On Windows, one of selenium-wire's compiled dependencies needs the Visual C++ Redistributable runtime and it is not on the machine. Download the latest x86 AND x64 redistributables from Microsoft, install both, then re-run. This is a system prerequisite, not a Python package problem, so no pip command fixes it.

## The error

```text
ImportError: You need to install Visual C++ Redist
```

## Fix it

1. **Install the Visual C++ Redistributables (both architectures)**

Download from the official Microsoft support page for the latest Visual C++ downloads and install the x86 and the x64 redistributables.
Expected: both installers complete successfully. A reboot is sometimes needed before the DLLs register.

2. **Re-run your script**

```
python -c "from seleniumwire import webdriver; print('ok')"
```
Expected: prints `ok` with no ImportError.

3. **If it persists, refresh the environment**

Delete and recreate the virtualenv (the issue thread notes stale env folders keep the failure), then reinstall requirements.
Expected: the import works in the clean env once the redist is present.

## When this applies

- the ImportError literally tells you to install Visual C++ Redist
- you are on Windows running an app that bundles selenium-wire (e.g. TwitchDropsMiner)
- a fresh Windows machine or a new user account

## When it does NOT apply

- macOS/Linux never produce this error
- `No module named 'seleniumwire'` is the missing install
- `DLL load failed` without this message is a different binary problem

## Compatibility

Windows-only. The compiled dependency needing the CRT ships with selenium-wire's dependency tree on Windows.

## Variant phrasings

### `ImportError: You need to install Visual C++ Redist (x86 and x64): [url]`

The full message with the Microsoft download link. Same fix: install both architectures.

## Why it happens

Some of selenium-wire's Windows dependencies ship compiled extension modules linked against the Visual C++ runtime. That runtime is not part of Windows itself; most dev machines have it incidentally (installed by other software), but clean machines do not, so the import fails with this explicit message instead of a cryptic DLL error.

## Edge cases

- Install BOTH x86 and x64. Installing only the one matching your OS is the most common reason the fix appears not to work.
- Portable/no-install Python distributions do not register the CRT for you. The redist install is still required.
- If corporate policy blocks the installer, you cannot work around this from pip. It needs admin or the IT-packaged redist.