Dependencies

Dependencies is a Windows application written in C# that shows you which other files a Windows program depends on to run. Windows programs often rely on shared library files called DLLs (dynamic link libraries). When a program fails to start or crashes with a missing DLL error, figuring out exactly which file is missing and why can be confusing. This tool visualizes the dependency tree so you can see exactly what a program needs and whether it can find it.

It is a modern rewrite of an old Microsoft tool called Dependency Walker (depends.exe) that was included with Windows developer toolkits but stopped being updated around 2006. The original tool does not handle many features of modern Windows, so this project rebuilds the same concept with current APIs and adds a cleaner interface.

The application comes in two versions: a graphical interface called DependenciesGui.exe that shows a tree view you can browse interactively, and a command-line version called Dependencies.exe that is better suited for scripting and automation. You download a zip file, unzip it, and run the executable directly with no installer needed.

One thing to be aware of is that by default the tool only analyzes one level of dependencies rather than recursively mapping the full chain. This is intentional: a full recursive analysis of even a simple program can consume many gigabytes of memory. A setting in the options menu lets you enable deeper analysis if your machine can handle it.

The tool is aimed at Windows developers and is particularly useful when troubleshooting why a program or DLL will not load on a fresh machine or in a different environment.