Method 1: Fixing the DLL Error by Copying the Ref_gl.dll Library to the Windows System Directory 

1. The file you will download is a compressed file with the ".zip" extension. You cannot directly install the ".zip" file. Because of this, first, double-click this file and open the file. You will see the library named "Ref_gl.dll" in the window that opens. Drag this library to the desktop with the left mouse button. This is the library you need.

   

2. Copy the "Ref_gl.dll" library and paste it into the "C:\Windows\System32" directory.

   

3. If your operating system has a 64 Bit architecture, copy the "Ref_gl.dll" library and paste it also into the "C:\Windows\sysWOW64" directory.

   NOTE! On 64 Bit systems, the dynamic link library must be in both the "sysWOW64" directory as well as the "System32" directory. In other words, you must copy the "Ref_gl.dll" library into both directories.

   

4. 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.

   

5. Paste the command below into the Command Line window that opens and hit the Enter key on your keyboard. This command will delete the Ref_gl.dll library's damaged registry (It will not delete the file you pasted into the System32 directory, but will delete the registry in Regedit. The file you pasted in the System32 directory will not be damaged in any way).

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

   

6. 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 Ref_gl.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 Ref_gl.dll

   

7. We need to make a new registry for the dynamic link library in place of the one we deleted from the Windows Registry Editor. In order to do this process, copy the command below and after pasting it in the Command Line, press Enter.

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

   

8. 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 Ref_gl.dll library that we deleted.

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

   

9. 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 Ref_gl.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 Ref_gl.dll Library Into The Program Installation Directory 

1. First, you need to find the installation directory for the program you are receiving the "Ref_gl.dll not found", "Ref_gl.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 Ref_gl.dll library into the directory we opened.

   

4. The installation is complete. Run the program that is giving you the error. If the error is continuing, you may benefit from trying the 3rd Method as an alternative.

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

1. Push the "Windows" + "R" keys at the same time to open the Run window. Type the command below into the Run window that opens up and hit Enter. This process will open the "Programs and Features" window.

   appwiz.cpl

   

2. On the Programs and Features screen that will come up, you will see the list of programs on your computer. Find the program that gives you the dll error and with your mouse right-click it. The right-click menu will open. Click the "Uninstall" option in this menu to start the uninstall process.

   

3. You will see a "Do you want to uninstall this program?" confirmation window. Confirm the process and wait for the program to be completely uninstalled. The uninstall process can take some time. This time will change according to your computer's performance and the size of the program. After the program is uninstalled, restart your computer.

   

4. After restarting your computer, reinstall the program that was giving the error.
5. You can fix the error you are expericing with this method. If the dll error is continuing in spite of the solution methods you are using, the source of the problem is the Windows operating system. In order to fix dll errors in Windows you will need to complete the 4th Method and the 5th Method in the list.

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

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. After typing the command below into the Command Line, push Enter.

   sfc /scannow

   

3. Depending on your computer's performance and the amount of errors on your system, this process can take some time. You can see the progress on the Command Line. Wait for this process to end. After the scan and repair processes are finished, try running the program giving you errors again.

Method 5: Fixing the Ref_gl.dll Error by Manually Updating Windows 

Some programs need updated dynamic link libraries. When your operating system is not updated, it cannot fulfill this need. In some situations, updating your operating system can solve the dll errors you are experiencing.

In order to check the update status of your operating system and, if available, to install the latest update packs, we need to begin this process manually.

Depending on which Windows version you use, manual update processes are different. Because of this, we have prepared a special article for each Windows version. You can get our articles relating to the manual update of the Windows version you use from 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