Method 1: Installing the Kernel.dll Library to the Windows System Directory 

1. The file you are going to download is a compressed file with the ".zip" extension. You cannot directly install the ".zip" file. First, you need to extract the dynamic link library from inside it. So, double-click the file with the ".zip" extension that you downloaded and open the file.
2. You will see the library named "Kernel.dll" in the window that opens up. This is the library we are going to install. Click the library once with the left mouse button. By doing this you will have chosen the library.

   

3. Click the "Extract To" symbol marked in the picture. To extract the dynamic link library, it will want you to choose the desired location. Choose the "Desktop" location and click "OK" to extract the library to the desktop. In order to do this, you need to use the Winrar program. If you do not have this program, you can find and download it through a quick search on the Internet.

   

4. Copy the "Kernel.dll" library you extracted and paste it into the "C:\Windows\System32" directory.

   

5. If your system is 64 Bit, copy the "Kernel.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 "Kernel.dll" library.

   

6. In order to run the Command Line as an administrator, complete the following steps.

   NOTE! In this explanation, we ran the Command Line on Windows 10. If you are using one of the Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, you can use the same methods to run the Command Line as an administrator. Even though the pictures are taken from Windows 10, the processes are similar.

   1. First, open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" but do not press Enter.
   2. When you see the "Command Line" option among the search results, hit the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "ENTER" keys on your keyboard.
   3. A window will pop up asking, "Do you want to run this process?". Confirm it by clicking to "Yes" button.

   

7. Paste the command below into the Command Line that will open up and hit Enter. This command will delete the damaged registry of the Kernel.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 Kernel.dll

   

8. If you have a 64 Bit operating system, after running the command above, you must run the command below. This command will clean the Kernel.dll library's damaged registry in 64 Bit as well (The cleaning process will be in the registries in the Registry Editor< only. In other words, the dll file you paste into the SysWoW64 folder will stay as it).

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

   

9. We need to make a clean registry for the dll library's registry that we deleted from Regedit (Windows Registry Editor). In order to accomplish this, copy and paste the command below into the Command Line and press Enter key.

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

   

10. 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 Kernel.dll library that we deleted.

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

    

11. If you did all the processes correctly, the missing dll file will have been installed. You may have made some mistakes when running the Command Line processes. Generally, these errors will not prevent the Kernel.dll library from being installed. In other words, the installation will be completed, but it may give an error due to some incompatibility issues. You can try running the program that was giving you this dll file error after restarting your computer. If you are still getting the dll file error when running the program, please try the 2nd method.

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

1. First, you need to find the installation directory for the program you are receiving the "Kernel.dll not found", "Kernel.dll is missing" or other similar dll errors. In order to do this, right-click on the shortcut for the program and click the Properties option from the options that come up.

   

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

   

3. Copy the Kernel.dll library.
4. Paste the dynamic link library you copied into the program's installation directory that we just opened.

   

5. When the dynamic link library is moved to the program installation directory, it means that the process is completed. Check to see if the issue was fixed by running the program giving the error message again. If you are still receiving the error message, you can complete the 3rd Method as an alternative.

Method 3: Doing a Clean Install of the program That Is Giving the Kernel.dll Error 

1. Press the "Windows" + "R" keys at the same time to open the Run tool. Paste the command below into the text field titled "Open" in the Run window that opens and press the Enter key on your keyboard. This command will open the "Programs and Features" tool.

   appwiz.cpl

   

2. The Programs and Features screen will come up. You can see all the programs installed on your computer in the list on this screen. Find the program giving you the dll error in the list and right-click it. Click the "Uninstall" item in the right-click menu that appears and begin the uninstall process.

   

3. A window will open up asking whether to confirm or deny the uninstall process for the program. Confirm the process and wait for the uninstall process to finish. Restart your computer after the program has been uninstalled from your computer.

   

4. After restarting your computer, reinstall the program that was giving the error.
5. This method may provide the solution to the dll error you're experiencing. If the dll error is continuing, the problem is most likely deriving from the Windows operating system. In order to fix dll errors deriving from the Windows operating system, complete the 4th Method and the 5th Method.

Method 4: Fixing the Kernel.dll error with the Windows System File Checker 

1. In order to run the Command Line as an administrator, complete the following steps.

   NOTE! In this explanation, we ran the Command Line on Windows 10. If you are using one of the Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, you can use the same methods to run the Command Line as an administrator. Even though the pictures are taken from Windows 10, the processes are similar.

   1. First, open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" but do not press Enter.
   2. When you see the "Command Line" option among the search results, hit the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "ENTER" keys on your keyboard.
   3. A window will pop up asking, "Do you want to run this process?". Confirm it by clicking to "Yes" button.

   

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 Kernel.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.

Explanations on Updating Windows Manually 

1. Explanation on Updating Windows 10 Manually
2. Explanation on Updating Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Manually
3. Explanation on Updating Windows 7 and Windows Vista Manually
4. Explanation on Updating Windows XP Manually