Resolving WinCC Runtime Not Installed Error in TIA Portal V13

Problem Statement: "Runtime is not installed" in TIA Portal V13

When an engineer attempts to start the HMI simulation from a TIA Portal V13 or V13 SP1 WinCC Comfort/Advanced project, TIA Portal opens a modal dialog reporting "The runtime system is not installed." The same project compiles cleanly in the project tree with zero errors and zero warnings, which makes the error counter-intuitive: the offline build succeeds, but the on-line runtime cannot be located.

This symptom is exclusively a deployment-side failure. The Engineering Station (ES) contains the design data and is able to compile a complete image of the HMI application, but the matching WinCC Runtime (RT) software that would host that image is not present on the machine. The simulator executable and its supporting services therefore cannot be invoked.

The dialog text is identical for two distinct underlying causes, and both must be ruled out before assuming a corrupt installation:

• The WinCC RT Advanced component was never installed alongside the Engineering software.
• The WinCC RT Advanced files exist on disk but the corresponding license (Engineering or Runtime) is absent, invalid, or has been migrated to a newer TIA Portal version that is no longer backwards-compatible with V13.

Affected Versions, Editions, and Configurations

The error is reproducible across the TIA Portal V13 product family whenever a Comfort or Advanced HMI device is added to a project and the host PC is missing the matching runtime. The combinations in which it appears most often are summarized below.

For V13 and V13 SP1, the matching runtime is the corresponding SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced V13 package. Comfort Panels (KTP/TP series) and PC-based runtime use this same RT Advanced package. If your project contains a WinCC Professional runtime target, the WinCC Runtime Professional V13 package is required instead.

Root Cause: ES vs. RT Architecture Separation

Siemens distributes TIA Portal as two distinct installation packages that are independently licensed:

• WinCC Engineering (ES): the project IDE used to author screens, tags, alarms, recipes, and scripts. It includes the HMI device configuration, the compiler, and the offline simulator launcher.
• WinCC Runtime (RT): the on-line runtime that interprets the compiled image, drives the I/O, and renders the HMI. For PC-based and Comfort Panel projects this is the RT Advanced package; for WinCC Professional SCADA it is the RT Professional package.

The "Start Runtime" toolbar action does not bundle the runtime binaries; it locates them via the Windows registry and the Automation License Manager (ALM). If either lookup returns nothing, TIA Portal raises the "not installed" error and aborts before any process is started.

The detection logic checks two registry paths in particular:

and the ALM for a valid license key under the WinCC Runtime Advanced feature. Either failure path produces the same dialog.

Decision Flow for Diagnosis

Prerequisites for Runtime Simulation

Confirm the following before you attempt to install or repair anything. Missing prerequisites will produce a clean failure that looks identical to the "runtime not installed" error.

• Administrator rights on the engineering PC (installation, service registration, and registry writes all require elevation).
• Supported Windows version. TIA Portal V13 supports Windows 7 SP1 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2. V13 SP1 additionally supports Windows 10 (pre-Anniversary Update).
• Matching install media. The WinCC RT Advanced V13 installer must match the ES edition exactly. V13 SP1 ES requires V13 SP1 RT; mixing the service packs is not supported.
• Automation License Manager (ALM) installed and able to enumerate attached USB keys or reachable license servers.
• At least 4 GB free disk space on the system drive for the RT binaries, plus project-specific working space.

Step-by-Step Resolution

The procedure below covers the most common cause (package not installed). If the package is already present, jump to Advanced Diagnostics.

1. Close all TIA Portal instances and stop the S7DOS Help Service and the SIMATIC Automation License Manager service so that installation transactions are not blocked.
2. Verify what is currently installed. Open Control Panel → Programs and Features (or Apps & Features on Windows 10) and look for entries that begin with SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced V13. If the entry is missing, the runtime has never been installed on this PC.
3. Insert the original V13 / V13 SP1 installation media. If you have the floating-license package only, you must obtain the matching DVD from Siemens or your distributor; the RT binaries cannot be reconstructed from license keys alone.
4. Launch the setup and select Modify / Repair when prompted. This option re-registers the runtime components and refreshes the registry keys without overwriting your existing project files.
5. On the package selection screen, explicitly tick WinCC Runtime Advanced V13 (or V13 SP1). A default ES-only install leaves this checkbox cleared, which is exactly the configuration that produces the error.
6. Complete the installation and reboot the PC. The reboot is mandatory because the SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced service is registered during setup and the SCM (SIMATIC Communication Manager) driver stack is loaded at boot.
7. Confirm a license. Start the Automation License Manager. Verify that a valid WinCC Runtime Advanced V13 key is listed (either as a local USB dongle or as an entry on a floating-license server). A short yellow triangle indicates the key is present but cannot be checked out — verify the server reachability and the licensing contract.
8. Open the project and click "Start Runtime". The simulator (WinCCRTAdvanced.exe) should now load without the error dialog.

License Activation Workflow

Siemens licensing for WinCC Runtime falls into two families, both administered through the Automation License Manager (ALM):

Activation steps:

1. Open Automation License Manager from the Siemens program group.
2. Choose Edit → Connect Target System and select the local PC or remote license server.
3. Click License Key → Install... and supply the ".zip" or ".aks" file supplied with the WinCC RT Advanced purchase.
4. Wait for the manager to confirm License is OK. A red icon indicates the key is damaged, expired, or assigned to a different version.
5. Restart TIA Portal so the new license state is reread.

Verification and Functional Test

After installation and licensing, perform the following checks to confirm the simulator is fully operational:

1. Process check: Open Task Manager and verify WinCCRTAdvanced.exe appears after clicking Start Runtime. The process should remain resident until the simulator window is closed.
2. Service check: Run services.msc and confirm that SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced is in state Running and its startup type is Automatic.
3. Project state: The status bar of TIA Portal should display Runtime started with the target device name (for example HMI_1 [KTP1200 Comfort]) instead of an error icon.
4. Tag simulation: Open HMI Tags → Simulate in the project tree, set a boolean tag to TRUE, and confirm the corresponding screen element (for example a lamp or button state) updates within one scan cycle.
5. Logging: Inspect C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Advanced\Logs for the most recent simulator session. A clean session starts with RT started and ends with RT stopped by user.

Advanced Diagnostics: Registry, Services, and File System

When the standard repair path does not resolve the error, validate the installation at the OS level. Use these checks in order, and document findings before applying any change.

1. Registry Validation

Open regedit as Administrator and confirm the following keys exist on a 64-bit Windows installation:

A missing InstallPath value means the package is not registered even if the files are on disk. Re-running the setup in Repair mode rebuilds this key.

2. File System Validation

Verify that the following directories exist and contain files dated from your last installation:

The simulator executable WinCCRTAdvanced.exe must reside under the bin folder. If only the HmiRTm folder is populated, the runtime is partially installed and a repair is required.

3. Service Stack Validation

Open a command prompt as Administrator and run:

All three services should report STATE: 4 RUNNING. If SIMATIC Communication Manager fails to start, the HMI cannot reach the PLC tags in simulation and the runtime will refuse to enter Online state.

4. Dependency Chain

The runtime depends on the WinCC engineering core libraries. If the ES install was performed after the RT install, the RT may reference stale DLLs. Run the following to confirm shared binaries:

Multiple hits with conflicting version numbers indicate an out-of-sequence install. Uninstall both ES and RT, then install ES first, followed immediately by RT.

Related Errors and Edge Cases

If you are migrating a project forward to TIA Portal V14 or later, the error mode changes. The V14+ installers bundle ES and RT into a single selectable package list, so a fresh installation almost never fails on the same dialog. Engineers porting old V13 projects forward should still run the simulator locally on V13 first to baseline behavior, then upgrade the project with the TIA Portal migration tool.

Frequently Asked Questions