Missing DLL errors

opencl.dll

This file is not a system component: your graphics driver. Restore it from the source that installed it rather than downloading a replacement.

If the file is already there and Windows still complains, read the message again: “entry point not found” is a different problem from a missing file, and installing the runtime again will not solve it.

And if the box says RUNDLL rather than naming a program, the fix runs the other way: something left an instruction behind pointing at a file that is meant to be gone, so restoring the file is the wrong move.

Do not download this DLL on its own

Searching for a missing DLL by name leads to sites that hand you that single file. It is one of the oldest and most effective malware delivery methods there is, and a system DLL from an unknown source is indistinguishable from a deliberately modified one. There is never a legitimate reason to obtain a runtime component that way.

The same goes for the tools that offer to do it for you: what a DLL repair tool can and cannot actually fix.

What it is

The OpenCL runtime, which lets software run compute work on the graphics card. It is installed by the GPU driver rather than by Windows or any redistributable.

Where you see it: Video editors, rendering software and anything doing GPU-accelerated computation.

The fix is to reinstall or update the graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, whichever applies. On systems with both integrated and discrete graphics, installing the driver for the integrated GPU as well often resolves it. Downloading an OpenCL.dll achieves nothing, because the library has to match the driver that implements it.

Why there is nothing to download here

There is no verified download we can offer for this one, because installing a file is not the fix. The steps above are what actually resolves it. That distinction matters: the sites ranking for this file name are selling a download that would not have helped even if it were safe.

Other DLLs that downloading a DLL will not fix

More DLL errors we cover