Best Codec Packs for Windows 11 and 10 - Which One to Install

A video plays with no sound, or won't open in Windows Media Player or your editing app - a codec pack fixes that for every program at once, and the right one takes two minutes to install.

A codec pack adds the decoders Windows is missing, so every player and program on your PC can use them.

Windows 11 and 10 play common MP4 and MKV files already, but formats like DTS audio or older AVI codecs still trip them up.

Short answer: most people should install K-Lite Codec Pack Standard, or just use VLC if one player is all they need.

Do You Even Need a Codec Pack?

If you only watch videos in one app, no. VLC Media Player carries its own decoders and plays almost anything without touching Windows.

You do need a codec pack when the problem is outside a single player: Windows Media Player, File Explorer thumbnails, video editors or presentation software that rely on the codecs installed in Windows.

Not sure what is missing? Our free Codec Checker tells you which codec a file uses.

The Best Codec Packs Compared

K-Lite Codec Pack - The Safe Default

K-Lite Codec Pack is one of the most downloaded codec packs ever, and it gets new releases very often. It is built around LAV Filters and comes with MPC-HC as a lightweight player.

• Basic: just the decoders, for people who already have a favourite player.
• Standard: adds MPC-HC and MediaInfo - the right pick for most people.
• Full and Mega: add extra filters and encoding tools that most users never need.

Want the smallest install? Grab K-Lite Codec Pack Basic and keep your current player.

X Codec Pack - Small and Modern

X Codec Pack is a free 64-bit pack for Windows 10 and 11 that installs LAV Filters, MPC-HC, MPC Video Renderer and subtitle support in one go. The download is about 25MB.

Complete Mode installs everything automatically, while Custom Mode lets you pick components. Windows 7 and 8 PCs need the older, unmaintained 2.7.4 release.

Shark007 Codecs - Portable, With Thumbnails

Shark007 Codecs runs from a folder instead of a normal installer and is 64-bit only. It bundles LAV Filters and Icaros, which adds video thumbnails to File Explorer.

Its settings window is busier than K-Lite's, so it suits people who like to tweak.

LAV Filters - Just the Decoders

LAV Filters is the open-source engine inside most modern codec packs, built on FFmpeg. Installing it alone gives you the decoders with nothing else added.

Pair it with MPC-BE, turn on hardware decoding (D3D11) in LAV Video settings, and add MPC Video Renderer for smooth 4K and HDR playback.

Media Foundation Codecs - For the Windows Apps

Windows' own apps, such as Photos and Media Player, ignore DirectShow codec packs and use Microsoft's Store extensions instead.

Media Foundation Codecs bundles those free extensions, including HEVC, AV1, VP9 and HEIF, in one download. It fixes the 'This item was encoded in a format that's not supported' error.

Packs to Skip

Several old names still show up in search results but have not been updated in ten years or more.

• CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack): last release 2015.
• Cole2k Media Codec Pack: last release 2015.
• FFDShow: no longer developed - LAV Filters replaced it.
• Standalone Matroska (Haali) Splitter: not needed, as LAV Filters opens MKV files itself.

How to Install a Codec Pack Safely

1. Remove any old codec pack first. Two packs fighting over the same formats is the most common cause of playback problems.
2. Create a restore point. Type 'restore point' in the Start menu and click Create.
3. Close your media players. Open programs can block files the installer needs to replace.
4. Run the installer and keep the defaults. The default choices in K-Lite and X Codec Pack suit almost everyone.
5. Test a file that failed before. If it plays now, you are done.

Quick questions