How to Download HEVC Video Extension for Free

Windows will not let you search for the free HEVC Video Extension - the listing is hidden on purpose. Here is how to get the genuine, Microsoft-signed extension at no cost.

Downloading the free HEVC Video Extension package for Windows

HEVC - also called H.265 - is the compression behind most 4K video and every iPhone photo. Windows 11 can play it, but many machines ship without the decoder, so files open to a black screen or no thumbnail.

The fix is a small Microsoft extension. Getting it free is the tricky part, and there are two ways.

The short version

Try the direct Store link first: press Win + R and paste ms-windows-store://pdp/?ProductId=9n4wgh0z6vhq, then click Get. If the Store refuses, or you need the raw installer file, use the Adguard method below - it pulls the same Microsoft-signed package straight from Microsoft's servers.

Why it is so hard to find

Microsoft publishes two HEVC extensions. One is the ordinary HEVC Video Extension. The other - HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer - is free, because device makers pre-paid the H.265 licence fee, but Microsoft does not let you search for it in the Store.

Same files, same decoder, same publisher. You are not getting a worse version by going free; you are getting the identical package Microsoft simply hid from the search box.

The one-click route, if it works for you. Paste ms-windows-store://pdp/?ProductId=9n4wgh0z6vhq into Win + R. The Store opens directly on the free listing - click Get and you are done. If it opens to an error, the listing is hidden in your region or build, and the Adguard method below is your route.

Get the installer file with Adguard

This is the method that works when the Store will not cooperate. It fetches the actual .appxbundle installer from Microsoft's own servers, using a well-known link generator, so you can install it by hand.

Step 1: Copy the Store app URL

You need the product page URL. Either copy it from the Microsoft Store address bar, or just use this one - it points at the free Device Manufacturer edition:

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n4wgh0z6vhq

Step 2: Generate the download link

Go to the Adguard Store link generator at store.rg-adguard.net:

https://store.rg-adguard.net/

Paste the app URL into the box, leave the dropdown on its default, and click the check mark. The page fills with a list of files - the full package plus its dependencies.

You only need the main package, not the dependencies. For the HEVC extension that is the largest file in the list, around 8 MB.
Match your architecture: x64 for almost all modern PCs, ARM64 for Windows-on-ARM devices like a Surface Pro X, x86 only for old 32-bit systems.

Step 3: Download the .appxbundle

Click the file whose name matches the pattern below - the version number will be higher than this by the time you read it, which is fine:

Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension_2.5.28.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle

On Windows 10? Do not take a 2.5.x build - those only install on Windows 11. In the list above, scroll to 2.4.95.0 instead, the last version that supports Windows 10. Our HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer page also keeps that build if it is easier to grab there - free, no Microsoft account, installs in under two minutes.

Right-click the link and choose Save link as to download the file. Then double-click it to install, or run it from PowerShell if you prefer.

Confirm the file is genuinely Microsoft-signed before you install it. An appxbundle installs with system privileges, so this matters. rg-adguard.net returns the real Microsoft package - but verify it yourself every time: right-click the downloaded file, open Properties, then the Digital Signatures tab, and check it is signed by Microsoft Corporation. No valid Microsoft signature means it is not the real file - delete it and use the direct Store link instead.

Browser blocked the download? Edge and Chrome sometimes flag appxbundle files as "not commonly downloaded". Open the browser's Downloads list and choose Keep, or use Mozilla Firefox or Vivaldi, which do not block it.

Confirm it installed

Open Terminal or PowerShell and run:

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

A line reading Status: Ok means it worked. Now open an HEVC video in Movies & TV - if it plays, you are finished.

Would rather skip all of this? VLC Media Player plays HEVC with no extension at all - it carries its own decoder. The extension is only worth the effort if you specifically want HEVC in Movies & TV, Photos and File Explorer thumbnails.

Quick questions

Is the free version worse than the other one?

No. HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer is the same package as the standard listing - same decoder, same publisher, same updates. The only difference is that Microsoft does not let you search for it.

Is downloading it through Adguard safe and legal?

The file itself is Microsoft's own, pulled unmodified from Microsoft's servers, and it is free to use - so yes. The safety step is confirming the digital signature reads Microsoft Corporation before you install, which takes ten seconds. Never install an appxbundle that is not validly Microsoft-signed.

The version number in the guide is older than what I see. Does that matter?

No. Microsoft updates the extension regularly, so a higher version number is expected and correct. Always take the newest one Adguard lists for your architecture. What matters is that it installs with Status: Ok, not the specific number.

Which file do I pick - x64, x86 or ARM?

x64 for almost every modern PC. ARM64 only for Windows-on-ARM devices such as a Surface Pro X. x86 only for genuinely old 32-bit systems. If unsure, check Settings, System, About, System type.

It installed but HEVC video still will not play. Now what?

The extension is only one piece - playback also depends on your graphics drivers and the file itself. Our guide to HEVC video that will not play covers the other causes worth checking.