Download DirectX All Versions [9, 10, 11, 12]

DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) developed by Microsoft for Windows for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming, and video. It is available for Microsoft platforms. Initially, DirectX was not included with Windows and you had to download it from the web and install it. Starting with the release of Windows 8 Developer Preview, DirectX SDK has been integrated into Windows SDK. So if you are using the latest version of Windows, Windows 11, then DirectX is already included with the release. So how to download DirectX?

DirectX and Windows Versions:

Here is the list of all DirectX releases and the Windows version supported.

• DirectX 2.0 – Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0
• DirectX 5.2 – Windows 98, Windows CE
• DirectX 6.1 – Windows 98 exclusive
• DirectX 7 – Windows 2000
• Direct 7.1 – Windows ME
• DirectX 8.1 (ver. 4.08) –> Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
• DirectX 9.0c –  Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows Server 2003 R2
• DirectX 10.1 – Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008
• DirectX 11 – Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2
• DirectX 11.1 – Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012
• DirectX 11.2 – Windows 8.1, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012 R2
• DirectX 11.3 and DirectX 12 –> Windows 10, Windows 11

How to Download DirectX

Starting with the release of Windows 8 Developer Preview, DirectX SDK has been integrated into Windows SDK. So in order to get the latest version of DirectX on your PC, you need to have the Windows updates enabled.

Windows 11, Windows 10 (DirectX 12)

DirectX 12 is not available as a standalone setup and you can get it directly from Microsoft Windows update. If you have enabled Windows updates on your PC, you will have automatic updates for DirectX as and when it is released by Microsoft. It is the same case for Windows 8  as well.

Windows 7 (DirectX 11)

If you are using Windows 7 and have not upgraded to the latest version, you can download the DirectX 11 update for Windows 7 from the link below.

Download DirectX 11

Windows Vista (DirectX 10)

As of now, there is no direct download link available for Windows Vista and DirectX. You might need to check with Microsoft support in case you need to download it.

Windows XP (DirectX 9)

If you are using the most popular version of Windows, Windows XP, you can download DirectX versions given below.

Download DirectX 9