Once updated to Windows 11, users found that most videos recorded by iPhone, DJI, GoPro, etc. wouldn't play anymore. This is because Windows 11 doesn't support HEVC (H.265) videos out of the box. Like its predecessor, you need to download and install HEVC codec in Windows 11 to play the HD and 4K videos formatted in HEVC. In this post, we'll show you how to install the official HEVC codec on Windows 11 PC, and how you can play HEVC videos free on Windows 11.
Free Video Converter - [100% Free and Safe!] Decode HEVC/H.265 videos in HD, 4K, and 8K for smooth playback on Windows 11. Fast decode HEVC (HVC1/HEV1) and encode to MP4, H.264, MPEG4, AVI, MOV, WebM, etc. for Windows 11 WMP, VLC, any other players, TVs and devices. Nvidia, AMD, and Intel hardware acceleration supported.
Windows Media Player 11 Codecs Video Download
As Windows 10 and 11 do not contain the codecs to play HEVC videos, Microsoft provides the required HEVC Video Extensions in the Microsoft Store. All you need is to pay $0.99. If you usually use apps like Microsoft's Films & TV Player app to play videos, it's a worthwhile investment.
To install the official HEVC codecs on Windows 11, open Microsoft Store app or website and find the HEVC Video Extensions. Click Buy and follow the instructions to finish the purchase. It will require your Microsoft account and credit card. Once the HEVC codec is installed, you can then play HEVC videos on Windows 11 without problem. Though a small portion of users are complaining that they've bought the codec but it won't launch or open.
First, click this link of the HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer. It's the free version of Microsoft's official HEVC video extension. Then you will see "Redeem a code" instead of "Buy". Click on it and it ask you to sign into your Microsoft account. Close that page and the HEVC codec will be downloaded on your Windows 11 PC.
Second, if you can't download the Device Manufacturer's version of HEVC video extensions for Windows 11 via redeeming a code, don't depress. There are sites offering mirrors of the HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer like free-codecs. Click this link to open the site and you'll see HEVC codecs for Windows 11 32-bit and 64-bit. Select and download the correct version based on your PC system, follow the instructions to install the HEVC codec on Windows 11, and then you can play HEVC videos on Windows 11 PC.
In addition to the HEVC video extension from Microsoft, you can install third-party free HEVC codecs on Windows 11. Media Player Codec Pack Plus is a free HEVC/H.265 codec pack that will work on Microsoft Windows Media Player as well as any other players that are compatible with DirectShow. With the free HEVC codec installed on Windows 11, you can play videos in HEVC, H.265, 10bit x265, MP4, MKV, AVI, WebM, M4V, and more. HEVC videos in 4K and higher resolutions are supported. It supports GPU hardware acceleration of Nvidia, AMD, ATI, and Intel for smooth HEVC playback.
K-Lite Codec Pack allows you to play HEVC videos on Windows 11. It has four different variants: Basic, Standard, Full, Mega. The standard version is free and it contains codecs to play HEVC, MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WebM, and more. It's very friendly on Windows environment as it includes MPC-HC player and works with Windows Media Player and Media Center, other popular DirectShow players such as Media Player Classic, ZoomPlayer, KMPlayer, PotPlayer, GOM Player, etc.
You can also download the open-source libde265 HEVC/H.265 video codec free on Windows 11 to play HEVC videos with other players, such as VLC, Chrome HEVC player, Windows DirectShow filter, FFmpeg, as well as HEVC/H.265 players from other parties. With libde265 HEVC codec installed, your Windows 11 VLC media player is able to play HEVC 4K Ultra HD videos @30fps without problem. The libde265 is able to decode all common types of HEVC files and can parallelize the decoding of streams to provide smooth HEVC playback on Windows 11.
Don't want to bother with extra HEVC codec on Windows 11, you can install a popular third-party video player VLC. It includes built-in HEVC H.265 codecs to play HEVC videos free on Windows 11. Download the media player and set it as the defualt player, then you can open HEVC videos without the need to seeking and downloading any other HEVC codecs for Windows 11.
In addition to VLC, there are many other free and paid media players that will play HEVC videos on Windows 11 without the help of additional HEVC codecs such as MPV, MPC-HC, 5KPlayer, etc. Check and see the detailed list of best free HEVC players for Windows 11 here.
WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe - No need to bother with various HEVC codec stuff. Easily convert incompatible HEVC videos in 4K/8K, 10bit, 60fps, any type to MP4, H.264, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, WebM, 3GP, etc. for playback on any Windows 11 players, such as Windows Media Player, VLC, Media Player Classic, KMPlayer, editors, etc. Intel, Nvidia, and AMD hardware acceleration supported to transcode HEVC videos for Windows 11 at a 5x faster speed. Its high quality engine will ensure the best output quality. Play HEVC videos on old hardware without problems.
Kaley Torres is a self-motivated, creative editor with eight years of marketing and SEO experience, specializing in writing on DVD, video, audio, images, new digital contents etc. With a partiality DVD collection, Kaley also enjoys digitizing DVD and is keen to share her DVD video conversion solutions as well as video sharing tips on social media.
Consider playing MP4 files in a different media player that supports the format. The best choice could be a free and open-source VLC Media Player. It is known to play almost any video file type without any issue. The media player is compatible with Windows 11.
Other than VLC, you can try Movies & TV app, DivX Player, KMPlayer, 5K Player, RealPlayer, QuickTime, etc. These media players support 5K 1080p HD/ UHD MP4 video files and are compatible with Windows 11 and Windows 10.
In general, a codec is a way to compress or decompress media files like video or music. It includes 2 parts, an encoder that compresses the media file (encoding) and a decoder that decompresses the media file (decoding).
[Fixed] Windows 11 Media Player Not Working in Various SituationsHow to solve the Windows media player not working in Windows 11 problem? What are the causes and fixes? This article offers many working methods.
Among the many audio and video codecs used today, some were created by Microsoft and most others were designed by other companies or individuals. By default, the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) and the Windows Media Player consist most popular codecs like the above-mentioned MP3, Windows Media Audio, and Windows Media Video.
However, it is possible that the file you want to play was compressed by a codec that are not included by Windows OS or the Player. If so, usually, you can download the involving codec online either for free or for a fee. In some situations, Windows Media Player can make use of the codecs installed by other digital media playback and creation programs automatically on your device.
If you know the name or ID (known as a FourCC identifier for video codecs or a WaveFormat identifier for audio codecs) of the codec, you can directly search the codec with them. Or, you can visit the official website of the codec manufacturer to download the newest version.
Be cautious when installing codecs from online resources, especially from some of the free codec packs that claim to include codecs from a variety of companies or organizations. There are known compatibility issues with some of the components in these codec packs, which can cause serious playback problems in media players, system crashes, and make it difficult for Microsoft Support to diagnose and troubleshoot problems.
You can search for HEVC in Microsoft Store. Within the numerous search results, you can find HEVC video codec packs, HEVC video players, HEVC video extensions, HEVC video converters, etc. Thus, you have several choices:
The above-mentioned MiniTool Video Converter is one of the recommended HEVC video converters and codec tweak tools that supports to convert HEVC/H265 video formats to Windows Media Player supported codecs as well as other file formats containing MKV, XVID, DV, VOB, WEBM, OGV, DIVX, MXF, TS, FLV, F4V, SWF, and AVC/H264.
As for the HEVC video player, you can make use of MiniTool MovieMaker to view the content of the HEVC file. MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor to turn your videos, photos, and music into a beautiful video with its built-in transitions, effects, texts, motions, as well as funny elements.
Important note: The K-Lite Codec Pack does not expand the import abilities of professional video editors such as Vegas Movie Studio or Adobe Premiere. Those applications often only support importing a small set of file formats, and do not support using the type of codecs that are included in the codec pack (DirectShow/VFW). Modern editors often only use their own internal codecs or only support external codecs of the Media Foundation type.
WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is an efficient video/audio transcoding program with full codec support. It can easily play and convert all videos and music to Windows-compatible formats for smooth playback with no issues. If you feel getting codecs for Windows Media Player is not suitable for your case, this codec converter will be a better way to go.
If you want to install a particular codec for playing a file on Windows Media Player, you need first know the exactly missing codec, which usually requires the help of third-party detector software (MediaInfo, VideoInspector, and Codec Installer are good options. They can read the video information, check the video/audio codec, and even direct you to the sources where you can download the missing codec). Meanwhile, here is a way you may also give a try without asking for help from these tools: 2ff7e9595c
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