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This article will explain in detail how to check which codecs are installed in Windows 10. The editor thinks it is very practical, so I share it with you as a reference. I hope you can get something after reading this article.

1. What is a codec?

As we mentioned, codecs are the necessary software to compress, transmit, and then decompress any file, including video, audio, or both. Some codecs contain only encoders, some contain only decoders, and some contain both.

Audio and video files have separate codecs. Think of it as encryption; encrypting data requires a public key, while decrypting data requires a private key. The private key can unlock and decrypt the data only if it uses the same mechanism as the encryption key.

The same is true of codecs installed on your machine. If it does not include the codec technology used in the original encoding of the file, your device will not be able to play it, resulting in an error message.

So how do you know which codecs are installed on PC and which codecs are needed to play files that cannot be played?

two。 Check which codecs are installed in Windows 10

There are several ways to check which codecs are installed on Windows PC because Windows 10 comes with some pre-installed codecs created by Microsoft, while many other codecs are created by other organizations and companies.

2.1 check the installed codecs from the system information

You can use the system Information page in Windows to check which codecs are installed on the device. However, this displays only very limited information, and you can't see all the installed codecs here.

Type msinfo32 in run to open the system Information utility, expand components, then expand Multimedia in the left pane, and you will see the options Audio Codec and Video Codec. Click any option to view information about each codec that has been installed.

This page does not provide the most reliable information about the installed codecs, but it does show the manufacturer, version, size, and creation date of the visible codecs.

2.2 check installed codecs from Windows Media Player

Because Windows Media Player is pre-installed in Windows 10, it is also the default audio and video player, and you can use this software to get a detailed list of installed codecs.

To do this, type wmplayer in run to open Windows Media Player. Next, right-click an empty area in the top bar (below the title bar), expand help in the context menu, and then click about Windows Media Player.

In the about pop-up window, click Technical support Information.

Open a detailed tab on the Web browser and scroll down to find the audio and video codecs installed on PC, as well as other useful information, such as DVD codecs.

3. Use a third-party application to check the installed codec 3.1InstalledCodec

InstalledCodec is a small portable software developed by Nirsoft to view detailed information about the codecs installed on the system. You can also apply various filters, such as displaying only 64-bit codecs, and so on, and you can disable and enable these codecs through the context menu.

3.2Video Inspector

Video Inspector is another great software to check which codecs are installed on the device. Unlike InstalledCodec, Video Inspector needs to be installed on your PC and is not portable.

Open the application and click the "codes" button on the left, which opens another window where you can view the installed video and audio codecs, and you can use the drop-down menu to switch between them.

4. How to install the missing codec

When most users find it difficult to determine what codecs are missing or damaged on their computers, how to install the missing codecs?

The metadata of most media files contains codec information, which can be seen through their properties. Right-click the file for which you want to find the codec, then click Properties from the context menu, switch to the details tab, and find the Audio Codec and Video Codec information.

If you cannot find any such information, you can use the video inspector tool to determine these codecs and download them. Download and install the application from the given link, and then start it. In the application, click Browse, and then select the file to determine its codec information, and the video inspector application will display the desired information.

You may find that the required codec is not available on my computer. If you have a similar situation, just click the "download" button under each codec, and you will automatically enter the web to search for the codec, browse to the correct file, download and install it, and it's done!

This is the end of this article on "how to check which codecs are installed in Windows 10". I hope the above content can be of some help to you, so that you can learn more knowledge. if you think the article is good, please share it for more people to see.

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