If a Windows 10 game or app says xinput1_3.dll is missing, install Microsoft’s DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010). It adds optional legacy DirectX components, including XInput 1.3, that some older programs need. It does not upgrade or replace Windows’ DirectX runtime.
Why Windows 10 can show this error
Windows 10 includes XInput 1.4, while some older games and applications request the separate legacy XInput 1.3 component. Having a newer DirectX version installed does not guarantee that every optional legacy component is present. The error points to a component the program expects; by itself, it does not mean Windows’ core DirectX installation needs upgrading.
Microsoft’s XInput documentation says XInput 1.4 ships with Windows 10 and that XInput 1.3 was the last version shipped in the DirectX SDK, in its June 2010 release.
Install Microsoft’s legacy DirectX components
- Close the game or application displaying the error.
- Go to Microsoft’s DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) download page. Check that the address is on
microsoft.com, then follow the page’s download and installation instructions. - Choose the full redistributable if you need to install without an internet connection during setup. Microsoft also offers a web installer that downloads components during setup; the page recommends the redistributable for offline installation.
- When setup finishes, reopen the application and check whether the error is gone. Installing this package is a reasonable fix to try, but it cannot be guaranteed to resolve every case.
Microsoft describes the package as installing legacy DirectX SDK libraries used by some games, including XInput 1.3. Its download page states that the package “does not modify the DirectX Runtime installed on your Windows OS in any way.” It adds optional legacy components rather than upgrading Windows’ DirectX version.
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Check your DirectX version if needed
To see the DirectX version Windows reports, search the Start menu for dxdiag, open DirectX Diagnostic Tool, and look for DirectX Version in System Information. On Windows 10, operating-system DirectX updates come through Windows Update; Microsoft does not offer a standalone package for Windows 10’s DirectX 11.3 and 12 versions. See Microsoft’s DirectX installation guidance.
If the error remains
The general Microsoft documentation does not enumerate every cause of this exact error. Check the affected game or application publisher’s official installation and support instructions for its recommended repair steps. Avoid downloading a loose DLL from unofficial sites or copying one into arbitrary Windows folders; Microsoft’s documented remedy is to install the legacy components as a package.
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