[Solved] Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found

Sometimes we face the Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error which occurs because of the incompatibilities of the Microsoft Visual C++ studio version. There can be many methods to solve the issue. For example, we can fix the error by reinstalling the Microsoft visual c++ distribution or manually adding the DLL files. In this short article, we will learn various methods to solve Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error with examples. Moreover, we will also discuss how we can understand errors in Python.

Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found – Solutions

The Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error because of the incompatibilities of Microsoft Visual C++ studio. In this section, we will explore some basic methods to solve the Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error and in the next section, we will understand the error:

Section-1: Reinstalling the Mircosoft Visual C++ studio

One of the simplest methods to get rid of the error is to reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ on your system.

You can install different version( 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). Most of the time, reinstalling the Mircosoft Visual will solve the issue:

First, uninstall the version on your system and then follow the following steps to install it again:

For Windows:

You can install Microsoft Visual C++ on your system using the following steps:

1. Go to the official page of the Visual C++ packages
2. Click on the Download button
3. In most cases, you should install both the x64 (64-bit) and the x86 (32-bit) versions. If you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows, then you only need to install the x86 version.
4. Now, open the downloaded files and follow the instruction
5. when the installation is complete the installed version.

For Linux:

If you are using Linux you can install it using the following commands:

First update the system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing the packages:

sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget -y

Now import the repository on your system.

wget -O- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/vscode.gpg

This will validate the originality of the packages installed. Now let’s move towards including the Microsoft Visual Source repository.

echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/vscode.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list

Now the installation is complete, you can upgrade the system again to use the Mircosoft Visual C++.

sudo apt update

In the next step, install the editor using the following commands:

sudo apt install code

Now you can run the following commands to run the application:

# first command
code

# or you can use this one as well
code &

Now the application is installed and hopefully, you will get rid of Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error.

Solution-2: Configure the Environmental variable

If reinstalling couldn’t help to solve the issue, then you need to configure the environmental variable. Sometimes, the environmental variable changes without any reason. In such a case, we have to configure it again.

Here are the steps to configure the environmental variable:

1. Identify which Python distribution you are using (e.g. Anaconda)
2. Right-click on my computer, and choose properties
3. Click on the advanced system setting
4. Go to environmental variables
5. Click on the path under the user variable box of the system box
6. Click on the edit button
7. Click on add new button and add the following 3 variables:

X:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
X:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts
X:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Library\bin

Hopefully, this will remove the error:

Understanding the Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error

In Python mostly errors have two main parts which help us to figure out and solve the errors. The first part of the error shows the category of the error which in our case is the ImportError which means there was an error while importing the module or any other file.

The second part of the error gives more specific information about the error which in this case says it fails to load the DLL. Now, based on this information, we can easily figure out and solve the problem.

Reasons for getting Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error

The error message “ImportError: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found” typically indicates that there is a problem with importing a dynamic link library (DLL) in Python. Here are some possible reasons why you might encounter this error:

1. The DLL file is missing or corrupted: Check if the DLL file is in the correct directory and if it is not corrupted. You might also want to try reinstalling the DLL file.
2. The DLL file is incompatible with your Python version: Make sure that the DLL file you are trying to import is compatible with the version of Python you are using. If the DLL file is not compatible, you might need to find a different version or update your Python installation.
3. The DLL file requires other dependencies: Some DLL files require other dependencies or libraries to be installed on your system. Make sure that all the required dependencies are installed.
4. The DLL file is not on the system PATH: If the DLL file is not on the system PATH, Python may not be able to find it. You can add the directory containing the DLL file to the system PATH or specify the full path to the DLL file in your Python code.
5. There is a conflict with other DLL files: Sometimes, conflicts can arise when multiple DLL files are loaded. In this case, you might need to check if there are any conflicts with other DLL files and resolve them.
6. There are permission issues: If you are running Python with limited privileges, you might not have permission to access the DLL file. Make sure that you have the required permissions to access the DLL file.
7. There is an issue with your Python installation: In some cases, the error may be caused by an issue with your Python installation. Try reinstalling Python or using a different version to see if that resolves the issue.

Why we are getting ImportError in Python?

This error generally occurs when a class cannot be imported due to one of the following reasons:

• The imported class is in a circular dependency.
• The imported class is unavailable or was not created.
• The imported class name is misspelled.
• The imported class from a module is misplaced.

The problem can be easily solved by importing the module correctly using the mentioned methods.

What are environmental variables in Python?

Environment variables, as the name suggests, are variables in your system that describe your environment. The most well-known environment variable is probably PATH which contains the paths to all folders that might contain executables.

What is Microsoft Visual C++?

Visual C++ is a code compiler for the C programming language family. That includes C, C++, and C++/CLI code. Many applications written in C, especially those created using the Microsoft Visual Studio development environment, rely on a standard set of software libraries, without which the software can’t run.

What does DLL import error mean in Python?

In most cases, the error occurs when you import a library. The cause of the error may be incorrect/incomplete installation or incompatibility of the library. In this case, you can try reinstalling the library to see whether the problem can be solved.

Summary

In this short article, we learn about Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found, and understand the error fully. Moreover, we discussed various methods to solve the Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found error on our system. Moreover, we also discussed how we can figure out and understand errors in Python taking Understanding the Importerror: DLL load failed: the specified procedure could not be found as an example.

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