Windows file
vulkan-1.dll: the genuine Vulkan loader, or a copy that does not belong on your PC?
vulkan-1.dll is the Vulkan Loader, the library that connects games and 3D programs to your graphics driver. It is safe and normal to find several copies: the graphics driver puts one in System32 and SysWOW64, Windows 11 24H2 and later have their own build, and Microsoft Edge keeps one per version. A copy in Temp, AppData or Downloads is the one to check.
Prefer to do it yourself? The manual steps follow.
vulkan-1.dll in C:\Windows\System32 and C:\Windows\SysWOW64 is the genuine Vulkan Loader, installed by the graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel and, on Windows 11 24H2 and later, also by Windows itself. The copies in Microsoft Edge and WebView2 version folders under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft are genuine Microsoft files too. Do not delete them: Vulkan games and Edge depend on them.
Programs look for vulkan-1.dll in their own folder before System32, so a file with this name next to an .exe runs inside that program. Games and emulators that ship their own loader do this openly. A copy in a folder with no program that needs Vulkan has no reason to be there. Check the folder, the signer and the hash.
- Description in the file
- Vulkan Loader
- What it is
- The loader of the Vulkan graphics interface, built from the Khronos Group's open source Vulkan-Loader project: it finds the Vulkan drivers and layers on the PC and passes each call on
- Who installs it
- The graphics driver (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), Windows 11 24H2 and later, Microsoft Edge and WebView2, and some games and emulators in their own folders
- Genuine folders
- C:\Windows\System32 (64-bit), C:\Windows\SysWOW64 (32-bit), the version folders of Edge and EdgeWebView under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft, and a program's own folder when that program ships it
- Not genuine by location
- Downloads, Temp, AppData, the Startup folder, or any folder with no game or 3D program in it
- Size of Windows' build
- Windows 11 24H2 and later, version 1.3.300.0: 1,416,664 bytes (64-bit) and 1,266,136 bytes (32-bit). Edge copies: about 0.8 to 1 MB
- Newest indexed build
- 1.3.300.0 for Windows 11 24H2, 25H2 and 26H1, delivered by KB5127648 on 13 October 2026
- Known Microsoft builds
- 47 builds in Winbindex, from Windows 11 and from Microsoft Edge and WebView2
- Is it a process
- No. It is a library loaded into Vulkan programs and into Edge, so it never appears on its own in Task Manager
What vulkan-1.dll does, and why a PC has several copies
Vulkan is a graphics and compute interface, used by many games, emulators and 3D programs as an alternative to DirectX. vulkan-1.dll is its loader. A program asks the loader for Vulkan; the loader reads the list of Vulkan drivers that the graphics driver registered, adds any registered layers, such as overlays and debugging tools, and passes every call to the right driver. The loader draws nothing itself.
Because Vulkan is not a Windows invention, the loader traditionally arrives with the graphics driver: the NVIDIA, AMD and Intel installers write the 64-bit loader to System32 and the 32-bit loader to SysWOW64. Winbindex, the index of the files in Windows releases and updates, also lists a Microsoft build of the loader for Windows 11 24H2 and later, version 1.3.300.0 in the newest updates.
Microsoft Edge and WebView2, the Edge engine other apps use to show web pages, carry their own copy in each of their version folders, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application followed by a version number. Edge uses it only for itself. So three or four copies on one PC are normal, and they can differ in version and size.
Some games and emulators also ship a vulkan-1.dll next to their .exe. Windows loads a DLL from the program's own folder before System32, so that copy is the one the program uses. The same rule is what makes the name attractive for planting a file: a library with this name next to a program that loads it runs inside that program, with your user account's rights.
About .dll files. A .dll file is a library: it cannot run on its own and is loaded into a program's process. It does not appear in Task Manager under its own name; Process Explorer shows which process loaded it.
How to tell a genuine vulkan-1.dll from one that does not belong
A DLL is not listed in Task Manager as a process, so use the folder, the file properties, PowerShell or Process Explorer.
- Where the file is. List every copy with the command below. System32, SysWOW64 and the Edge and EdgeWebView folders under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft are the expected places. A copy in a game or emulator folder is usually that program's own. A copy in Downloads, Temp, AppData or a folder with no program in it is the one to look at.
Get-ChildItem C:\ -Recurse -Filter vulkan-1.dll -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object FullName, Length, @{n='Description';e={$_.VersionInfo.FileDescription}}, @{n='Version';e={$_.VersionInfo.FileVersion}} - The Description field and the version. Right-click the file, Properties, Details. The genuine loader describes itself as Vulkan Loader, with a version such as 1.3.300.0. Edge copies may show only Vulkan as the version. A file that claims another description, or none, is not a Vulkan loader. These fields can be copied, so this check only rules files out.
- The digital signature. A genuine loader is signed by Microsoft, by your graphics chip maker, or by the publisher of the game that ships it. PowerShell shows the signer. Valid with one of those names is expected; NotSigned on a copy outside a program folder is a reason to scan.
Get-AuthenticodeSignature 'C:\path\to\vulkan-1.dll' | Format-List Status, SignatureType, SignerCertificate - What a program loads. Start the game or program, then open Process Explorer from Microsoft Sysinternals, choose Find > Find Handle or DLL, type vulkan-1.dll and press Search. The path column shows which copy each process really loaded. A process you do not recognise holding a copy from an unusual folder deserves a closer look.
- Compare the hash with Microsoft's builds. Use the checker on this page: it computes the SHA-256 in your browser and compares it with the known Microsoft builds from Windows and Edge. A match proves the file is Microsoft's. No match is expected for the loader your graphics driver installed, so weigh it together with the signer.
- Scan before you trust or delete. Run Microsoft Defender's full scan, and the offline scan if a detection keeps coming back. A detection on vulkan-1.dll in System32 is rare and worth checking with the hash first.
A match to a Microsoft build proves the file is Microsoft's. A file that does not match is not automatically harmful, because graphics driver makers and game publishers build their own loaders from the same open source project. What decides is the folder, the signer and whether a program you installed needs the file there.
Check your vulkan-1.dll
Choose the vulkan-1.dll you are unsure about. Its SHA-256 checksum is calculated in your browser and compared with the 59 Microsoft builds indexed from Windows releases and updates.
The file stays on your computer. Nothing is uploaded: the checksum is computed locally.
Warning signs and what they mean
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| vulkan-1.dll in Downloads, Temp, AppData or the Startup folder | No game or driver installs the loader there. A copy outside the Windows, Edge and program folders has no normal reason to exist. |
| A vulkan-1.dll that you downloaded from a DLL site to fix an error | You cannot tell which build it is or whether it was changed. Replace it by reinstalling the graphics driver, and scan the PC. |
| vulkan-1.dll next to a program that has nothing to do with graphics, such as a document viewer or an installer | A planted copy can make that program load foreign code at start. Find out what put it there before you run the program again. |
| The Description is not Vulkan Loader, or the file is unsigned but claims Microsoft Corporation | A file that borrows the name without being a loader. Leave it in quarantine or remove it, then scan. |
| A vulkan-1.dll in a game folder of a cracked or repackaged game | Repacks often replace or add DLLs. Compare the hash with the copy the original game ships, or with the checker on this page. |
| Microsoft Defender names vulkan-1.dll in System32 or SysWOW64 | Rare. Check the hash and the signer first, run the offline scan, and reinstall the graphics driver to put back a clean loader. |
Everyday problems with vulkan-1.dll
I found several vulkan-1.dll files and they all differ
That is normal. The graphics driver writes its own loader to System32 and SysWOW64, Windows 11 24H2 and later have a Microsoft build, Edge and WebView2 keep one per version folder, and games may bring their own. Each comes from a different publisher and release, so versions, sizes and hashes differ.
My security software flagged vulkan-1.dll
Look at the path first. A detection on the copy in System32, SysWOW64 or an Edge folder is unusual: check the hash and the signer and run the offline scan before you decide.
A detection on a copy in a game folder from an unofficial source, or in Temp or AppData, is a reason to leave the file in quarantine. Removing a game folder copy never harms Windows; at worst that one game asks for it again.
I want to be sure System32 has a clean copy
Reinstall the graphics driver from its maker, which writes its own loader again. On Windows 11 24H2 and later, also let Windows repair its own files, run as administrator one after the other:
sfc /scannowDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthvulkan-1.dll versions by Windows release
The newest build indexed for each release, and the update that delivered it. 47 Microsoft builds in total are known.
| Windows release | File version | Delivered by | Size, 64-bit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 26H1 | 1.3.300.0 | KB5127646, Oct 13, 2026 | 1,416,664 bytes |
| Windows 11 25H2 | 1.3.300.0 | original release | 1,384,944 bytes |
| Windows 11 24H2 | 1.3.300.0 | KB5127648, Oct 13, 2026 | 1,416,664 bytes |
Known versions of vulkan-1.dll
A public DLL catalogue lists 12 versions of vulkan-1.dll, from 1.0.21.1 to 1.1.126.0, by Unknown. Its copies are uploaded by users and not verified, so a checksum match identifies the version, while the digital signature tells you whether the file is genuine. Even a genuine file clears only the file, not the folder: attackers ship genuine libraries next to a program they abuse, so where the copy sits still decides whether it is safe.
Every version with its checksums, and how to fix vulkan-1.dll errors on uGetFix
Questions people ask
Is vulkan-1.dll a virus?
No. vulkan-1.dll is the Vulkan Loader, a graphics library installed by your graphics driver, by Windows 11 24H2 and later, and by Microsoft Edge and WebView2. Copies in System32, SysWOW64, the Edge folders and the folders of games that ship it are normal. A copy in Temp, AppData or Downloads, or next to a program with no graphics work, is the one to check with the steps on this page.
Why is vulkan-1.dll in Microsoft Edge's folder?
Edge and WebView2 are built on Chromium, which can use Vulkan for some of its graphics work, so Microsoft ships a loader with each Edge version. Winbindex lists these copies in the version folders of Edge and EdgeWebView under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft. They are genuine Microsoft files, and Edge replaces them itself when it updates; leave them alone.
Why does the checker not recognise the vulkan-1.dll in System32?
Because your graphics driver may have installed its own build there. NVIDIA, AMD and Intel compile the loader from the same open source project and sign it themselves, so its hash is not one of Microsoft's. Check the signer in PowerShell: Valid with your graphics chip maker or Microsoft is a genuine loader.
Can I delete vulkan-1.dll?
Not the copies in System32, SysWOW64 or the Edge folders: Vulkan games, emulators and Edge depend on them, and the graphics driver or Windows would put them back. A copy in Temp, AppData or Downloads can be removed after a scan. A copy in a game folder belongs to that game; removing it can stop the game from starting.
What can a planted vulkan-1.dll do?
Anything the program that loads it can do. Windows takes a DLL from the program's own folder first, so a foreign file with this name runs inside that program with your user account's rights. It can read and write your files, read browser data, open network connections and start other programs. That is why the folder and the signer matter more than the name.
How do I check if my vulkan-1.dll is genuine?
Check three things. The folder: System32, SysWOW64, the Edge folders or the folder of a game that ships it. The signer: Get-AuthenticodeSignature in PowerShell shows Microsoft, your graphics chip maker or the game's publisher. The hash: the checker on this page compares the SHA-256 with 47 known Microsoft builds. A file that fails all three is not a genuine loader.
Is it safe to download vulkan-1.dll from a DLL website?
It is not a good idea. You cannot tell which build you get or whether it was changed, and a single file does not give you the Vulkan driver it is supposed to talk to. The safe source is the graphics driver from your chip maker, which installs a signed loader together with the driver.
Sources
- Khronos Group: Vulkan-Loader, Architecture of the Vulkan Loader Interfaces
- Microsoft Learn: Dynamic-link library search order
- Microsoft Sysinternals: Process Explorer
- MITRE ATT&CK T1574.001: DLL Search Order Hijacking
- Winbindex, the Windows binaries index (m417z)
- Winbindex, the Windows binaries index (m417z)
Version data read on Oct 17, 2026.
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