Hey everyone, I've been going through my Windows 10 system to clear some space and I stumbled upon a bunch of Visual C++ Redistributables. There are eleven of them, and most are dated before 2015, with quite a few duplicates. I can't help but wonder if there's a good reason for having all these installed. Do I really need all of them, or is it safe to remove some?
3 Answers
So here's the deal: the Visual C++ Redistributables are huge libraries of code that programs can use, and most applications only need a small piece of them to function. When you install a program, it often pulls the necessary components from these libraries. Some games, especially from Steam, will reinstall the redistributable if they detect it's missing, so you can usually remove them. Just be careful with other software since not all programs can repair missing files automatically.
Exactly! Some older software is really picky about what versions it needs, so it's best to err on the side of caution.
They're basically application libraries that simplify software development. Instead of bundling the entire library with each application (which would bloat them), developers rely on these shared libraries installed on your system. Since new versions of Visual Studio come out every few years, that's why you see multiple versions. They’re safe and probably necessary for your apps to run smoothly.
Those Visual C++ Redistributables are essential programming libraries that many applications on your PC rely on. They help different programs communicate with the underlying system and are usually safe to keep. Removing them might not significantly affect performance, but you'd want to be cautious about any program that might use them.
Yeah, totally agree! It's a good idea to check which apps you use before removing anything, especially non-game software. You might end up needing those libraries for other applications.