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jasminet88
Inspiring
May 21, 2026
Question

Error code 0xc0000142 when launching Illustrator on Windows

  • May 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 14 views

I have experienced this error (0xc0000142) when attempting to open InDesign and illustrator several times over the course of a few months now. There is a fix that I found through the Adobe forums that involves repairing the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable program files and it works temporarily, but after a few weeks the problem reappears. I have tried installing several versions of both programs to see if it is just affecting a specific version, but it does not appear to make a difference.

Any help toward a permanent fix is appreciated, as I require authorization from my company’s tech support department in order to perform the fix every time this problem occurs and it is interfering with my job. Thank you

 

below is the fix I have had to do if anyone is interested. again it works but only temporarily for me:

 

    1 reply

    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 21, 2026

    Hi @jasminet88,


    Sorry to hear about the trouble launching Illustrator — this is often caused by a corrupted or outdated Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable installation. Here's a clean reinstall that should help:

    1. Close all Adobe apps to avoid file locks during the process.

    2. Open Windows Settings > Apps and uninstall all Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages currently installed.

    3. Download and install the latest supported version directly from Microsoft: https://adobe.ly/3Rq73W6

    4. Restart your system, then relaunch Illustrator.


    Let us know how it goes. If this resolves the issue, please mark it as the correct answer so others facing the same problem can find it quickly.

    Anubhav

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