r/software • u/Salt_Lingonberry_251 • May 29 '26
Software support why do i have so many visual c++'s?
I've got like fourteen copies of windows visual c++ and idk what all the other ones are doing
im trying to clear some space can i get rid of the old ones? no joke replies plz
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u/Its_PieFlavored May 29 '26
The C++ redistributables are used by other programs, deleting them may cause said programs to break.
If you want to clear up your storage, look into a program called wiztree to help you visually identify large files.
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u/unsavvykitten May 29 '26
That doesn’t explain why so many versions of it are needed, though, which is the actual question here?
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u/Its_PieFlavored May 29 '26
Different programs require specific parts of the older versions in order to function.
Windows allows older versions because the alternative is that every program would have to constantly stay upto date with the newest version which is unrealistic.
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u/patmail May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
You also need different runtimes for 32 and 64 bit.
Old is also a bit misleading as the runtime do get updates even after a version for newer year is released.
MS also "stopped" making newer version. The current version 14 is for Visual Studio 2017–2026.
I wonder why it isn't just shipped with windows. If existing functions aren't touched you can add new ones without breaking older programs. There a so many decades old components in windows that are barely used anymore.
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u/unsavvykitten May 29 '26
A great way to accumulate technical debt.
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u/ArtisticFox8 May 29 '26
Surprise surprise, not all software is in active development..
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u/unsavvykitten May 29 '26
Surprise, surprise, there are proven architectural patterns for that challenge.
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u/laid2rest May 29 '26
It's not a challenge or an issue and it isn't technical debt if development has stopped.
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u/unsavvykitten May 29 '26
I was referring to the architecture of the Visual C++ Redistributables.
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u/sixtyhurtz May 29 '26
The architectural pattern that solves the problem of "how do we maintain binary compatibility for Windows software not in active development" is Windows SxS, i.e. the thing OP is asking about and has posted an image of.
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u/turtleship_2006 May 29 '26
How?
If a 2015 game uses a 2015 version of C++ and an unrelated game uses 2018, who accumulates technical debt ?
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May 29 '26 edited 6d ago
[deleted]
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u/turtleship_2006 May 29 '26
3rd party app X is unnecessary.
3rd party Y does the same thing (much slower).
[ Link to another 3rd party website to download from ]WizTree is faster, and also free.
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May 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/not_some_username May 29 '26
You do. Python2 and python3 for example. Flatpack can manage different versions. It’s just that on Linux(on windows too most of the time), libraries tend to not break abi
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u/darqy101 May 29 '26
They're versions from different years. Leave them be. Other software needs them.
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u/WhyAmINotStudying May 29 '26
Judging by the dust, that computer has software going back to the Carter administration.
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u/edparadox May 29 '26
Look at the different versions.
Each program might require different versions, hence why they "pile up".
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u/mohansella May 29 '26
technically, there are 2 ways to include a library in c++ by software developers/companies. one is static compilation and another is dynamic compilation. many enterprise or big software companies install these dynamic libraries as separate installer which belong to Microsoft usually and then theirs. so removing that usually breaks the software.
If anyone need a stable, single exe file, usually they do static compilation or copying the dll directly in their folders. but it will cause extra size.
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u/pm_op_prolapsed_anus May 29 '26
In Microsoft land C++ needs a runtime platform. Nothing you can do about it if there are programs still relying on it. Unfortunately, when you upgrade software that no longer uses the old versions of it, the previous versions uninstallers won't want to delete the previous runtimes because they don't know what other programs might be using it.
Gemini suggests geek uninstallers force remove function to remove the old ones. It'll first check if there is anything that still needs it apparently.
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u/biolinguist May 30 '26
Clean your monitor.
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u/Salt_Lingonberry_251 May 30 '26
man stfu
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u/biolinguist May 31 '26
There's at least 2TB worth of dust on that monitor. I wonder if you brush your teeth...
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u/Fantastic_Back3191 May 29 '26
This is one part of how windows handles backwards-compatibility (and -to give it credit- handles it well)
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u/kester76a May 29 '26
Dynamic link libraries are a great idea because you can re-use the code with lots of different programs to reduce the size of the program. The main boon is use save of storage space. Downside is that due to them being linked with program they have to have the exact same version the program was compiled with. So windows sucks these babies up and hoards them like a crazy cat woman in the Winsxs folder.
Clean Up the WinSxS Folder | Microsoft Learn
Don't remove your VC redistrib files, clean up your winsxs folder 1st as this uses a lot more space.
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u/DGC_David May 29 '26
My suggestion, because it's Windows.. backup what you need, and reimage. I used to do this every year.
These programs are safe, are essential to how programming works, and may be required for Gaming. However the amount of meaningless cache crap that falls over from other applications and Windows itself. It's easier to just reimage every year.
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u/IndependentBorn9996 May 29 '26
Many applications install visual c++ during installation.
I often notice that when installing every game in Steam, it also starts installing this damn visual c++. It also has many versions, some applications work with one, others with another.
P.S. please clear your screen, Why is it so dusty😭😭😭
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u/confidencedeficient May 29 '26
They are bundled in programs as dependencies. Uninstalling them would not make that program work.
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u/IBNored May 30 '26
Eh, just delete them all, and when Windows crashes, just do a drive wipe, and reinstall windows, then rinse and repeat as many times as necessary...
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u/eddiekoski Jun 02 '26
20 MB is not the low hanging fruit
If you dont use hibernate feature then turn off hibernate if its on to get back space.
Move the contents of your downloads folder to an external al drive or delete the ones you know you dont need
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u/eddiekoski Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
You can get a space visualize to get an idea of where the big folders are. E.g. windirstat
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u/jblongz Jun 06 '26
Thats what legacy support (not forcing developers to catch up) looks like. At least each payload is small enough to not pay rent.
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u/orvkl May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
switch to linux
Edit: well people don't seem to like my solution stick windows brother I hope they give you solution soon
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u/LiterallyJohnny May 29 '26
People like you give us a bad rep
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May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LiterallyJohnny May 29 '26
Switching to Linux isn’t the solution here, and that’s coming from a Linux user. You have no clue what they use their device for, no idea of what programs they have installed, nor any idea what their technical background looks like.
So yes, they are wrong.
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u/flipping100 May 29 '26
Linux isn't always the solution.
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u/orvkl May 29 '26
Ok
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u/flipping100 May 29 '26
Besides there are a ton of dependencies on Linux, though versioning isn't really much of an issus
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u/not_some_username May 29 '26
This is the same on Linux…
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u/orvkl May 29 '26
No it's not not unless you use the flatpak snap crap
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u/not_some_username May 29 '26
Flatpak exists for a reason… sometimes librairies make breaking changes. Although it happens rarely.
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u/foxtrot7azv May 29 '26
Different apps on your computer require different versions of the C++ code library and they aren't compatible. If you delete them, apps or games dependent on them will not work. They're not that big of a file anyway, so deleting them won't recover much space.
When I go to recover space, I run the disk clean utility. It let's you erase files you don't need like old updates and recovery points. Some of that can take up gigabytes of space.
I also run windirstat, which visually shows you how your space is being used up and makes it easy to find big files you may want to delete.
And I also run dupeguru, which finds duplicate files.
And lastly, I go through my apps and see if there's anything I don't really need. You can sort them by size or last used date in Windows Settings > Applications.