0xC00007B errors are caused by Windows not having access to a required decline to run an application.
The error is indicative of either a system error, or some other problem with the files of Windows.
In regards Fortnite, and how the system may show the error when you attempt to load the game, the answer is to ensure that you have the required dependencies correctly installed – and accessible – on your system.
Whilst 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 ensure everything is working with the game.
Cause
As mentioned, the 0xC00007B error indicates that your system needs a particular file to run an application, but does not have it.
The error is not specific to Fortnite; it can show for a variety of applications, and is a Windows error.
It will typically show with the following message:
The application was unable to start correctly (0xC00007B). Click OK to close the application.
The largest issue with this error in particular is the lack of explanation of what actually lead it to show. Many other errors explain the file or setting which caused the exception, not this.
To solve the problem, you have to either pinpoint the problem, or work on a number of potential fixes in the hope that one will resolve it.
Solution
As mentioned, the error has a myriad of causes. However, to get the solution – you need to make sure you have the appropriate dependencies installed & accessible on your system.
In the case of Fortnite, the likes of DirectX, Unreal Engine, Visual C ++ and.NET are all required to ensure the game can actually run. Thus, the first port of call is to make sure they are correctly installed.
To do this, you need to follow these steps:
1. Change Fortnite Application Settings
The first step is quite simple – change its application settings to ensure that it can run correctly in Windows.
To do this, you need to be able to locate the "Binaries" for the game, which is archived with the following steps:
- Press "Windows" + "R" keys on your keyboard
- Type "explorer" into the box and press "OK"
- Browse to the following: C: Program Files Epic Games Fortnite FortniteGame Binaries Win64
- Right-click onto "FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe" and select "Properties"
- From the tabs at the top of the screen, select "Compatibility"
- At the bottom of the window, check "Disable fullscreen optimisations"
- Check "Run this program as administrator"
- Click "OK"
After doing this, try running the game again. If the error persists (which it likely will), you'll need to progress with the following steps.
2. "Verify" Fortnite
If the above does not work, you will need to "verify" the Fortnite installation.
To do this, you have to load up the Epic Games launcher application and run the verification process. If you can not open the launcher, you'll need to skip to the next step.
- Browse to C: Program Files Epic Games Fortnite FortniteGame (or where your Fortnite game is installed)
- Locate the Win64 Binaries folder + delete it
- Click onto your desktop> click on the "Epic Games Launcher" icon
- When the launcher loads, click onto the "Fortnite" tab
- On the "Launch" (green) button, select the cog
- From the list that appears, select "Verify"
- This will take some time, but will essentially re-install the Fortnite executables so that the game can function again
- After this process completes, restart your system and try the game again
The likelihood is that this will not allow the game to run properly again. The problem with the game likely comes from a damaged, faulty or incompatibility dependent on Windows.
3. Re-Install The Game
This is quite drastic, but if you have the patience to do it – should ensure that the issue is resolved.
To do it, you need to follow these steps:
- In Windows 7, click on "Start"> "Control Panel"> "Add / Remove Programs"
- In Windows 10, right-click on the "Start" button> select "Apps and Features"
- From the list, select "Fortnite" as well as the "Epic Games Launcher"
- Uninstall both
- After the uninstall process completes, restart your system
- Download a new version of Fortnite from the Epic Games website
- Install it fresh on your system
This should ensure that your computer is able to read the various files etc that the game requires (IE ensures that the error is not with the game itself, rather Windows).
4. Re-Install Visual C ++
The next step is to re-install the Visual C ++ redistributable packages which exist to help Windows run various applications.
VC ++ may be known to many people, but is actually quite an important tool for many different apps. Many require it to run – and it may be the case that some of its files are either corrupted, damaged or just not written correctly.
To ensure this is not the problem, you need to use the following steps to fix it:
- In Windows 7, click on "Start"> "Control Panel"> "Add / Remove Programs"
- In Windows 10, right-click "Start"> select "Apps and Features"
- After doing this, scroll to the "Visual C ++ Redistributable" section
- Make a note of every version installed on your system (including the "x86 / x64" architecture)
- Uninstall each of them
- Restart your PC
After the uninstallation process completes, and your system restarts, browse to the Internet and look up "Visual C ++ redistributable late downloads".
Click the top link that shows (it should be "Microsoft") and download the various VC ++ versions that you listed before removing them.
Once you've installed the various VC ++ libraries again, restart your PC and then try running the game. If the fix worked, the game should work.
5. Re-Install Unreal Engine
After re-installing VC ++, you will need to try with Unreal Engine.
Unreal Engine is the tool which powers the Fortnite game, and was developed by Epic Games.
In some cases, the engine may become corrupt or damaged, leading to errors like the one you're experiencing.
To resolve this, you can re-install the engine:
- Browse to "C: / Program Files / Unreal Engine"
- Click on "Uninst.exe"
- Follow the steps to uninstall the engine
- Once complete, go to the Internet and search for "Unreal Engine Download"
- Click the first link and save the executable to your system
- Run the executable files which are saved
- Try running Fortnite again – after installation completes
6. Use Dependency Walker
If you're still seeing the error, it's worth pointing out a tool which many people will not consider – Dependency Walker.
Dependency Walker shows which "dependencies" an application uses – and then which files it requires to run.
If your system does not have the appropriate file, it will show up as red inside this application.
If you're able to run this system properly, it should point out which files are missing from your system – allowing you to re-install the necessary packages to get it working again:
- Click onto your preferred search engine and look for " Dependency Walker download "
- You should find a page which highlights "depends.exe"
- From here, download the version compatible with your system
- Run it and select the Fortnite executable file (it's the "FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe" file from Step 1)
- Identify any of the files which may be missing
- If you find any files that it mentions, you will need to look online for which package they are a part of, and re-install said package
After doing this, you will need to test the game and if it * still * does not work, it generally means that you either have a problem with Windows itself – or some other library / package.
To resolve the issue at this point, it's strongly recommended you seek more specific support (more than what can be provided in an Internet article). To do this, you should look online at communities such as SuperUser or Microsoft Answers.
If this does not help, you'll probably want to look at getting the opinion of a technical specialist – which typically informs cost.