HEVC Extension Won't Install? The PowerShell Fix When winget Fails

HEVC Video Extensions let Windows play H.265 video in Movies & TV, Windows Media Player, Photos and File Explorer thumbnails. Without them, HEVC files open to a black screen or audio with no picture.

Getting them installed should be one click. Often it is not - and the error messages are useless. Below are four routes, ordered by how likely they are to work, with the exact commands.

First, check whether it is already installed

Half the people reading this already have the extension and have a different problem. Thirty seconds to rule it out. Open Terminal or PowerShell and run:

Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*HEVC*"} | Select Name, Version, Status

If it returns a line with Status: Ok, the extension is installed and working. Your problem is elsewhere - see HEVC video that will not play instead.

If it returns nothing, or shows a Status other than Ok, carry on.

Method 1: The free Store listing (try this first)

Microsoft publishes two identical versions of this extension. One costs $0.99. The other - HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer - is free, because device makers have already paid the H.265 licence fee.

Same files, same decoder, same publisher. The free listing simply is not searchable in the Store, so you have to open it directly. Press Win + R and paste:

ms-windows-store://pdp/?ProductId=9n4wgh0z6vhq

The Store opens on the product page. Click Get, and you are done - no PowerShell needed.

Method 2: Re-register the package Windows already has

This is the one that surprises people. On a great many systems the extension files are already sitting on disk - shipped with the OEM image or left behind by an update - but not registered for your account. Nothing needs downloading. It just needs switching on.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run the command below.
3. Restart, then re-run the check command from the top of this page.

Add-AppxPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension_8wekyb3d8bbwe

If that returns an error saying the package cannot be found, the files genuinely are not present and this route cannot work. Skip to Method 4.

Method 3: Re-register for every account on the PC

Same idea as Method 2, but it walks every installed copy and re-registers it from its manifest. Worth trying when Method 2 reports success but nothing changes, or on a shared PC.

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Run it from an elevated Terminal, same as before. Silence is normal - this command prints nothing when it succeeds.

Method 4: Install from a downloaded package

Last resort, for when the Store is broken and the files are genuinely absent. You need the .appxbundle installer, then one command:

Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension.appxbundle"

Replace the path with wherever your file actually landed. Our guide on how to get the HEVC Video Extension for free covers obtaining that package safely.

Confirm it worked

Run the check command again:

Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*HEVC*"} | Select Name, Version, Status

A working install reports Name: Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension and Status: Ok. The version number climbs over time - it was 2.5.28.0 in mid-2026 - so do not treat any specific number as the target. Status is what matters.

Then open an HEVC file in Movies & TV. If it plays, you are finished. If the version looks old, the Store will update it in the background.

When the commands themselves fail

• "Access denied". The Terminal is not elevated. Close it and reopen via right-click Start, Terminal (Admin) - the title bar must say Administrator.
• "Deployment failed with HRESULT 0x80073CF3". A dependency or a conflicting older copy. Remove the existing one first, then reinstall - our guide on removing and reinstalling the HEVC and HEIF extensions has the commands.
• Script execution is blocked. These are single commands, not scripts, so execution policy should not apply. If your workplace has locked PowerShell down entirely, Method 1 through the Store is your only route.
• It installs, then disappears after an update. Feature updates can deregister Store extensions. Re-run Method 2 - it takes seconds the second time.

Why winget fails here in the first place

Worth understanding, because it tells you when not to bother.

HEVC Video Extensions is a Microsoft Store app, not a normal desktop installer. winget reaches Store apps only through its msstore source, which is not always enabled, needs the Store's own agreements accepted, and is region-dependent. When any of that is missing, winget does not say so - it reports "No package found matching input criteria", which sounds like the app does not exist.

It does exist. winget simply cannot see it. That is why the PowerShell route works: Add-AppxPackage talks to Windows' own app registration system directly, with no package repository in between.

Quick questions

The extension is almost never actually missing. It is unregistered, hidden behind a Store listing you cannot search for, or invisible to a package manager that cannot reach it.

Check first, try the free Store link, then re-register. Four commands cover every case - and if you only ever want HEVC in one player, VLC skips the whole problem.