Install Hevc Codec For Vlc Exclusive Jun 2026

Following these steps should enhance or confirm HEVC playback capability in VLC on your platform of choice.

Windows Media Player (and Movies & TV app) lacks native HEVC support. You need to either: install hevc codec for vlc exclusive

Out of the box, many Linux distributions due to patent licensing issues. However, installing the necessary plugins is straightforward. Following these steps should enhance or confirm HEVC

VLC includes its own built‑in HEVC decoder on , but sometimes Windows restricts hardware decoding or you need the system codec for other apps. For VLC alone, you usually don’t need anything extra. However, installing the necessary plugins is straightforward

Open a terminal and run the following commands to ensure you have the necessary libraries:

VLC has supported HEVC (H.265) since version 2.1.2, but for optimal performance and 4K hardware decoding, is highly recommended. Check Version : Open VLC and go to Help > About .

While VLC works independently, you might want HEVC support across Windows' built-in apps as well. There are two ways to obtain the HEVC extension: