How to Fix Application Error 0xc0000142 in Windows 11/10

The error “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)” can happen for many different reasons. These problems can be caused by files that are broken or missing, as well as by bugs in the application itself. Also, many times the problem is caused by a software conflict. This mistake is easy to fix, though. Error 0xc0000142 means that Windows 11 has trouble opening some programmes.  Even though this error might come as a surprise to many Windows 11 users, similar problems have happened in earlier versions of Windows as well.

This is because of the same cause: most of the time, something is wrong or missing. dll files. The purpose of these files is to hold instructions that other programmes can use to do certain things. If there is no such file that is working right, the programme won’t know how to open itself and do what it needs to do.  Because of this, users see a message that says “The application could not start correctly” (0xc0000142). Click OK to end the programme.”

Problems like 0xc0000142 can sometimes be caused by software that doesn’t work well together and causes a conflict. Errors are common in Windows, and error 0xc0000142 is one that happens often when you try to open a programme or game. Visual C++ Redistributable Packages are needed by a number of multiplayer games and programmes, and missing.dll files cause these kinds of system errors. You might see a different message on the screen, but all you need to figure out what’s wrong is the error code 0xc0000142. We mentioned below are the ways to Fix Application Error 0xc0000142 in Windows 11/10.

Ways to Fix Application Error 0xc0000142 in Windows 11/10

Install the Latest Windows Updates

The old version of Windows has some bugs, so the developers regularly release updates to fix those bugs. So, you can also try to get Windows up to the most recent version.

1. Press Win+I keys to open “Windows Settings“.
2. Press “Update and Security” > “Windows Update” > “Check for Updates“.

Perform a Clean Boot

Doing a clean boot will help you get rid of application unable to start correctly 0xc0000142 and stop third-party apps from messing with your computer. To do so:

1. Press Win + R to display the “Run” dialog box.
2. Type “msconfig” and press Enter to launch “System Configuration“.
3. On the “Services” tab, check “Hide all Microsoft services” and click “Disable all“.
4. In the “Startup” tab, click “Open Task Manager” in blue.
5. In the Startup section of the Task Manager, disable all enabled startup programs.
6. Click OK and restart your computer.

Run the Program in Compatibility Mode

Maybe the app doesn’t work with your version of Windows, so you get the error message “The application was unable to start correctly.” To fix this problem, you can run the programme with administrative rights in compatibility mode.

1. Right-click on the program and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu.
2. On the Compatibility tab, under “Run this program in compatibility mode,” check “Run this program as an administrator” and select Windows 7 or Windows 8 from the menu below.
3. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Uninstall & Reinstall the Application

If you still see “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)” in Windows 10, it’s likely that the software is out of date or that some apps files are missing. In this case, you can choose to either update the app or reinstall it.

1. Open the selection menu with Win+X and select “Task Manager“.
2. In the “Processes” tab, right-click the offending app and select “End Task“.
3. After successfully terminating the program, go to “Settings” > “Apps” > “Apps and Features” and find the app in question in the list of apps.
4. Hit it, click “Uninstall,” and follow the on-screen prompts to remove the app from your system.
5. Reinstall the app and check to see if the error code 0xc0000142 is gone.

Scan Viruses or Malware

Make sure that your operating system doesn’t have any viruses or other bad software. Here’s how to use Windows Defender to look for viruses or other bad software.

1. Press Win + I keys to open Windows Settings.
2. Go to “Update and Security” -> “Windows Security” -> “Virus and Threat Protection“.
3. Press “Scan Options” -> “Full Scan” -> “Scan Now” to start scanning.

Check the Registry

1. Press Win + R, type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the following path
   1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent VersionWindows
3. Locate LoadAppInit_DLLs and double-click it to change its value to 0.
4. Press OK to save the changes and restart the desktop computer.

Run SFC

1. Use Win + S to call up the search bar, type cmd and look for “Command Prompt“.
2. Right click on it and select “Run as Administrator“.
3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter to start the scanning process.
4. When the process is complete, restart the computer or laptop.

Causes of Application Error 0xc0000142:

Application Error 0xc0000142 is caused by a problem with the programme you’re trying to use or a problem with how the programme is put together. Many people say that they see this error when they try to run “cmd.exe,” which is your computer’s DOS emulator. Even though this error doesn’t tell you what’s wrong with the system or application, there is a standard way to fix it.

Most of the time, the Application Error 0xc0000142 is caused by corrupt or broken files that the different programmes you use need to run. Your computer needs these files to work, and if they are damaged in any way, they will make your computer very unreliable and cause errors like 0xc0000142.

Final Words

Well, a lot of Windows users see this kind of error message every time they try to open an app on their computer. The error code 0xc0000142 usually shows up when you try to start a online game, but it can also show up on Autodesk and Microsoft Office, among other programmes. You might see “Application Unable to Start Correctly 0xC0000142” because of a number of things. The main reason is that a programme on your system needs an application file that isn’t there.

There are also other reasons, such as bad system settings and missing files. This application error code can also be caused by dll files on Windows 10. Some programmes, like Microsoft Office, may need to be reinstalled from time to time. We hope our article on “How to Fix Application Error 0xc0000142 in Windows 11/10” will surely help you to do so. You can also go to the official Microsoft support site for more information about this error.