What does Windows error code 216 (ERROR_EXE_MACHINE_TYPE_MISMATCH) mean?

 
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ERROR_NESTING_NOT_ALLOWED ERROR_EXE_CANNOT_MODIFY_SIGNED_BINARY

ERROR_EXE_MACHINE_TYPE_MISMATCH

The binary targets the wrong machine type

ERROR_EXE_MACHINE_TYPE_MISMATCH means that Windows identified a processor-architecture mismatch while loading or launching an image. Typical cases involve mixing x86, x64, ARM64, or platform-specific helper binaries.

What to check

  • Record the architecture of the operating system, caller, and target image.
  • Verify that deployment selected the correct package variant.
  • Check dependent DLLs as well as the main executable.
  • Do not infer architecture from the file name alone; inspect the PE machine field.

How to handle it

Install or select a matching binary. Cross-architecture communication should use a supported process boundary rather than attempting to load an incompatible module.

References


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