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Resolving libcef.dll Errors in IronPDF

Curtis Chau
Curtis Chau
Updated: April 22, 2026

Are you seeing the following error messages?

  • Error loading one of the Chrome assemblies (libcef.dll)
  • Chrome Deployment Failure (error while loading libcef.dll) (203)

This is because System.Drawing is not included in Windows Nano Server, and Windows Server Core (.NET6).

The official .NET images for Windows are based on Nano Server.

To work around this issue, we suggest either:

  1. Build & deploy your project as self-contained. Click here for more information on this option.
  2. Switch to Linux-based container images by changing the following property in your .csproj file:
<!-- Change the default OS for Docker to Linux to use Linux-based images -->
<DockerDefaultTargetOS>Linux</DockerDefaultTargetOS>
XML

You can then add Linux dependencies with the following shell commands:

# Update package lists and install necessary libraries for IronPDF on Linux
RUN apt update \
    && apt install -y libgdiplus libxkbcommon-x11-0 libc6 libc6-dev libgtk2.0-0 libnss3 \
    libatk-bridge2.0-0 libx11-xcb1 libxcb-dri3-0 libdrm-common libgbm1 libasound2 \
    libxrender1 libfontconfig1 libxshmfence1
SHELL

(The above dependencies are for Debian 11, though specific dependencies for Ubuntu, CentOS, Amazon Linux, and more can be viewed here)

Curtis Chau
Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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PM > Install-Package IronPdf
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  2. Select Browse and search "IronPdf"
  3. Select the package and install
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  1. Download and unzip IronPDF to a location such as ~/Libs within your Solution directory
  2. In Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right click References. Select Browse, "IronPdf.dll"

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Get your free 30-day Trial Key instantly.
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C# NuGet Library for PDF
Install with NuGet

Version: 2026.9

PM > Install-Package IronPdf
nuget.org/packages/IronPdf/
  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click References, Manage NuGet Packages
  2. Select Browse and search "IronPdf"
  3. Select the package and install
C# PDF DLL
Download DLL

Version: 2026.9

or download Windows Installer here.

  1. Download and unzip IronPDF to a location such as ~/Libs within your Solution directory
  2. In Visual Studio Solution Explorer, right click References. Select Browse, "IronPdf.dll"

Licenses from $999