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Bonny Battaglino

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:04:47 PM8/3/24

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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.

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.

Note that this method has stopped working since October 2020 and the page of HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer is now removed from the Microsoft Store. The link above provides an archived version of it. Try and check if it works.

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 and codecguide.com. For example, click this link to open the site free-codecs and you'll see HEVC codecs for Windows 11 32-bit and 64-bit. Select and download the correct HEVC video extension 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.

Note: If you have installed the free HEVC codec on Windows 11 but the H.265 videos still won't play, you need to know that the Haali splitter does not support HEVC. You need to stop using Haali splitter and use the LAV splitter instead.

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.

Winxvideo AI - 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.