Errors 0xC00007B are caused by Windows not having access to a dependency 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 can display the error when trying to load the game, the answer is to make sure you have the required dependencies correctly installed and accessible on your system.
While this is quite a difficult process, the underlying reality is that it’s a common problem for Windows to suffer from dependency issues; the solution is to make sure everything works with the game.
Cause
As mentioned, the 0xC00007B error indicates that your system needs a particular file to run an application, but you don’t have it.
The error is not specific to Fortnite; may be displayed 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 causes it to display. Many other errors explain the file or setting that caused the exception, not this.
To resolve the issue, you need to either identify the problem or work through a series of possible solutions in the hope that one will resolve it.
Solution
As mentioned, the error has a wide variety of causes. However, to get the solution, you need to make sure that 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 necessary to ensure that 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 settings of the application to ensure that it can run correctly on Windows.
To do this, you need to be able to locate the “Binaries” for the game, which is archived with the following steps:
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Press the “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard
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Type “browser” in the box and press “OK”
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Navigate to the following: C:Program FilesEpic GamesFortniteFortniteGameBinariesWin64
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Right click on “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe” and select “Properties”
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In the tabs at the top of the screen, select “Compatibility”
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At the bottom of the window, check “Disable full screen optimizations”
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Check “Run this program as administrator”
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Click OK”
After doing this, try running the game again. If the error persists (which it probably will), you’ll need to proceed to the next steps.
2. “Verify” Fortnite
If the above doesn’t work, you’ll need to “verify” your Fortnite installation.
To do this, you need to load the Epic Games Launcher app and run the verification process. If you are unable to open the launcher, you will need to move to the next step.
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navigate to C:Program FilesEpic GamesFortniteFortniteGame (or wherever your Fortnite game is installed)
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Locate the Win64Binaries folder + delete it
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Click on your desktop > click on the “Epic Games Launcher” icon
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When the launcher loads, click on the “Fortnite” tab
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On the “Start” button (green), select the gear wheel
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From the list that appears, select “Verify”
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This will take some time, but will essentially reinstall the Fortnite executables so the game can work again.
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After this process is complete, please reboot your system and try the game again
This will most likely prevent the game from working properly again. The problem with the game is most likely caused by 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 ensure that the issue is resolved.
To do so, you must follow these steps:
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In Windows 7, click “Start” > “Control Panel” > “Add or Remove Programs”
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In Windows 10, right-click the “Start” button > select “Apps and features”
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From the list, select “Fortnite” as well as “Epic Games Launcher”
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uninstall both
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After the uninstall process is complete, reboot your system
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Download a new version of Fortnite from the Epic Games website
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Install it back on your system
This should ensure that your computer can read the various files etc required by the game (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 that this is not the problem, you should follow the steps below to fix it:
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In Windows 7, click “Start” > “Control Panel” > “Add or Remove Programs”
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In Windows 10, right click on “Start” > select “Apps and features”
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After doing this, scroll down to the “Visual C++ Redistributable” section
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Take note of each version installed on your system (including “x86/x64” architecture)
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Uninstall each of them
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Restart your PC
After the uninstall process is complete and your system reboots, navigate to the Internet and search for “Visual C++ Redistributable Latest Downloads”.
Click on the top link shown (should be “Microsoft”) and download the various versions of VC++ that you listed before removing them.
Once you have installed the various VC++ libraries again, restart your PC and then try to run the game. If the solution worked, the game should work.
5. Reinstall Unreal Engine
After reinstalling VC++, you will need to try Unreal Engine.
Unreal Engine is the tool that powers the game Fortnite 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:
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Navigate to “C:/Program Files/Unreal Engine”
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Click “Uninst.exe”
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Follow the steps to uninstall the engine
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Once complete, go to the internet and search for “Unreal Engine Download”
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Click on the first link and save the executable on your system
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Run the executable files that are saved
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Try to run Fortnite again, after the installation is complete
6. Using 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 which “dependencies” an application uses and therefore which 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 what files are missing from your system, allowing you to reinstall the necessary packages to get it working again:
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Click on your preferred search engine and search for “Download Dependency Walker“
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You should find a page that highlights “depends.exe”
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From here, download the version compatible with your system
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Run it and select the Fortnite executable file (it’s the “FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe” file from Step 1)
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Identify any of the files that may be missing
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If you find any files it mentions, you’ll need to look online to see what package they’re a part of and reinstall that package.
After doing this, you’ll 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 issue at this point, it is strongly recommended that you seek more specific support (more than can be provided in an Internet article). 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.
