Codecs allow you to play different formats of audio and video files. Media Player supports a wide variety of codecs. Most are included out of the box; some additional codecs can be installed from the Microsoft Store.

This article lists the multimedia file types that are supported by Windows Media Player 12. (How to determine your version of Windows Media Player). Note: Additional file formats might be supported if you install new codecs in Windows. For more information, see Codecs: frequently asked questions. Windows Media formats (.asf, .wma, .wmv, .wm)

How to get the update. The Media Feature Pack for Windows 10/11 N is available for download as an Optional Feature. Here’s how to install the Media Feature Pack: On Windows 10 N: Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Apps and Features > Optional features > Add a feature.

The Movies & TV app in Windows 10 supports most Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free videos, including the following formats: For a detailed table of supported codecs for each format, see Supported audio and video formats.

Press and hold (or right-click) the MP4 file you want to play, select Open with, and then choose your preferred file player from the list of applications. Play MP4 files in Windows 10 by right-clicking the file and choosing what application to open it with.

To resolve this, see Troubleshoot problems with the Windows Media Player app. 0xC00D1163. This error may occur when there are issues with digital rights management (DRM) for protected content. If you're unsure about the error code, refer to the error types below and the instructions to resolve it.

The Media Feature Pack for Windows 10/11 N is available for download as an Optional Feature. Here’s how to install the Media Feature Pack: On Windows 10 N: Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Apps and Features > Optional features > Add a feature.

A codec compresses or decompresses media files such as songs or videos. Windows Media Player and other apps use codecs to play and create media files. A codec can consist of two parts: an encoder that compresses the media file (encoding) and a decoder that decompresses the file (decoding).

The Movies & TV app on Windows 10 allows SRT files to be used for adding subtitles to videos. If you’ve added the file correctly, the “CC” Closed Captioning control will be displayed during video playback, allowing you to turn on and off the subtitles. To add an SRT file:

DirectX 11.2 is included in Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. There is no stand-alone update package for DirectX 11.2. You can only install this DirectX version through Windows Update in Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.