Microsoft to Remove AC-3 Codec from Windows 11 24H2, But Some OEMs Will Still Pre-Install
TapTechNews May 29th news, Microsoft quietly launched a support document, announcing that from Windows 11 version 24H2, the AC-3 codec (Dolby Digital) will no longer be built-in, but some OEM device manufacturers will still pre-install the AC-3 codec.
As shown in the picture, when you try to open some old movies that will use the AC-3 decoder in Windows 11 24H2 with media players such as MediaPlayer, it will not be able to open.
In fact, the AC-3 encoder (Dolby Digital) is currently being phased out gradually, so most streaming media platforms and media companies have stopped using this encoder. If you need to use some older files encoded with AC-3, you can also manually install some other codecs from the Microsoft Store, or install third-party software, such as the open-source MPV player.
In addition to the AC-3 encoder, Windows 11 version 24H2 will also delete Cortana, WordPad, the Step Recorder and some other older content, and is expected to start pushing to existing users in September/October.
Contained codecs
Windows contains codecs that allow MediaPlayer to play the following installed formats:
Audio codecs
MPEG-1, MPEG-2 audio (e.g. 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 codecs
MPEG-4, H.264
H.263
VC-1
Windows Media Video (WMV)
DV
VP8
Dynamic JPEG
Other codec packs available in the Microsoft Store
Codec packs add additional codec support to Windows. Then, applications such as media players will be able to play media files encoded in these formats. The following codec packs are available:
MPEG-2 Video Extension
Adds support for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video formats.
HEVC Video Extension
Adds support for HEVC (H.265) video format.
VP9 Video Extension
Adds support for VP9 video format.
AV1 Video Extension
Adds support for AV1 video format.
Web Media Extension
Adds support for OGG audio and video formats, including the OGG container format, Vorbis audio codec, and Theora video codec.
Notes on AC-3 (“Dolby Digital”)
AC-3 is an audio codec that supports multi-channel (“surround sound”) audio. It is also known as Dolby Digital.
On Windows versions before Windows 11 version 24H2, the AC-3 codec was included.
Starting from Windows 11 version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is no longer included in Windows. However, many device manufacturers will pre-install the AC-3 codec. In these cases, files encoded with the AC-3 audio codec can still be played.