How to Reinstall DirectX on Windows 11

DirectX is a very versatile and critical tool that allows programs to access the graphic-based hardware on your computer. Along with this critical functionality, it allows you to track real-time GPU usage, trace which apps are using Direct3D technology, and perform graphics-related diagnostics.

If you are facing problems with graphics-requiring apps or multimedia apps, or games, there is a high chance that reinstalling DirectX will fix them.

Download the DirectX Installer

Typically, Windows automatically handles the DirectX installation and updating. But the only way to reinstall it on your computer is by using the standalone installer.

First, head to www.microsoft.com/download using your preferred browser. Then, click on the 'Download' button.

Then, save the installer by navigating to your preferred directory using the File Explorer window.

Next, head to the download directory and double-click on the installer to run it.

On the installer window, click on the 'I accept the agreement' option and then click on the 'Next' button.

After that, click on the 'Next' button again. If you do not intend to install 'Bing Bar' on your browser, make sure you uncheck the 'Install the Bing Bar' option. DirectX will now start installing on your PC.

Once the installation is completed, click on the 'Finish' button to exit the installer.

How to Fix Errors with DirectX

If you are reinstalling DirectX due to errors, you can also try the methods listed below to resolve them.

1. Update your Windows

If you have not updated your PC for quite a while, there could be a high possibility that a simple update might be able to fix your problem.

First, head to the Start menu and click on the 'Settings' tile.

After that, click on the 'Windows Update' tile from the left sidebar to proceed.

Then, from the right section of the window, click on the 'Check for updates' button. Otherwise, click on the 'Download & Install' button to download the updates. Once the updates are installed, restart your PC.

2. Update Graphics Driver

Since the tool majorly handles graphics-related operations, an outdated graphics card can cause issues such as improper display of information or apps not launching at all. Moreover, you can either update it from the Settings app, Device Manager or choose to force reinstall.

To update the driver using the Settings app, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' tile.

After that, click on the 'Windows Update' tab from the left sidebar.

Now, click on the 'Advanced Options' tile from the right section to continue.

Next, click on the 'Optional Updates' tile to proceed.

Afterward, click on the checkbox preceding the option having 'graphics' as a suffix or prefix, and then click on the 'Download & install' button.

After installing the update, restart your PC and check if the issue has been resolved.

To update the driver using the Device Manager, head to the Start Menu and type Device Manager to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Device Manager' tile to proceed.

After that, double-click on the 'Display Adapters' option to expand the section. Then, right-click on the component listed under it, and select the 'Update driver' option. This will open a separate window on your screen.

Next, click on the 'Search automatically for drivers' option to let Windows search for a driver for you. Otherwise, if you have already downloaded a driver package, click on the 'Browse my computer for drivers' option.

Repeat the process for the second component (secondary graphics card) if you have more than one installed on the system.

To force update the driver, right-click on one of the components and select the 'Uninstall device' option. This will bring an alert to your screen.

Now, click on the checkbox preceding the 'Attempt to remove the driver for this device' option and click on the 'Uninstall' button to initiate the process. Once uninstalled, restart your device.

After restarting, head to the 'Optional Updates' section and download the update as shown in this section previously to reinstall the driver.

3. Run SFC and DISM

Deployment Image Servicing and Management scan will check and repair the existing operating system files installed on your device along with other system files currently on your PC. This has been known to fix the issue for many users.

Head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to search for it. Then, right-click on the 'Terminal' tile and choose the 'Run as administrator' option from the context menu to proceed.

Next, if you are not logged in with an admin account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the 'Yes' button to proceed.

After that, click on the 'chevron' (downward arrow) icon and select the 'Command Prompt' option.

Then, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter on your keyboard. This will restore the currently installed OS image on your device.

DISM/ Online/ Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth

Once completed, type or copy+paste the following command to check and repair the system files on your PC. SFC is a free tool from Microsoft that can help you find and recover corrupted files on your PC.

SFC/ scannow

Once the scan is successful, restart your PC and check if the method resolved the issue.

4. Run System Restore

If you have created a system restore point previously, you can easily roll back to it to fix the issues you are having with DirectX.

Head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Control Panel' tile to proceed.

After that, locate and click on the 'Recovery' tile from the grid of icons.

Next, click on the 'Open System Restore' option from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.

From the separately opened window, click on the 'Next' button.

All created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the 'Next' button to initiate the rolling back process.

Next, a list of drives that will be impacted by the rollback will be displayed along with the timestamp of the restore point created. You can also check the programs that will be affected; click on the 'Scan for affected programs' button. A new window will appear on the screen.

On the new window, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored (since no programs will be affected on the test PC, the list in the screenshot below is empty). Click on the 'Close' button to navigate to the previous window.

Finally, click on the 'Finish' button to initiate the rollback process.

That's it, people. You can either reinstall the DirectX on your Windows 11 computer or you can try using the above-mentioned methods to fix any problems you are facing with it.