 9.0c

The DirectX family has existed since September 30, 1995, and each generation added new features for graphics and sound. Version 9.0c belongs to an era when a large number of classic games appeared, and these games still expect the specific DirectX 9 libraries to be present on the system. Modern Windows includes newer DirectX versions, but not all of those older files, so players who return to a favourite game from that period often see an error about a missing file. The people who need DirectX 9.0c today are mainly fans of retro PC games, players who buy older titles in digital stores, developers maintaining legacy software and technicians setting up PCs for such programs. If you only play current games, you probably do not need to install anything extra: Windows Update keeps the built-in DirectX up to date, as Microsoft Support explains.

How to install it

1. Open the official DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer page on microsoft.com.
2. Download and run the installer; it adds only the components that are missing.
3. Restart the PC if prompted and start the game again.
4. If the game came with its own DirectX setup, running it also installs what the game needs.

Developers can find guidance in Microsoft's article on DirectX setup for game developers, and background on the DirectX 9.0 SDK October 2004 update is kept in the archive.

Checking what you have

Press Win + R, type dxdiag and press Enter. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool shows the DirectX version in the System Information section. On modern Windows it will report a newer version; that is normal, because the tool shows the newest installed version, while the DirectX 9 files a game needs are separate components.

If the game still fails

Update the graphics driver from the card maker, install the game's own redistributables from its folder, and try running it in compatibility mode from the file properties. Community fixes for specific games can help, but download them only from well-known sources.

Safety and price

DirectX is free and distributed by Microsoft under its licence agreement. The package is about 95.62 MB according to catalogue data. Never download individual DLL files from DLL sites to fix errors: they can be outdated or infected. Use only microsoft.com.

Pros and cons

• Pro: brings classic games back to life.
• Pro: free from Microsoft.
• Pro: installs only missing parts.
• Con: confusing next to newer DirectX versions.
• Con: not needed for current games.

Alternatives and related versions

Our listings include DirectX 10, DirectX 11, DirectX 12 and the DirectX Runtime installer.