Replay of iCloud.com video

Check the failing video in Edge’s media diagnostics; if it is HEVC/H.265 and decoder initialization fails, reinstall the official HEVC Video Extension from Microsoft Store.

Confirm the codec and decoder failure

1. In Edge, open: edge://media-internals
2. Leave that tab open, return to iCloud.com, and play one of the newer videos that produces sound but no picture.
3. Return to edge://media-internals, select the active player, and inspect:
   • kVideoTracks or codec
   • kVideoDecoderName
   • Any decoder initialization or configuration errors
4. Also open edge://gpu and review Video Acceleration Information.

Edge can play audio without video when its Windows decoding path does not support or cannot initialize the video codec. HEVC is conditionally supported and requires a valid HEVC extension and working decoder; Chrome can play the same content through a different decoder path.^1^

If the result identifies HEVC/H.265

Look specifically for either:

• Failed to create HEVC decoder instance, License check for app failed (0xC00DB3B3) in edge://gpu, or
• An HEVC decoder initialization/configuration failure in edge://media-internals.

If either appears:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Check the currently installed HEVC package:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *HEVC* |
    Select-Object Name, PackageFullName

3. If an HEVC package is present, remove it and any provisioned copy:

This removes HEVC support temporarily; restart and reinstall the official extension immediately afterward.

Get-AppxPackage *HEVC* |
    ForEach-Object {
        Remove-AppxPackage -Package $_.PackageFullName
    }

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online |
    Where-Object DisplayName -like "*HEVC*" |
    ForEach-Object {
        Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName $_.PackageName
    }

4. Restart Windows.
5. Install HEVC Video Extensions from Microsoft Store.
6. Restart Edge and test the same iCloud video.

Windows provides H.265 support through the corresponding optional codec pack, and availability can vary by device.^2^

If the video is H.264/AVC instead

1. Open edge://settings/system.
2. Turn on Use graphics acceleration when available.
3. Restart Edge.
4. Open edge://gpu and verify that Video Decode reports Hardware accelerated.
5. Reproduce the problem and inspect kVideoDecoderName in edge://media-internals:
   • D3D11VideoDecoder or MediaFoundationVideoDecoder: hardware decoding
   • FFmpegVideoDecoder: software decoding

If acceleration is already enabled but playback still fails:

• Toggle it off, restart Edge, and test once using software decoding.
• Update the graphics driver from the PC or GPU manufacturer.
• Turn acceleration back on, restart Edge, and check whether the decoder path changes.^1^

If the format is unsupported rather than HEVC or H.264, convert a downloaded copy to H.264 video with AAC audio in an MP4 container, or continue using Chrome as the non-destructive workaround.

If support is needed

Save these details before opening a Microsoft support request:

• Edge version from edge://settings/help
• Full report from edge://gpu
• Player properties from edge://media-internals
• Codec and container details
• HEVC package output from the first PowerShell command

References

1. Fix Edge Video Playback Problems - Microsoft Edge
2. Supported codecs