Method 1: Copying the Dnsapi.dll Library to the Windows System Directory 

1. The file you downloaded is a compressed file with the extension ".zip". This file cannot be installed. To be able to install it, first you need to extract the dynamic link library from within it. So, first double-click the file with the ".zip" extension and open the file.
2. You will see the library named "Dnsapi.dll" in the window that opens. This is the library you need to install. Click on the dynamic link library with the left button of the mouse. By doing this, you select the library.

   

3. Click on the "Extract To" button, which is marked in the picture. In order to do this, you will need the Winrar program. If you don't have the program, it can be found doing a quick search on the Internet and you can download it (The Winrar program is free).
4. After clicking the "Extract to" button, a window where you can choose the location you want will open. Choose the "Desktop" location in this window and extract the dynamic link library to the desktop by clicking the "Ok" button.

   

5. Copy the "Dnsapi.dll" library file you extracted.
6. Paste the dynamic link library you copied into the "C:\Windows\System32" directory.

   

7. If your system is 64 Bit, copy the "Dnsapi.dll" library and paste it into "C:\Windows\sysWOW64" directory.

   NOTE! On 64 Bit systems, you must copy the dynamic link library to both the "sysWOW64" and "System32" directories. In other words, both directories need the "Dnsapi.dll" library.

   

8. In order to complete this step, you must run the Command Prompt as administrator. In order to do this, all you have to do is follow the steps below.

   NOTE! We ran the Command Prompt using Windows 10. If you are using Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, you can use the same method to run the Command Prompt as administrator.

   1. Open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" on your keyboard. This process will enable you to run a search through the Start Menu. We also typed in "cmd" to bring up the Command Prompt.
   2. Right-click the "Command Prompt" search result that comes up and click the Run as administrator" option.

   

9. Paste the command below into the Command Line that will open up and hit Enter. This command will delete the damaged registry of the Dnsapi.dll library (It will not delete the file we pasted into the System32 directory; it will delete the registry in Regedit. The file we pasted into the System32 directory will not be damaged).

   %windir%\System32\regsvr32.exe /u Dnsapi.dll

   

10. If you are using a 64 Bit operating system, after doing the commands above, you also need to run the command below. With this command, we will also delete the Dnsapi.dll library's damaged registry for 64 Bit (The deleting process will be only for the registries in Regedit. In other words, the dll file you pasted into the SysWoW64 folder will not be damaged at all).

    %windir%\SysWoW64\regsvr32.exe /u Dnsapi.dll

    

11. You must create a new registry for the dynamic link library that you deleted from the registry editor. In order to do this, copy the command below and paste it into the Command Line and hit Enter.

    %windir%\System32\regsvr32.exe /i Dnsapi.dll

    

12. If the Windows version you use has 64 Bit architecture, after running the command above, you must run the command below. With this command, you will create a clean registry for the problematic registry of the Dnsapi.dll library that we deleted.

    %windir%\SysWoW64\regsvr32.exe /i Dnsapi.dll

    

13. If you did the processes in full, the installation should have finished successfully. If you received an error from the command line, you don't need to be anxious. Even if the Dnsapi.dll library was installed successfully, you can still receive error messages like these due to some incompatibilities. In order to test whether your dll issue was fixed or not, try running the program giving the error message again. If the error is continuing, try the 2nd Method to fix this issue.

Method 2: Copying the Dnsapi.dll Library to the Program Installation Directory 

1. First, you must find the installation directory of the program (the program giving the dll error) you are going to install the dynamic link library to. In order to find this directory, "Right-Click > Properties" on the program's shortcut.

   

2. Open the program installation directory by clicking the Open File Location button in the "Properties" window that comes up.

   

3. Copy the Dnsapi.dll library into this directory that opens.

   

4. This is all there is to the process. Now, try to run the program again. If the problem still is not solved, you can try the 3rd Method.

Method 3: Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Program that Gives You the Dnsapi.dll Error 

1. Open the Run tool by pushing the "Windows" + "R" keys found on your keyboard. Type the command below into the "Open" field of the Run window that opens up and press Enter. This command will open the "Programs and Features" tool.

   appwiz.cpl

   

2. The programs listed in the Programs and Features window that opens up are the programs installed on your computer. Find the program that gives you the dll error and run the "Right-Click > Uninstall" command on this program.

   

3. Following the instructions that come up, uninstall the program from your computer and restart your computer.

   

4. After restarting your computer, reinstall the program that was giving the error.
5. You may be able to fix the dll error you are experiencing by using this method. If the error messages are continuing despite all these processes, we may have a issue deriving from Windows. To fix dll errors deriving from Windows, you need to complete the 4th Method and the 5th Method in the list.

Method 4: Fixing the Dnsapi.dll Error using the Windows System File Checker (sfc /scannow) 

1. In order to complete this step, you must run the Command Prompt as administrator. In order to do this, all you have to do is follow the steps below.

   NOTE! We ran the Command Prompt using Windows 10. If you are using Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, you can use the same method to run the Command Prompt as administrator.

   1. Open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" on your keyboard. This process will enable you to run a search through the Start Menu. We also typed in "cmd" to bring up the Command Prompt.
   2. Right-click the "Command Prompt" search result that comes up and click the Run as administrator" option.

   

2. Paste the command in the line below into the Command Line that opens up and press Enter key.

   sfc /scannow

   

3. The scan and repair process can take some time depending on your hardware and amount of system errors. Wait for the process to complete. After the repair process finishes, try running the program that is giving you're the error.

Method 5: Getting Rid of Dnsapi.dll Errors by Updating the Windows Operating System 

Most of the time, programs have been programmed to use the most recent dynamic link libraries. If your operating system is not updated, these files cannot be provided and dll errors appear. So, we will try to fix the dll errors by updating the operating system.

Since the methods to update Windows versions are different from each other, we found it appropriate to prepare a separate article for each Windows version. You can get our update article that relates to your operating system version by using the links below.

Guides to Manually Update for All Windows Versions 

1. Guide to Manually Update Windows 10
2. Guide to Manually Update Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
3. Guide to Manually Update Windows 7 and Windows Vista
4. Guide to Manually Update Windows XP