CCTV Focus

Why HEVC Doesn’t Work in Browsers on Windows 10–11 (and Why HEVC Video Extensions Don’t Fix It)

When the codec exists, but the web pretends it doesn’t
The scene is a classic one. We have:
  • Windows 10 or 11
  • A respectable Chromium-based browser: Chrome or Microsoft Edge
  • A neat MP4 file with video encoded in H.265/HEVC
The file sits on a web server, the <video> tag is in place, the MIME type is correct. You hit Play — and at that exact moment the browser remembers it lives in a reality where HEVC on the web is a politically toxic topic.
The result:
  • no friendly “codec not supported” error;
  • no dramatic warning dialog;
  • just a black screen and silent protest.
If you’re lucky, DevTools will honestly say “media could not be decoded”. If you’re not — it won’t even bother.
And this is the key baseline to lock in:
Even after installing HEVC Video Extensions on Windows 10–11, Chrome/Edge usually still won’t play HEVC from a <video> tag as a normal web format.
There are many reasons — licensing, browser policy, how (and whether) the browser integrates with Windows Media Foundation. But the practical takeaway is simple:
The plan “install system HEVC and the browser will magically work” does not work.
This is not a bug. It’s an architectural decision.

Why this happens: a short, non-religious primer

H.265 / HEVC is a good, modern codec that theoretically saves bandwidth. But it has one social defect: it’s wrapped in patents and licensing pools.
Browser developers look at this roughly like this:
  • add full HEVC support → licensing questions appear;
  • licensing questions appear → lawyers appear;
  • lawyers appear → engineers disappear.
So a typical Chromium-based browser on Windows plays a careful game:
It does not ship HEVC itself.
Built-in codecs include VP8/VP9/AV1/H.264 — but not HEVC.
It may ask the OS.
Via Windows Media Foundation: “Hey, OS, do you happen to have HEVC?”
But even if the OS does — the browser is not obligated to use it.
This isn’t part of any web spec. It’s a local compromise that depends on the exact browser build, GPU, drivers, and the mood of the maintainers.
In practice, that means one simple thing:
Even if Windows can decode HEVC, the browser often behaves as if nothing happened.

So why does HEVC Video Extensions exist at all?

Here’s the paradox: the HEVC package for Windows is genuinely useful — just not for the web.
It enables:
  • HEVC playback in the system video player
  • support in Photos / built-in viewers
  • decoding for UWP apps and software that honestly uses Media Foundation
If you work with:
  • local files;
  • editing tools that rely on system codecs;
  • UWP applications;
then this package turns HEVC videos from “dead weight” into playable media.
But a browser using <video> lives in a different universe.
It is not required to use that codec — and in many setups (especially Chrome/Edge), it simply doesn’t.
The honest diagnosis:
Installing HEVC Video Extensions is useful for the system,
but it does not guarantee HEVC playback in the browser.

“What if I try anyway?”

Installing HEVC system-wide can still make sense.
For example:
  • you want users to open downloaded HEVC MP4 files in default Windows apps;
  • you have a corporate UWP application;
  • you use a Media Foundation–based player outside the browser.
That’s where the next level begins:
how to install HEVC without Microsoft Store, when Store is:
  • disabled;
  • blocked by policy;
  • removed from the build;
  • or simply broken.
What follows is a step-by-step, “do this, then that” guide.
Just remember the full path: even if you finish it perfectly, Chrome/Edge will still most likely not play HEVC from <video>. You’ll only get a system decoder for Windows and its native apps.

Step 0. Sobering up

Before starting the Appx ritual, ask yourself three questions:
  1. Why do I need HEVC at the system level?
  2. If the answer is “so it works in the browser” — skip to the conclusion. It won’t.
  3. Which OS am I on?
  4. Windows 10 or 11 — fine.
  5. Windows 7/8 — game over; Media Foundation doesn’t support HEVC there.
  6. Do I have admin rights?
  7. Without them, Appx installation will fail quickly and silently.
If all three answers make sense — continue.

Step 1. What you’re installing: Appx or Msixbundle

HEVC Video Extensions today is not an .exe. It’s a UWP package:
  • .appx, or
  • .msixbundle
Inside you’ll find:
  • decoder DLLs;
  • a manifest;
  • system metadata.
Windows can install these via:
  • Microsoft Store;
  • PowerShell (Add-AppxPackage);
  • App Installer (double-click, if present).
Our goal: get the package without using Store.

Step 2. Getting the package without Microsoft Store

HEVC Video Extensions has a unique Store product ID. Think of it as the codec’s SKU.
Typical flow:
  • use a service that generates direct download links for Store packages;
  • paste a URL like https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/...;
  • receive a list of packages for different architectures.
You want:
  • x64,
  • .appx or .msixbundle,
  • not ARM.
The filename will be long, ugly, and full of version numbers — that’s normal.
Download it like any other file. Inside is your HEVC decoder.

Step 3. The right console (this is where many fail)

Three commonly confused things:
cmd.exe
Classic black console. Add-AppxPackage does not work there.
PowerShell 7 (pwsh)
Modern, cross-platform PowerShell. Often lacks proper Appx support.
Windows PowerShell 5.1
The built-in PowerShell in Windows 10–11. This is the one you need.
How to open it:
  • Start menu
  • type Windows PowerShell (no “7”)
  • right-click → Run as administrator
The title should read something like:
Administrator: Windows PowerShell

Step 4. Installing HEVC via PowerShell

Assume the file is here:
C:\Users\Name\Downloads\Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension_x64_….appx
Steps:
Import-Module Appx
Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Users\Name\Downloads\Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension_x64_….appx"
Same command for .msixbundle.
If PowerShell returns quietly — success.
If errors appear:
  • confirm admin rights;
  • check file integrity;
  • only then consider ExecutionPolicy tweaks (for people who know why).
After success, Windows now has a system HEVC decoder available to Media Foundation clients.

Step 5. What actually changed

This is the important part.
After installation:
  • Windows Media Player plays HEVC
  • system decoders are available to Media Foundation apps
  • some video tools stop treating HEVC as profanity
So yes — Windows becomes smarter.
But the browser?
  • Chrome, Edge, and most Chromium browsers still treat HEVC as unsupported
  • <video src="clip_hevc.mp4"> still won’t play reliably
  • no magical Web + HEVC integration appears
This is not a broken install.
This is browser policy.

Common illusions vs reality

Illusion 1: “If the codec is system-wide, the browser must use it.”
No. HTML5 does not require browsers to use every system codec.
Illusion 2: “But Edge plays it!”
Sometimes. Depends on version, system, build. Betting a product on it is risky.
Illusion 3: “Install HEVC everywhere and it’ll work.”
Local apps improve. Browsers don’t.

When installing HEVC does make sense

  • users viewing local HEVC files without VLC
  • corporate UWP apps
  • Media Foundation–based video tools
In these cases, HEVC Video Extensions is a perfectly reasonable system upgrade. Just don’t tie it directly to the browser.

If you actually want HEVC on the web

Here’s the honest answer:
HEVC on the web via <video> in Chrome/Edge on Windows is not something you can rely on.
No Appx ritual changes that.
For real production systems:
  • don’t make HEVC the only format;
  • keep an H.264 fallback;
  • consider AV1 (+ H.264 fallback);
  • use HLS/DASH with multiple renditions.
In this setup, HEVC becomes what it really is on Windows:
a system codec for local apps and edge cases — not a web foundation.

Final takeaway: sobriety beats magical thinking

Stripped of emotion, the picture is simple:
  • Windows 10–11 can install HEVC via a UWP package
  • it can be installed manually without Microsoft Store
  • system apps benefit
  • Chromium browsers continue to live in a world where HEVC is “not from here”
So HEVC Video Extensions is:
  • a useful system upgrade;
  • great for local playback;
  • and almost irrelevant for <video> in Chrome/Edge.
Relying on HEVC for the web on Windows is about as realistic as saying “I’ll definitely start going to the gym tomorrow.”
Formally possible. Architecturally unwise. At least now you have the manual install guide — a small but satisfying victory over chaos.
2025-12-26 14:24 Main news VMS Software In Focus Video Surveillance Market