Applies ToWindows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8.1 N Windows 8 N
N editions of Windows include the same functionality as other editions of Windows, except for media-related technologies, Windows Media Player, and certain preinstalled media apps. The Media Feature Pack provides a way for a customer to restore these excluded technologies.
Some features require reinstalling hardware drivers after the Media Feature Pack is installed. For guidance to do this, see Update drivers in Windows.
Media Feature Packs by Windows version
The following is a list of the articles detailing Media Feature Packs for each version of Windows N editions from Windows 8 N forward.
Notes: For Windows 10, version 1909 and later, the Media Feature Pack is only available for download as an Optional Feature. Here’s how to install the Media Feature Pack on Windows 10 N and Windows 11 N:
-
Windows 10 N: Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Optional features > Add a feature. Then locate the Media Feature Pack in the list of available optional features.
-
Windows 11 N: Select the Start button, then select Settings > Apps > Optional features. Select View features next to Add an optional feature, and then select the Media Feature Pack in the list of available optional features.
Windows 10, version 22H2: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (February 2023)
Windows 10, version 22H2: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (September 2022)
Windows 10, version 21H2: Media Feature Pack for Windows N
Windows 10, version 21H1: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (May 2021)
Windows 10, version 20H2: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (October 2020)
Windows 10, version 2004: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (May 2020)
Windows 10, version 1909: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (November 2019)
Windows 10, version 1903: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (May 2019)
Windows 10, version 1809: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (October 2018)
Windows 10, version 1803: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (April 2018)
Windows 10, version 1709: Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (October 2017)
Windows 10, version 1703: Media Feature Pack for N edition of Windows 10 Version 1703 (April 2017)
Windows 10, version 1607: Media Feature Pack for N editions of Windows 10 Version 1607
Windows 10, version 1508: Media feature pack for Windows 10 N and Windows 10 KN editions
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This tutorial will show you how to download and install the Media Feature Pack for N editions of Windows 11.
N editions of Windows include the same functionality as other editions of Windows, except for media-related technologies, Windows Media Player, and certain preinstalled media apps (Groove, Movies & TV, Voice Recorder, and Skype). The Media Feature Pack provides a way for you to restore these excluded technologies.
These technologies include, but are not limited to, the following features:
- Windows Media Player application: Enables Windows Media Player features, such as the ability to play media files and audio CDs, manage media in a library, create a playlist, provide metadata (including album art) for media, create an audio CD, transfer music to a portable music player, and play streaming content from a website.
- Windows Media Player Runtime: Exposes methods and properties to manipulate multimedia playback from a webpage or an application.
- Windows Media Format: Provides support for the Advanced Systems Format (ASF) file container, the Windows Media audio and video codecs, basic network streaming capability, and digital rights management (DRM).
- Windows Media DRM: Enables the secure delivery of protected content for playback on a computer, portable device, or network device.
- Media sharing and Play To: Enables music, pictures, and videos on a networked computer to be shared with other computers and devices on the same network. Also enables computers to find those kinds of files on the network.
- Media Foundation: Provides support for content protection, audio and video quality, and interoperability for DRM.
- Windows Portable Devices (WPD) infrastructure: Communicates with attached media and storage devices that include devices that support the Media Transfer Protocol.
- MPEG, WMA, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, AMR, and Dolby Digital audio codecs: Enable the playback of digital audio content, such as MP3, WMA, MPEG-2 audio, AAC audio, FLAC and ALAC audio, and AC-3 audio.
- VC-1, MPEG-4, and H.264, H.265, and H.263 codecs: Collectively known as «Standards-based codec components.» Enable Windows 10 programs such as Windows Media Player to support activities that include the playback and recording of multimedia files that are encoded with standards-based codecs.
- Movies & TV: An app that’s used to play digital video.
- Windows Voice Recorder: An app that’s used to record sounds.
- Skype: An app that’s used for messaging and communications.
Some features aren’t excluded directly from Windows N edition, but they are affected by the media technology exclusions. The following features won’t work properly if the Media Feature Pack isn’t installed on a PC running Windows 10/11 N. Note that some of these may not work properly after installing the Media Feature Pack:
- Alarms and clock: Alarm and timer sounds don’t play.
- Application Sync: This feature doesn’t work.
- Cortana Personal Assistant: Cortana with Voice (speech interaction with Cortana) doesn’t work.
- Features with audio and video functionality. Many features that come as part of Windows can be used to view or play video or audio content. Here are some examples: OneNote app (lets people record or play audio), Microsoft Edge web browser (lets people play audio and video content on the internet), the Photos app, the OneDrive app, and others. If a person tries to access and play video content in any of these apps by opening a video file stored on Microsoft OneDrive (as an example), these media features won’t work on Windows 10/11 N.
- Group Policy for removable disks: This feature is not available in the N edition of Windows 10 Pro.
- Live Captions. This feature uses AI to do high-quality, machine speech-to-text conversion. It won’t work without installing the Media Feature Pack.
- Microsoft Edge browser: Certain video streaming websites may have incomplete functionality when accessed via the new Microsoft Edge browser.
- Microsoft Teams: Some functionality such as audio or video calling will not work.
- Narrator: Voice navigation using the Narrator app doesn’t work.
- Microsoft OneDrive and Photos: These applications cannot play videos.
- PDF Viewing in Microsoft Edge: This feature doesn’t work on older versions of Microsoft Edge but will work on the New Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser even without the Media Feature Pack installed.
- Voice Recorder: This app isn’t available on Windows 10/11 N. After the Media Feature Pack is installed, people can download this app from the Microsoft Store.
- Voice typing: This feature doesn’t work.
- Webcam: This feature doesn’t work.
- Windows camera devices: Cameras and apps that can record video and audio don’t work.
- Windows Hello: This feature doesn’t work.
- Windows Mixed Reality: Windows 10/11 N is not compatible with Windows Mixed Reality.
- Windows Portable Devices: There is no support for media synchronization, image acquisition, or file browsing.
- Microsoft Store Media Content: Audio and video content that was obtained through the Store cannot be played. Also, the preview of audio or video content in the Store doesn’t work.
- Wireless Display: This feature doesn’t work.
- Xbox: Some functionality that’s associated with this app, such as Game Bar, Game DVR, and signing in to Xbox Live, doesn’t work.
Some features require reinstalling hardware drivers after the Media Feature Pack is installed.
Media codecs for playback of media in apps and in the browser:
- VP9 Video Extensions
- Web Media Extensions
- HEIF Image Extensions
- HEVC Video Extensions
References:
You must be signed in as an administrator to install the Media Feature Pack.
Here’s How:
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Perform one of the available options below: (see screenshots below)
- Click/tap on Apps on the left side, and click/tap on Optional features on the right side.
- Click/tap on System on the left side, and click/tap on Optional features on the right side.
3 Click/tap on the View features button to Add an optional feature. (see screenshot below)
4 Check Media Feature Pack, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
5 Click/tap on Install. (see screenshot below)
6 The Media Feature Pack will now start to install. (see screenshot below)
7 When the Media Feature Pack has finished installing, you will be required to manually restart the computer in order to successfully complete installation of the Media Feature Pack. (see screenshot below)
That’s it,
Shawn Brink
Related Tutorials
- Add or Remove Optional Features in Windows 11
- Install or Uninstall Windows Media Player Legacy app in Windows 11
- Enable or Disable DLNA Media Streaming in Windows 10 and Windows 11
Windows 11 N Edition is a special edition of Windows available for Europe. N stands for No Media. Hence, it excludes a few multimedia-related features and apps from Windows, like Windows Media Player, Groove Music, Movies & TV, Voice Recorder, etc.
Windows 11 KN Edition is designed for Korea to comply with Korean laws. It also comes without multimedia functionality. In addition, Windows Messenger is also removed from Windows. However, since Microsoft has already discontinued Windows Messenger, the KN edition is essentially the same as the N edition of Windows 11.
The Media Feature Pack can be downloaded as an optional extra for Windows 11 N and KN, so you can still play multimedia files.
Table of Contents
You will not be able to utilize these features and apps on your PC if you have installed Windows 11 N or KN:
- Windows Media Player
- Windows Media Format (ASF) and other formats video and audio formats including MPEG, WMA, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, AMR, H264, H265 and Dolby digital audio codecs.
- Play Windows Media DRM content
- Share music, pictures or videos over the network
- Groove Music
- Voice recorder
- Skype
This article discusses how you can install the Media Feature Pack on your Windows 11 machine to enjoy the above-mentioned features.
Install Media Feature Pack in Windows 11 N/KN Editions
Using Optional Features
Follow the steps below to install the Media Feature Pack on your Windows 11 computer:
An active internet connection is required to install the Media Feature Pack.
- Navigate to the following location:
Settings app >> Apps >> <a href="http://ms-settings:optionalfeatures">Optional Features</a> >> View Features
- In the Add an optional feature window, search for “media” from the search box. Then, check the box in front of Media Feature Pack. You can also check Windows Media Player to install Microsoft’s official media player. Click Next when done.
- In the next window, click Install.
- The Media Feature Pack will then begin installation. Once installed, restart your computer for a successful installation.
When you return, you should be able to play the multimedia files and apps.
Using Windows PowerShell
You can also install the Media Feature Pack on your Windows 11 machine through the command line. This method may be a bit advanced for some users. However, it can be performed rather quickly.
- Launch Windows PowerShell with administrative privileges and run the following command:
DISM /Online /Get-Capabilities
You will now see all the optional features for Windows 11 and their status (Present/Not Present) underneath these packages.
- From the given list, look for the Media Feature Pack name.
- Once noted, use the following command to begin the installation. Replace WMFCompleteName with the name of the Media Feature Pack the you had noted in step 2.
DISM /Online /Add-Capability /CapabilityName:<em>WMFCompleteName</em>
- Windows Media Feature Pack will now begin installation. Once installed, you may close the PowerShell window.
You can also use the command given in step 3 above to install Windows Media Player by replacing WMFCompleteName with the complete name for the Windows Media Player package.
Install additional codecs with Media Feature Pack
Once you have installed the Media Feature Pack in Windows 11 N/KN, you should install some optional codecs which will make it easier to play a wide range of multimedia files. These codecs can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Here are the links:
VP9 Video Extensions – A popular codec for streaming videos over the Internet
HEVC video extensions from the device manufacturer – Play High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) videos in any video app on your Windows 11/10 device
Web media extensions – The Web Media Extensions package enables Microsoft Edge and Windows 10 to support a variety of popular open-source formats
HEIF image extensions – Files that use the High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format can be read and written by Windows 10 devices using this extension.
Movies & TV – Watch all your movies and TV shows on Windows 11. A better alternative to Windows Media Center.
Groove music – With Groove Music, you can listen to your favorite music.
Xbox Game Bar – Widgets for in-game features like screen capture, sharing, etc.
Windows Voice Recorder – Default Sound Recorder for Windows 11.
Skype – The instant messenger.
Uninstall Media Feature Pack from Windows 11
Here is how you can uninstall the Media Feature Pack from Windows 11 if you ever need to:
- Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> Apps >> Optional Features. - Now scroll down and look for the Media Feature Pack under “Installed features”. Click on it to expand.
- Once expanded, click the Uninstall button. It will then be removed from your PC.
Alternatively, you can also remove the Media Feature Pack by running the following command in Windows PowerShell:
DISM /Online /Remove-Capability /CapabilityName:WMFCompleteName
Remember to replace WMFCompleteName with the name of the Windows Media Feature Pack.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Windows N edition?
The Windows N editions are specifically designed for Europe and Switzerland to comply with European law. N stands for N Media and does not come with Windows Media Player pre-installed.
What is a feature pack?
The feature pack contains a set of different packages that introduce new features, fixes, or improvements.
How to check Windows edition?
You can see your installed Windows edition by typing in ms-settings:about in Run.
Can I install the Media Feature Pack on a normal Windows 11 system?
Since the default Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro systems include all media feature pack tools and apps, there is no need to install them separately. However, you can install some of the optional components mentioned in this article.
The Media Feature Pack for N versions of Windows 10 will install Media Player and related technologies on a computer running Windows 10 N editions. For further information, please see Microsoft Support or query the Knowledge Base (KB) for the article number KB3145500 to find the appropriate Media Feature Pack for your version of Windows.
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Microsoft Windows comes bundled with tons of pre-installed apps, such as Windows Media Player, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Teams, etc. While the integration of the apps was focused on bringing more customers to the Windows user base, some countries opposed the idea of getting pre-installed media apps, calling it a monopoly against vendors of similar third-party apps. Hence Microsoft created other versions of Windows for the European and Korean markets, labeling them the N and the KN versions respectively. These versions were designed to offer similar functionality as the main Windows editions, except that they miss the media features and related technologies.
To overcome this limitation, Microsoft released an update named Media Feature Pack which installs the Windows Media Player and related technologies on systems running the N or KN editions of Windows 11/ 10.
We have previously covered how to download Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N version. This article explains how to install the Media Feature Pack for Windows 11 N and KN to regain fuller Windows 11 functionality on these editions.
The Media Feature Pack can be installed as an Optional Feature. The following steps describe how to restore the excluded media-related technologies on Windows 11 N and KN:
- Click on the Start menu located in your Windows taskbar area.
- Click on the Settings option.
- Click on Apps on the left panel.
- Click on Apps & features option.
- Then click on Optional features.
- Then click on the View features button next to the ‘Add an optional feature’ option.
- Type ‘Media Feature Pack’ in the search box on top of the window that appears.
- Select the Media Feature Pack option by clicking on the checkbox next to it.
- Click on the Next button.
- Click on the Install button.
- Restart your computer to finish the installation.
Note:
- Once you’ve installed the Media Feature Pack, you will need to install additional apps from the Microsoft Apps Store.
- Some of the features in the Media Feature Pack require reinstalling hardware drivers in Windows 11 N/ KN.
1] Install additional apps in Windows 11 K/ KN after installing the Media Feature Pack
Following apps needs to be installed additionally after installing the Media Feature Pack on Windows 11 N/ KN systems:
- Media codecs for media playback in apps and the browser:
- VP9 Video Extensions
- Web Media Extensions
- HEIF Image Extensions
- Skype
- Movies & TV
- Media Player app
- Xbox Gaming Overlay
- Voice Recorder
2] Reinstall hardware drivers in Windows 11K/ KN after installing the Media Feature Pack
- Click on the Search box located in your taskbar area.
- Type ‘device manager’.
- Select Device Manager.
- Expand a device to see the list of installed drivers.
- Right-click on the driver name and click on the Uninstall device option.
- Restart your Windows 11 N/ KN PC.
- The system will try reinstalling missing device drivers automatically.
Read: Where to download drivers for Windows 11/10.
Installing the official Media pack should suffice for most Windows 11 N/ KN users. But unfortunately, some features such as Windows Mixed Reality and Xbox Game DVR won’t work even after installing the Media Feature Pack. So users who want these apps to function properly will be left with no choice but to upgrade the OS to a non-N version.
To install the Media Feature Pack for the N editions of Windows 11:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Optional features.
- Then click on the View features button next to the Add an optional feature option.
- Search for Media Feature Pack in the list of available options.
- Click on Next and then click on Install.
To install the Media Feature Pack for the N editions of Windows 10:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Optional features > Add a feature.
- Then search for Media Feature Pack in the list of available options.
- Click on Next.
- Then click on Install.
What is the difference between Windows Home and N?
N refers to a version of Windows 11 that’s targeted at the European market. It offers the same functionality that Windows Home offers, but misses some media-related capabilities, such as the ability to play audio and media files, manipulate multimedia playback, and record multimedia files. These missing features can be regained by installing the Media Feature Pack update of Microsoft offered specifically for the N versions of Windows.
Sangeeta holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications. She has been associated with the Information Technology industry for over 10 years, and enjoys reading and sharing Windows & technology-related tips.