How To Fix Lame_enc.dll Not Found Errors

Lame_enc.dll Error Messages

Any error message involving a missing lame_enc.dll DLL file is referring to some issue that the program you are using is having with the LAME MP3 encoder.
The first error, generated by the Audacity software program, is by the far the most common simply because Audacity is the most common application that utilizes the LAME MP3 encoder.
If you're not using Audacity, your error message will be different and may appear more like the final two examples below:

• "Audacity does not export MP3 files directly, but instead uses the freely available LAME library to handle MP3 file encoding. You must obtain lame_enc.dll separately, by downloading the LAME MP3 encoder, and then locate this file for Audacity. You only need to do this once. Would you like to locate lame_enc.dll now?"
  
• "The LAME_ENC.DLL File Was Not Found"
  
• "Error loading lame_enc.dll"

Lame_enc.dll errors sometimes occur when the audio program you're using is first opened.
Other times, the lame_enc.dll error will show up when you attempt to save the audio project you're working on as an MP3 file.

Cause of Lame_enc.dll Errors

All lame_enc.dll errors are caused by either the missing component from the LAME MP3 encoder or some other issue that the audio program you're using is having with the LAME MP3 encoder.

How To Fix Lame_enc.dll Errors

Important Note: Do not download the lame_enc.dll DLL file individually from any "DLL download site." There are many reasons that downloading DLLs from these sites are never a good idea. There are a large number of sites offering the lame_enc.dll for download but there are few legitimate sites that I would recommend. Note: If you've already downloaded the lame_enc.dll file from one of those DLL download sites, remove it from wherever you placed it and continue with the following steps.

1. Close and reopen the audio program that generated the lame_enc.dll error. Audacity, or whatever audio program you're using, may be having a temporary problem that a restart might fix.
   
2. Download the latest LAME MP3 encoder package. The ZIP file at this Audacity-sanctioned site contains the latest version of the lame_enc.dll and related files.
   Note: The true source location for the LAME MP3 encoder is located at the LAME site on SourceForge.net but the files here are not readily usable by your audio program.
   
3. Extract the files from the ZIP file downloaded in Step 2.
   
4. Copy the lame_enc.dll file to whatever location your specific audio program requires.
   Note: Some programs don't require the lame_enc.dll file to reside in particular folders. Audacity, for example, only requires you to tell it where the lame_enc.dll file is - it doesn't care where.

Applies To

The lame_enc.dll error message applies to any audio program that utilizes the LAME MP3 encoder. Depending on what program you're using and what operating system you're running, you could see the lame_enc.dll error in Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and older versions of Windows as well.
Some common software programs that use the LAME MP3 encoder and that might generate lame_enc.dll errors include Audacity, FFmpeg, VideoLAN, jRipper, CDex, LameDropXPd, DVDx, OmniEncoder, LAMEX, RazorLame, Audigrabber, RipTrax, WinAmp, UltraISO, TextAlound MP3, and many, many more.