To ensure the Player can try to download codecs automatically, you must have Internet Explorer 3.02 or later installed on your computer, maintain InternetĪccess while playing the file, and your Internet security should be set to Medium. Try this link outside the USA.Thank you for writing to Microsoft Answers Community Forums.Īll codecs make some tradeoff between sound or video quality, file size, and compatibility with non-Microsoft playback programs and devices. Like other app stores, the Microsoft Store has different software listings in different regions. We’ve received some reports that it may not work in other countries. However, there’s nothing stopping anyone from installing these codecs on their systems-you just have to follow the direct link to find them. It appears intended for computer manufacturers to preinstall these codecs on their PCs. If you don’t want to pay $0.99, we recommend you install VLC or another free video player that includes support for H.265 video.) ( Update: As of October 2020, it looks like this free package is no longer available. Click the link and click “Get” to install them.

This is the same as the $0.99 package but is completely free. However, you can also get the free “HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer” package from the Store. This fee likely reflects the cost of licensing the codecs for Microsoft. If you search the Store for HEVC, you’ll see the $0.99 HEVC Video Extensions package. Both are identical, but one costs $0.99 and one is free. There are actually two different codec packages you can get from the Store. RELATED: What Is HEVC H.265 Video, and Why Is It So Important for 4K Movies? How to Install the Codecs for Free These codecs are also required for encoding video in HEVC (H.265) format in applications that use Windows 10’s system codecs. These aren’t included with the latest versions of Windows 10 but must be installed from the Microsoft Store. To play HEVC (H.265) videos in VLC, just install VLC and open them-done.įor built-in support, you’ll need the codecs. The popular third-party video player VLC, for example, includes its own built-in codecs. These codecs will let you watch those videos on your PC, but they’re only necessary for apps like Microsoft’s Movies & TV video player, included with Windows 10, and other Windows apps that take advantage of the codecs built into Windows. iPhones now record videos in HEVC by default, and 4K UHD Blu-rays also use HEVC.

Windows media player codec download