HEIC files. one pc supports them, the other not.

Posted by IssueBeneficial8531@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 48 comments

I have read through countless articles trying to figure out how to get the old download link of the free HVEC extension to view HEIC files.
But not one of them works apart from probably the one using adguard store, but this is blocked at my company and now im a bit at a loss on what to try next...

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Moontoya@reddit

Vlc will playback hevc

Heic plugin is .99p

Heif image plugin is free

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simask234@reddit

But IIRC the HEIF plugin requires the HEVC one to be installed already

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skywalker-11@reddit

VLC has its own integrated codecs and doesn't use the windows store ones. If you only want to view the content that is sufficient.

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THEYoungDuh@reddit

HEIC is proprietary shit apple format.

Turn off live photo and have them resubmit as jpeg or png.

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ngjrjeff@reddit

download hevc extension from Microsoft Store - Generation Project (v1.2.3) [by @rgadguard & mkuba50]

search product id: 9n4wgh0z6vhq

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NudeNut@reddit

Had similar issues with a fleet of systems we reimaged and lost the OEM bundled extensions.

Using a fresh from factory system as a reference I was able to track it down as 'HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer', then used an off domain system to pull the package from the store using tools available at the time that worked (I don't recall which exactly as I was trying many at the time). Vetted the package, compared the codec files inside with the reference system and the hashs matched.

Find this package from a trustworthy source:

Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension_2.4.43.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle

SIZE 8067419 SHA256 94440B5CC8DD03A99B8D985AE1FD7E2F548D458AB718F2CC3EB908C07B7C36E8

You can then craft scripts to install via intune if you need or simply install at command line.

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chromespy200@reddit

I think depending on you o365 licensing you can get the MSI for this from the volume licensing center

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ButterflyPretend2661@reddit

I actually haven't had this issue in a long time with fressh windows 11 installs. anyone knows if microsoft is including it now?

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ManagementCommon3132@reddit

Grab the free extension download from the Wayback machine, I still use it to this day

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arkmtech@reddit

The following script still works just fine in 2026, and installs HEIC and HEVC support from Microsoft at no cost:

https://github.com/Andrew-J-Larson/OS-Scripts/blob/main/Windows/Apple/Enable-HEIC-Extension-Feature.ps1

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That_Fixed_It@reddit

I ran into the same problem. AI said that some video cards can decode these files without an extension. I can't confirm this, but the files open on PCs with Intel UHD Graphics 770 or NVIDIA RTX A1000, but fail with Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics. What GPUs do you have?

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fdeyso@reddit

Everything can decode it, some cards may have builtin support therefore license and others don’t. Worst case you can buy it from the ms marketplace OR if you have vlsc you probably have some, just assign it.

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tideblue@reddit

I worked at a bank. Most of these were “photos of customers’ bank or tax documents” - and we’d walk employees through telling them to turn off Live Photos on their iPhone (almost always the case) and send it back as a jpeg.

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greenstarthree@reddit

Repair installing Windows from a USB / ISO fixed this for us

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

That will be my last resolution if everything else wont work...

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smileymattj@reddit

Reinstalling won’t work unless you use an OEM image. This is the whole reason one has it and one doesn’t to begin with.

The one that is working is the factory Dell/HP/Lenovo/etc.. OEM image. Microsoft lets OEMs bundle it with Windows.

When you reinstall with official Microsoft ISO/MediaCreationTool. It’s not free and you have to purchase it. This is most likely what broke it.

Various ways of getting back. Plenty already suggested here. But reinstalling is just gonna put you in the same boat yet further back because now you’ve got to reconfigure everything and reinstall all your required software back.

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greenstarthree@reddit

You don’t have to clean install - just a repair using an ISO / USB created using the MS media creation tool. Can keep user files etc.

In our case it was an in place upgrade to 24H2 distributed by WSUS that stopped it working. By repair installing from the MCT download it started working again

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alphageek8@reddit

This isn't an answer to your tech support question but from a policy standpoint, we make iMazing HEIC converter available through the store and force people to convert. Those images eventually need to interact with any number of other programs where having them in JPG is going to be needed anyways.

We decided to not give them any option to open HEIC images to further enforce the need for conversion.

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_l33ter_@reddit

Works fine for me

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

Yeah it also works fine on my laptop, a colleagues laptop, another colleagues laptop, but on 2 laptops its just not there, always telling me i need to buy the extension from the store, which doesnt make sense to me since all of these laptops are installed on from the same installation

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pawwoll@reddit

Microslop forcing ppl to buy basic codecs mmm
classic

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pdp10@reddit

Codecs have been disappearing from Windows base installs for a long, long time.

Apple never supported Blu-ray playback, even though they're one of the holder of patents in the H.265 patent pool(s). Whether Apple's AppleTV service has anything to do with that, is up to readers to decide.

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_l33ter_@reddit

buy?? what? I never buy any .heic extension

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Callewalle@reddit

it's free in germany apparently, but even for me, in belgium it's 1€.

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_l33ter_@reddit

Ok - weird? why should MS give it for free for the germans but not for the rest of the world?

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

The one you sent is heif extension, for this one to work you need the hvec extension which was free some time ago but now costs 1€

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_l33ter_@reddit

ok - sorry to hear that

but at least: You really could spend that one euro in a more daft way!

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_l33ter_@reddit

you need to DL the .heic extension from the store

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

That would work but I would really like it to work without needing to pay 1€ for something that works for some other users for free

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_l33ter_@reddit

here

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Diabelko@reddit

I confirm, works perfectly fine, but you need to have "Movies & TV" installed as well. It's free in here as well.

OP, verify if you have both installed.

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_l33ter_@reddit

Movies & TV is not installed on my system.

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Diabelko@reddit

For me, to install this HEIC extension it tells me to install Movies & TV, but after you install both you can yeet Movies & TV.

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_l33ter_@reddit

just to show you 😄 it's not installed on my windows

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pawwoll@reddit

Great — glad it’s working for you.

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_l33ter_@reddit

the win photo app is fully capable with .heic

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Drizkori@reddit

Microsoft published a HEIF codec, available from Microsoft store and Intune. Microsoft Store might still be a dollar, not sure, but Intune was no cost (Intune license required)

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

I tried it now...have to see tomorrow if the users got the app now

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IssueBeneficial8531@reddit (OP)

I do have access to our intune... do you know where i can find the codec there?

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