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jasminet88
Inspiring
May 21, 2026
Question

Error code 0xc0000142 when launching Illustrator on Windows

  • May 21, 2026
  • 5 replies
  • 841 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:

 

    5 replies

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

    Hello everyone,

    Our team is currently investigating the issue. We will update this thread as soon as we have more information. Thank you for your patience.

    Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

    Anubhav

    JamesA-FAB
    Inspiring
    August 19, 2026

    I’d like to add to ​@donaldb80805333 request.  I have proof that the update of Illustrator in InDesign is immediately replacing DLLs installed by Visual C++ V14.  The files are located in the shared OS folders and should NOT be touched by guest applications.  If you require specific versions of those DLLs, then you should be installing them in your own Adobe folders.  Instead your are installing them into folders such as C:\Windows\System32.  The version of the DLLs you are installing are from 2018.  These aren’t “corrupted” files, your installer is creating the issue by adding old files causing a version mismatch.  You’re breaking the software you require to run.  We have 7 users of your Creative Cloud license, and this started on all the systems earlier this year.  You changed something with your installer.

    Are you working on fixing this issue?  Due to security policies, our users do not have full admin privileges to their systems, so they are unable to fix this issue themselves.  

      donaldb80805333
      donaldb80805333
      Participant
      August 19, 2026

      This was very cathartic and validating. Thank you.

      donaldb80805333
      donaldb80805333
      Participant
      July 21, 2026

      Is there any interest on adobe’s part for an actual long term solution for this? manually delteting and uninstalling obscure files is not a normal workflow to simply open a program.

      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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