Microsoft has confirm that starting from version 24H2, Windows 11 will no longer support the AC-3 audio codec. For those who dont know, it is an audio codec that supports multi-channel (“surround sound”) audio, which is also known as Dolby Digital.
But, OEMs will still be able to pre-install the AC-3 codec.
As a result, you won’t be able to open files that use AC-3 codec with the Media Player in Windows 11 24H2.
As most streaming platforms and media companies are no longer using the AC-3 encoder as it is currently being phased out.
If you need to access a file with the AC-3 codec, you will be able to manually install the codec from the Microsoft Store or use a third-party player that supports the codec such as the MPV player.
With the AC-3 encoder, Windows 11 24H2 will also reportedly exclude Cortana, WordPad, and Steps Recorder.
The Windows 11, version 24H2 (Build 26100.712) became available in the Release Preview Channel on 22nd May 2024.
It will be available to the general public later 2024, possibly towards September or October.
Included codecs are as follows:
| Codec | Supported Format |
| Audio Codec | MPEG-1, MPEG-2 Audio ( eg . MP3, MP2) Advanced Audio Coding (AAC, M4A) Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) Waveform (WAV) Windows Media Audio (WMA) 3GP、3G2 Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) |
| Video Codec | MPEG-4, H.264 H.263 VC-1 Windows Media Video (WMV) DV VP8 Motion JPEG |
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Codec Package Which You can Install from the Microsoft Store
Codec packs add additional codec support to Windows.
Apps such as Media Player will then be able to play media files encoded in those formats.
The following codec packs are available:
| Codec Packs | |
| MPEG-2 Video Extensions | Added support for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video formats. |
| HEVC Video Extensions | Added support for HEVC (H.265) video format. |
| VP9 Video Extensions | Added support for VP9 video format. |
| AV1 Video Extensions | Added support for AV1 video format. |
| Web Media Extensions | Added support for the OGG audio and video formats, including the OGG container format, the Vorbis audio codec, and the Theora video codec. |
