How to Fix Adobe Acrobat DC Crashes with VCRUNTIME140.dll
Question details
The user needs to resolve frequent application crashes in Adobe Acrobat DC caused by a specific DLL fault.

- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Opening, viewing, or editing PDF files within the Adobe Acrobat DC desktop application.
- Observed behavior
- Adobe Acrobat DC crashes multiple times a day. The Windows error report identifies Acrobat.exe as the failing application, VCRUNTIME140.dll as the faulting module, and displays exception code 0xc0000005.
Save your work and close Adobe Acrobat DC. Ensure your Windows operating system is fully up to date before proceeding with these troubleshooting steps.
Update, Repair, and Reset Adobe Acrobat DC
Use this method to fix missing or corrupted application files and reset faulty preferences that might be triggering the crash.
Open Adobe Acrobat DC, navigate to the 'Help' menu at the top, and select 'Check for Updates'. Install any available updates and restart the application.
Go to the 'Help' menu again and click 'Repair Installation'. Allow the setup process to verify and fix any corrupted internal files.
Close Acrobat. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to '%APPDATA%\Adobe\Acrobat\'. Rename the 'DC' folder to 'DC_old'. Restart Acrobat to force it to generate fresh, default preference files.

Repair Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
Because VCRUNTIME140.dll is a core component of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, repairing this package often resolves the faulting module error.
Perform a Clean Reinstallation of Acrobat
If standard repairs fail, use Adobe's dedicated cleanup tool to completely remove traces of the software before reinstalling.
Experience Stable and Fast PDF Editing with WPS Office
If troubleshooting VCRUNTIME140.dll crashes becomes too tedious, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly stable, lightweight, and comprehensive PDF reader and editor that operates independently of Adobe's software environment.
- 1. Download and Install: Get the free WPS Office installer from the official website and run it on your Windows PC.
- 2. Set as Default: Right-click any PDF file, choose 'Open with', select WPS Office, and check the box to always use this app.
- 3. Enjoy Stable Editing: Open, edit, annotate, and convert your PDF files without worrying about unexpected crashes.

Frequently Asked Questions
What is the VCRUNTIME140.dll file?
VCRUNTIME140.dll is a dynamic link library file included in the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package. It contains code that multiple programs (like Adobe Acrobat) share to function properly on Windows.
Why does exception code 0xc0000005 appear alongside this crash?
Exception code 0xc0000005 indicates an Access Violation error. This happens when an application attempts to read or write to a memory location it does not have permission to access, which frequently occurs when a required DLL file is corrupted or mismatched.
Can I download VCRUNTIME140.dll from a third-party website to fix the crash?
No, it is highly discouraged. Downloading standalone DLL files from unverified websites poses significant security risks (like malware) and often leads to version mismatches. Always resolve missing DLL issues by reinstalling the official Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package.




