ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found

For Windows 10 x64 and Python:

Open a Visual Studio x64 command prompt, and use dumpbin:

dumpbin /dependents [Python Module DLL or PYD file]

If you do not have Visual Studio installed, it is possible to download dumpbin elsewhere, or use another utility such as Dependency Walker.

Note that all other answers (to date) are simply random stabs in the dark, whereas this method is closer to a sniper rifle with night vision.

Case study 1

1. I switched on Address Sanitizer for a Python module that I wrote using C++ using MSVC and CMake.

2. It was giving this error: ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found

3. Opened a Visual Studio x64 command prompt.

4. Under Windows, a .pyd file is a .dll file in disguise, so we want to run dumpbin on this file.

5. cd MyLibrary\build\lib.win-amd64-3.7\Debug

6. dumpbin /dependents MyLibrary.cp37-win_amd64.pyd which prints this:

   Microsoft (R) COFF/PE Dumper Version 14.27.29112.0
   Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
   
   
   Dump of file MyLibrary.cp37-win_amd64.pyd
   
   File Type: DLL
   
     Image has the following dependencies:
   
       clang_rt.asan_dbg_dynamic-x86_64.dll
       gtestd.dll
       tbb_debug.dll
       python37.dll
       KERNEL32.dll
       MSVCP140D.dll
       VCOMP140D.DLL
       VCRUNTIME140D.dll
       VCRUNTIME140_1D.dll
       ucrtbased.dll
   
     Summary
   
        1000 .00cfg
       D6000 .data
        7000 .idata
       46000 .pdata
      341000 .rdata
       23000 .reloc
        1000 .rsrc
      856000 .text
   

7. Searched for clang_rt.asan_dbg_dynamic-x86_64.dll, copied it into the same directory, problem solved.

8. Alternatively, could update the environment variable PATH to point to the directory with the missing .dll.

Please feel free to add your own case studies here! I've made it a community wiki answer.

I had the same issue with importing matplotlib.pylab with Python 3.5.1 on Win 64. Installing the Visual C++ Redistributable für Visual Studio 2015 from this links: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145 fixed the missing DLLs.

I find it better and easier than downloading and pasting DLLs.

(I found this answer from a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmvRF7koJ5E)

1. Download msvcp71.dll and msvcr71.dll from the web.

2. Save them to your C:\Windows\System32 folder.

3. Save them to your C:\Windows\SysWOW64 folder as well (if you have a 64-bit operating system).

Now try running your code file in Python and it will load the graph in couple of seconds.