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How to play HEVC-encoded media in Windows Media Player for free
Did you get the dreaded "To paly this video, you need a new codec" popup for HEVC files? Here's how you can do it for free.
Microsoft has included video and audio players with Windows for decades, but Windows 10 and 11 can't play some media formats without extra (paid) packages. Some audio and video codecs require a paid license to use in commercial products (such as Microsoft Windows), so instead of lumping all those costs into every copy of Windows, you might see a link to a Microsoft Store page for a media codec when playing some files. Fortunately, at least some codec packages might be free for you.