Python on Windows: 'ImportError: DLL load failed while importing _ssl / numpy / torch: The specified module could not be found.' How do I fix missing DLLs?

Cause: a compiled Python extension (.pyd) depends on Windows DLLs that Windows can't find when it loads it. Common reasons: the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (the runtime that most C/C++ extensions are built against) isn't installed or is outdated; a 32-bit/64-bit mismatch between Python and the package; a package built for a different Python version; conflicting DLLs from another program earlier on PATH (Python 3.8+ no longer uses PATH to find extension DLL dependencies, which breaks some older packages); or a broken or partial install (antivirus quarantine, interrupted pip). Fix (best first): 1. Install the latest supported Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for your architecture (x64 for 64-bit Python) from Microsoft's download page, then restart the terminal. 2. Check the interpreter: python -c "import struct, sys; print(struct.calcsize('P')*8, sys.version)" shows 64- vs 32-bit and the version; install packages built for exactly that (pip will pick the right wheel if you use the same interpreter: python -m pip install --force-reinstall <package>). 3. Reinstall the failing package cleanly in a fresh virtual environment (python -m venv .venv), which rules out mixed or partial installs. 4. If a package needs extra native DLLs (some GPU, database or imaging libraries), install them as its docs say, or call os.add_dll_directory(path) before importing; since Python 3.8, adding folders to PATH alone is not enough. 5. Prefer the python.org installer or the Microsoft Store Python consistently; mixing distributions (Anaconda + python.org) often mixes DLLs. Verify: python -c "import <module>" works in a new terminal, inside the environment you use. Sources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist https://docs.python.org/3/using/windows.html