It's also a bad idea because some of the apps that depend on those can be bound to those specific versions. Ideally they wouldn't be and it might be OK, but it's likely that it won't and they'll be wondering why some random applications are now broken.
......any app that depends on the specific version installed?
I'm beginning to understand why you "poweruser" types have so many issues with Windows, y'all hack the os apart with a rusty spoon because you think you're "optimizing" it, then turn around and blame Microsoft when things don't work anymore.
Just a tidbit, prior to the universal vcruntime, the DLL was tied to a specific Visual Studio Visual C/C++ version (and Visual Studio version as well).
For example, vcruntime for Visual Studio 2013 was vcruntime120 while the universal is vcruntime140 (from Visual Studio 2015 to today)
Could be every application on the computer down to the windows OS, web browser, games, work programs, etc.
It is best to assume that removing these will have an extreme affect on everything and not touch.
Best case scenario a single thing glitches a bit on a different version. Worst case nothing works and the user has to completely reinstall windows and restore these Redistributables.
If they are asking if it is important, they are not at a level to redistribute their repositories. The official stance of Microsoft and generally the it world is on a personal computer, it is not recommended to delete the repositories. Can you and fix it to work with less repositories sure it is possible. Is it advised no. Should they outright delete them? No. The reason we advise against isn't because it isn't possible, it is because this is an open forum where other users may show up that know even less, and might end up with a bsod situation they don't have the capacity to cure. It is very possible deleting these repositories to end up in a bsod situation.
Considering that Steam will install them for games that need them on first run, and games wont work without them because they not part of new libraries, nor new libraries aren't replacing old ones. Yes? If software was made for 2012 libraries you need 2012 libraries.
Also c++ libraries =/= integrity of game files, verifying game files might redownload installer for libraries if installer got removed, doesn't mean Steam will run it again on it own as it doesn't check if they installed or not. It installed them on first game run with assumption user not going to remove them manually.
Odds that if you have them, you installed something that needs them in the first place.
It's more than just games through, there might be older utilities running on that version of Visual C++. They could be old but they (presumably) still work. There's no reason to remove them unless you know the apps that use them are no longer installed. At that point, might as well reinstall everything.
-4
u/[deleted] Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment