If during the installation of the codec you found a window with a choice of profiles, and you want to customize it as conveniently as possible, then you will have to thoroughly understand all the extensions offered to you.
Select Profile 7: Lots of stuff from the dropdown menu, and at the bottom you'll find a huge number of radio buttons and checkboxes. Of course, you can leave everything there as it is and continue installing your codec, or you can change some of the settings.
Here is a description of some of the most important to users.
- Player - in case you use other players. Do not uncheck this sub-item, then you can associate files during installation with any of your favorite players.
- Flash Video - FLV is a special bitstream that is a special variant of the well-known video standard. This format is supported by most codecs. Choose it in order to play these files.
- VP7 - but it's better not to uncheck this codec. It is used by so many sites to play videos on the Internet.
- Process raw video - this option is usually disabled. This format supports unprocessed video that is received directly from the matrix, or video that has not yet been fully processed (usually to avoid information loss). In this form, you get video from some types of video cameras, recorders, and so on.
- In the DirectShow audio decoding filters sub-item, you will select audio filters. In almost all cases, ffdshow is preferred.
- MP1, MP2, MP3 are all familiar compressed audio files. Leave unchanged.
- AAC is a special audio format for YouTube, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Nintendo DSi, iTunes and so on.
- Other audio formats - In this column we select preferences for other audio formats.
- Process uncompressed audio (PCM) is uncompressed audio processing and is disabled by default.
- For avi, matroska, mp4 and flac formats use the standard settings, they are the best by default.
- The Tools column contains all the tools. Check the boxes next to all the tools, you will figure it out along the way, many of them may be needed quite unexpectedly. The set of tools will not burden the program and your computer at all.
If your audio or video file does not play, most likely the problem is the lack of suitable codecs. You can learn more about codecs and how to choose them correctly from our article. Let's move from theory to practice and tell you how to install, update or remove codecs.
You can install codecs for playing sound and video either separately for each format or in a package, which is most convenient.
One of the most popular and complete packages of audio and video codecs - K-Lite Codec Pack - is suitable for operating systems Windows XP, 7, 8 and 10. It can be downloaded for free from almost any software portal - a site for downloading programs. To download the latest version of the package with all updates, it is better to go to the manufacturer's official website. In addition, you will protect yourself from possible viruses.
Let's consider step by step how to install codecs
How to update, reinstall or remove codecs
You have installed the codecs and now you can play files in any media format on your computer. But what about watching videos on mobile devices? You can find a player that supports the codecs you need, but there is an easier way - convert the file using
Knowing the situation: you installed a clean, fresh Windows on your computer, rolled up the drivers, made yourself comfortable, looking forward to watching an interesting movie, but it does not play? The same thing happens with music: the sound driver is installed, and there is silence in the headphones. Where do glitches come from if the system is brand new? Let me tell you a secret: the problem is not at all in it and the solution is very simple.
The cause of the problem is the lack of codecs - small but extremely important programs that are used to decode (and reverse-encode) compressed digital audio and video of certain formats. Today we'll talk about how to install and update codecs in Windows so that we can listen and watch whatever we want.
When should you install codecs?
Should I install codecs on my computer immediately after installing Windows and drivers? Someone - yes, but someone - no. The fact is that codecs for many common video and audio formats are natively present in the system. And if you don't have any problems opening the content you want, you can leave it as it is.If, when you try to play a video or music recording, you see the message “ An error occured while opening one or more files" or " The file cannot be opened”, Installing the missing codec will correct the situation.
Most of the audio and video codecs are universal, that is, they can interact with different applications. For example, it is enough to install the codec into the system once. MPEG Layer III, and all music players will be able to normally play audio content in the format mp3.
There are codecs that are used by a single program. Usually they are installed in Windows along with it, but in some cases the mission of finding and installing missing components is left to the user.
There are still situations when a media file of a certain type is played in only one application, and the others do not recognize it, although they should. The reason again lies in the lack of the required codec in the system. It's just that the program that reads this file has a codec inside it, and "competitors" can't get to it in any way.
Where can I get the required codecs?
There are only two main sources for replenishing the stock of Windows codecs:
- The official websites of the developers of a specific data type compression standard. This is a suitable option when the system lacks one or two rarely used codecs.
- Batch builds of all major video and audio codecs. This option is more suitable for the case when the computer does not recognize many file formats.
The most popular source of the second type is batch build K-Lite Codec Pack... More precisely, this is an application that not only installs, but also monitors codec updates and automatically downloads them as they are released.
The K-Lite Codec Pack is free. The latest releases available on the official site contain components for 32- and 64-bit systems and support all versions of Windows, from XP to 10. In addition, the packages (except for the minimum - basic) include a universal media player for playing video and music files.
Today, 4 editions of the application are available on the Russian-language resource K-Lite Codec Pack:
- Basic is a basic package that includes only the most commonly used codecs.
- Standard is a regular package that will handle most common multimedia files.
- Full is a complete package of audio and video codecs with additional tools.
- Mega is the ultimate package with additional tools.
How to install the K-Lite Codec Pack
The application supports several installation methods - from automatic to manual, where the user can adjust almost every parameter.Let's consider the installation of the basic K-Lite Codec Pack in Expert mode (manual), since it has the ability to load only the necessary components into the system and configure them according to your preferences.
Mode " Expert"Select in the first window of the installation program.
Next, the installer prompts you to specify decoders for video and audio and preferred player applications for playing movies and music. And also - to agree to bind multimedia files to these applications (create associations).
Next, we determine the location of the program installation.
The fourth step is to select the required assembly components. What you do not plan to use, do not mark.
After selecting the components, the program offers to set up their configuration.
Then - the hardware acceleration method.
At the eighth stage, we select one of the versions of Windows Media Player, which will be used.
Specify the types of files that will open in Windows Media Player by default.
Determine the configuration of the playback device.
We mark the file extensions for which the thumbnail will be created in Windows Explorer.
We check the selected settings and click " Install»To start installing the codecs.
If you do not understand the essence of a parameter, leave it as default or follow the program's recommendations.
The choice of options in other K-Lite Codec Packs is somewhat more extensive, but the differences are not so global as to dwell on them separately. We were faced with the task of installing codecs in the system, and we successfully coped with it, and very few need additional functions.
For Windows to start using the installed codecs according to your preferences, just restart your computer.
The K-Lite Codec Pack is a versatile set of codecs and utilities for playing and processing audio and video files, including only free or free (open-source software) open source software.
Features of K-Lite Codec Pack
- Optimal selection of codecs;
- The ability to detect and remove damaged filters and codecs;
- Compatibility with other software packages;
- Advanced installation wizard;
- Complete removal of the package by the uninstaller;
- Frequent updates of software components.
Supported file formats
- .avi, .divx, .flv, .mkv, .mka, .mp3, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mpe, .m2v, .mpv2, .mp2v, .m2p, .vob, .evo, .mod , .ts, .m2ts, .m2t, .mts, .pva, .tp, .tpr, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mpv4, .m4a, .3gp, .3gpp, .3g2, .3gp2,. ogg, .ogm, .ogv, .oga, .rm, .rmvb, .ra, .ram, .webm, .mov, .hdmov .qt, .flac, .wv, .ac3, .dts, .amr,. amv, .alac, .ape, .apl, .aac, .mpc, .mpp, .xm, .s3m, .it, .umx, .ofr, .ofs.
K-Lite Codec Pack Components
- DirectShow video filters - XviD, On2 VP7, MPEG-2 (Gabest), MPEG-2 (Cyberlink);
- Video codecs - XviD, x264, On2 VP7, Lagarith, huffyuv, Intel I.263, DivX, YV12 (Helix);
- DirectShow audio filters - MusePack (MONOGRAM), WavPack (CoreWavPack), FLAC (madFLAC), Monkey's Audio (DCoder), OptimFROG (RadLight), DC-Bass Source, AC3 / DTS Source (AC3File), AMR (MONOGRAM);
- ACM audio codecs - MP3 (Fraunhofer), MP3 (LAME), AC3 (ffcHandler), Ogg Vorbis, DivX Audio;
- DirectShow source filters - AVI splitter (Gabest), AVI splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Gabest), Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Matroska splitter (Gabest), Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Ogg splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS / TS splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS / TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter), FLV splitter (Gabest), CDDA Reader (Gabest), CDXA Reader (Gabest);
- DirectShow subtitle filter - DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter);
- Utilities - Bitrate Calculator, Codec Tweak Tool, GSpot Codec Information Appliance, MediaInfo Lite, VobSubStrip, GraphStudio, Haali Muxer, FourCC Changer;
- Media Player Classic Home Cinema (included in all package variants except Basic, available in 32 and 64-bit versions).
Installing codecs
The installation process for the K-Lite Codec Pack is pretty simple and intuitive, it doesn't take long.
For most users, the settings that will be suggested by the wizard during installation are best left unchanged and not experimenting with them, leaving all the checkboxes in their places, this will be quite enough for listening to music and watching videos on a computer.
Alternative set of codecs:
Download K-Lite Codec Pack
Codecs K-Lite Codec Pack are distributed in versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. Our site presents the latest version of the most complete package (includes more components, supports more formats, etc.) - K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.
Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for free, no registration.
Spoiler (Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for Windows XP)
Newer versions of the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack no longer support Windows XP. If you need to download the K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows XP, then use one of the links below:
What's new in version: list of changes
If you have any problems with playing movies and video clips on your computer, then you can solve them with the help of the K-Lite Codec Pack, which is distributed in several versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. In this guide, we will walk you through the installation process of the K-Lite Codec Pack Mega, which includes components from all other packages.
Step 1. Installer
Launch your browser and go to the K-Lite Codec Pack Mega page. Click on the link to download the distribution:
Download and run the distribution kit.
Step 2. Preparation
At the very beginning, you will be asked to indicate the type of installation. We choose Advanced and press the button Next:
Step 3. Path and components
Selecting all the components in the option Player, if they are suddenly not affixed in advance. If you have a 64-bit OS installed, then you can leave the checkbox x64, and if 32-bit - x86... Click on Next:
You will then be prompted to create a K-Lite Codec Pack folder in the Start Menu for quick access. To cancel the action, check the checkbox Don "t create a Start Menu folder... We press Next:
On the next screen, we leave all the default settings:
Optionally, you can add player shortcuts Media Player Classic and K-Lite settings on the desktop and taskbar:
Scroll down, disable options Show configuration tips and Show optional offer... We press Next:
Step 4. Language pack
In the window that appears, enable the language packs option Install language files, if it is suddenly inactive, and click on Next:
Step 5. Hardware acceleration
Leave the default settings for the H.264 codec and click Next:
The developers recommend changing these settings only if you are an experienced user and understand what these options are responsible for, about which you can read in more detail in the Help (Help button in the lower left corner).
Step 6. Language settings
Further, as the main language ( Primary language) leave Russian ( Russian) or change at our discretion, and as a secondary language ( Secondary language) we are offered English ( English). It can also be changed at will:
The lower options allow you to customize the subtitle output. For example, if we select the 2nd checkbox, then subtitles will be displayed by default if the audio track language does not match the main one ( Primary language). Leave this option and click Next:
Step 7. Completion
Here we can select those players for which the K-Lite Codec Pack settings will be active. We select our favorite video players, focusing on the bitness of your OS (x86 - 32-bit, and x64 - 64-bit), and click Next:
In the new window, click on the button All video and click on Next:
If you reset the settings for video file extensions, and instead of them all audio formats will be selected, then click on the button Noneand choose again All video.
Then you will be asked to specify the types of video preview extensions that will be displayed in the standard explorer. Leave everything as default and click Next:
We press Install and wait for the installation of all components to complete:
Upon completion of the installation, click on the button Finish:
