Microsoft Officially drops AC3 (Dolby Digital) Support from W11 24H2

Shou Miko · Oct 2, 2024

I been having issues with my Plex Media Player lately where audio in EAC3 codec wasn't giving out any sound and it looks like Microsoft has Officially dropped the support from 24H2.

A note on AC-3 (“Dolby Digital”)

AC-3 is an audio codec that supports multi-channel (“surround sound”) audio. It's also known as Dolby Digital.

On versions of Windows prior to Windows 11, version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is included.

Beginning with Windows 11, version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is no longer included with Windows. However, many device manufacturers will pre-install an AC-3 codec. Also, if you upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2 from an earlier version of Windows, the AC-3 codec will be retained. In these cases, you will still be able to play files encoded with the AC-3 audio codec.

MS Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...a-player-d5c2cdcd-83a2-4805-abb0-c6888138e456
WindowsLastest.com: https://www.windowslatest.com/2024/...ows-11-24h2-ditches-ac-3-codec-dolby-digital/

I use Windows 11 24H2 on my laptop because I installed the Windows 11 IoT LTSC Enterprice and it works flawless with codec pack KCP Black that I use but not in Plex Media Player so I searched around and it's easy and possible to get the support back by downloading AnWave by SimonMacer from GitHub.

I found a post on elevenforum.com by uncyler825 about AnWave and it's really easy.
1. Download AnWave from GitHub: https://github.com/SimonMacer/AnWave
2. Extract the latest version - https://github.com/SimonMacer/AnWave/releases/tag/AnWave
3. Run AnWave --> Tools --> Windows Key-Point or click in the bottom left corner on the text "Windows Key-Point"

4. Click the tab "Personalize" and scroll all the way to the buttom to find "Microsoft Dolby Digital (AC-3 Codec)

5. Now install both the Decoder and Encoder MFT or just choose the one you need.
6. Now enjoy AC-3/EAC3 in Plex or WMP again.

*A note AnWave changed design so I updated the screenshots.

I hope someone else also finds this helpful now that Micrososft has Officially started rolling out 24H2.
24H2 rolling out Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...h2-now-rolling-out-here-are-the-new-features/

Shou Miko · Oct 4, 2024

If anyone upgrades from 23H2 or older they won't be missing the ac-3 MFT codecs it's only on clean installation, I forgot to mention that...

Klemc · Oct 4, 2024

The one/first thing Windows needs, is :
Microsoft Defender Uninstaller
Thanks for linking to AnWave (DefControl works but...)

IDK what a codec does, i never understand what's all that stuff, there is a computer, i plug the 3.5 jack or others like hdmi/spdif........... then if sound outputs i call it a working sound !

remixedcat · Oct 4, 2024

Cuz ms wants everyone on overhyped Dolby atmos...

Klemc · Oct 4, 2024

remixedcat said:
Cuz ms wants everyone on overhyped Dolby atmos...

You mean, to buy an hardwrae decoder ?

azrael · Oct 4, 2024

remixedcat said:
Cuz ms wants everyone on overhyped Dolby atmos...

Probably more like MS wants to save on licensing fees. If that wasn't the case they'd put the appropriate codec to download in the MS Store.

Shou Miko · Oct 4, 2024

azrael said:
Probably more like MS wants to save on licensing fees. If that wasn't the case they'd put the appropriate codec to download in the MS Store.

From my understanding it's only the Atmos license you need to purchase unless a oem has certified it like Lenovo does and put it in to their vantage software.

Atmos is like 12years old right now was released in 2012 and Dolby Digital is like 33 years old was released in 1991.

But it shouldn't be a license issue but since Microsoft doesn't state the reason it's makes it even more annoying.

That's why I created this thread and I hope it helps the people that have the decoding problem like I had myself.

eidairaman1 · Oct 11, 2024

To top it off they are forcing recall on users, ms can go fuck themselves

Dr. Dro · Oct 11, 2024

remixedcat said:
Cuz ms wants everyone on overhyped Dolby atmos...

Atmos support relies on the hardware itself being licensed. Atmos for Headphones is paid for and not included, besides the output is PCM. So yeah

Shou Miko · Nov 2, 2024

SimonMacer updated his tool so from version 4.35 the ac-3 is called "Microsoft Dolby Digital Atmos Pack".

Source: https://github.com/SimonMacer/AnWave/discussions/14

Okapi · Jan 15, 2025

After installing the Microsoft Dolby Digital Atmos pack with Anwave, should Dolby Digital or something similar be listed in the spatial sound menu for the audio device? I don't see any additional spatial sound options, even though I can configure the sound device for 5.1.

Athlonite · Jan 15, 2025

eidairaman1 said:
To top it off they are forcing recall on users, ms can go fuck themselves

You do realise you can uninstall recall right same with copilot but let's not let that ruin a good rant aye

Dr. Dro · Jan 15, 2025

Okapi said:
After installing the Microsoft Dolby Digital Atmos pack with Anwave, should Dolby Digital or something similar be listed in the spatial sound menu for the audio device? I don't see any additional spatial sound options, even though I can configure the sound device for 5.1.

No. I have all of them and can tell you how it works, that menu will only show:

- Off
- Windows Sonic for Headphones (bundled with Windows 10+ and Xbox One+ consoles, available for everyone)
- Dolby Atmos for Headphones (requires Dolby Access, paid license)
- DTS:X Ultra (requires a paid DTS Sound Unbound license)
- DTS Headphone:X (also included in the Sound Unbound license)
- Third-party signal processing applications like SRS, DFX and Boom 3D will not show in the Windows spatial audio configuration menu, these generate a soft endpoint that shows as another sound card instead

As for Dolby Atmos for home theater (requires Dolby Access, will be activated only on licensed Atmos hardware), it does not show on the spatial audio menu, instead it counts as an output format

Dolby Digital (AC-3) and other legacy codecs should show under the "supported audio formats" menu and also depends on the hardware endpoint for bitstreaming:

lexluthermiester · Jan 15, 2025

remixedcat said:
Cuz ms wants everyone on overhyped Dolby atmos...

This is because Atmos replaces AC-3 and everything else Dolby. It's their all-in-one solution.

Paid licensing for drivers that hardware needs to function is a very poor(read scummy and lowlife) business model. Dolby can either include it with the hardware or get knotted.

mb194dc · Jan 15, 2025

Surely there's ways to get it work like with HEVC codec ?

lepudruk · Jan 16, 2025

After a clean install of Windows 11 (24H2 included) I can no longer activate my Dolby Atmos license (I got one with Logitech Astro A50 headset). The application Dolby Access is claiming it has no connection to the MS Store (although I can access it with no problems). Thus I can't choose Dolby Atmos as a 3D sound in Audio settings. Bummer.. :/

Edit: I've aplied the OP's solution and it worked! I got my Atmos back

System Name	Lynni PS \ Lenowo TwinkPad L14 G2
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Raphael (Waiting on 9800X3D) \ i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake-U
Motherboard	ASRock B650M PG Riptide Bios v. 3.10 AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2a \ Lenowo BDPLANAR Bios 1.68
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black (Only middle fan) \ Lenowo C-267C-2
Memory	G.Skill Flare X5 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHZ CL36-36-36-96 AMD EXPO \ Willk Elektronik 2x16GB 2666MHZ CL17
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon RX 590 Nitro+ SE (RX 7900 XT/XTX or RX 9070 XT?) \| Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
Storage	Gigabyte M30 1TB\|Sabrent Rocket 2TB\| HDD: 10TB\|1TB \ WD RED SN700 1TB
Display(s)	KTC M27T20S 1440p@165Hz \| LG 48CX OLED 4K HDR \| Innolux 14" 1080p
Case	Asus Prime AP201 White Mesh \| Lenowo L14 G2 chassis
Audio Device(s)	Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W Goldie \| 65W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeedy Wireless \| Lenowo TouchPad & Logitech G305
Keyboard	Ducky One 3 Daybreak Fullsize \| L14 G2 UK Lumi
Software	Win11 IoT Enterprise 24H2 UK \| Win11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2 UK / Arch (Fan)
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/89434432? GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details/v3zbr

System Name	Lynni PS \ Lenowo TwinkPad L14 G2
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Raphael (Waiting on 9800X3D) \ i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake-U
Motherboard	ASRock B650M PG Riptide Bios v. 3.10 AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2a \ Lenowo BDPLANAR Bios 1.68
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black (Only middle fan) \ Lenowo C-267C-2
Memory	G.Skill Flare X5 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHZ CL36-36-36-96 AMD EXPO \ Willk Elektronik 2x16GB 2666MHZ CL17
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon RX 590 Nitro+ SE (RX 7900 XT/XTX or RX 9070 XT?) \| Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
Storage	Gigabyte M30 1TB\|Sabrent Rocket 2TB\| HDD: 10TB\|1TB \ WD RED SN700 1TB
Display(s)	KTC M27T20S 1440p@165Hz \| LG 48CX OLED 4K HDR \| Innolux 14" 1080p
Case	Asus Prime AP201 White Mesh \| Lenowo L14 G2 chassis
Audio Device(s)	Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W Goldie \| 65W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeedy Wireless \| Lenowo TouchPad & Logitech G305
Keyboard	Ducky One 3 Daybreak Fullsize \| L14 G2 UK Lumi
Software	Win11 IoT Enterprise 24H2 UK \| Win11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2 UK / Arch (Fan)
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/89434432? GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details/v3zbr

System Name	KLM
Processor	7800X3D
Motherboard	B-650E-E Strix
Cooling	Arctic Cooling III 280
Memory	16x2 Fury Renegade 6000-32
Video Card(s)	4070-ti PNY
Storage	500+512+8+8+2+1+1+2+256+8+512+2
Display(s)	VA 32" 4K@60 - OLED 27" 2K@240
Case	4000D Airflow
Audio Device(s)	Edifier 1280Ts
Power Supply	Shift 1000
Mouse	502 Hero
Keyboard	K68
VR HMD	Steam Deck OLED
Software	EMDB
Benchmark Scores	0>1000

System Name	RemixedBeast-NX
Processor	Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard	Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling	Dell Standard
Memory	24GB ECC
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage	2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s)	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case	Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s)	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply	630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse	Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard	Logitech K740
VR HMD	Linktr.ee/remixedcat // for my music ♡♡
Software	Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores	Network: APs: Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P

System Name	KLM
Processor	7800X3D
Motherboard	B-650E-E Strix
Cooling	Arctic Cooling III 280
Memory	16x2 Fury Renegade 6000-32
Video Card(s)	4070-ti PNY
Storage	500+512+8+8+2+1+1+2+256+8+512+2
Display(s)	VA 32" 4K@60 - OLED 27" 2K@240
Case	4000D Airflow
Audio Device(s)	Edifier 1280Ts
Power Supply	Shift 1000
Mouse	502 Hero
Keyboard	K68
VR HMD	Steam Deck OLED
Software	EMDB
Benchmark Scores	0>1000

Microsoft Officially drops AC3 (Dolby Digital) Support from W11 24H2

Shou Miko

Shou Miko

Klemc

remixedcat

Klemc

azrael

Shou Miko

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman

Dr. Dro

Shou Miko

Okapi

New Member

Athlonite

Dr. Dro

lexluthermiester

mb194dc

lepudruk

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard	ASUS Prime X470-Pro
Cooling	bequiet! Dark Rock Slim
Memory	64 GB ECC DDR4 2666 MHz (Samsung M391A2K43BB1-CTD)
Video Card(s)	eVGA GTX 1080 SC Gaming, 8 GB
Storage	1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 1 TB Samsung 850 EVO, 4 TB Lexar NM790, 12 TB WD HDDs
Display(s)	Acer Predator XB271HU
Case	Corsair Obsidian 550D
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
Power Supply	Seasonic X-Series 560W
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Glorious GMMK

System Name	PCGOD
Processor	AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling	Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory	16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s)	NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case	AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s)	Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse	Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard	Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64

System Name	"Icy Resurrection"
Processor	13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900KS
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S upgraded with 2x NF-F12 iPPC-3000 fans and Honeywell PTM7950 TIM
Memory	32 GB G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB F5-6800J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK @ 7600 MT/s 36-44-44-52-96 1.4V
Video Card(s)	NVIDIA RTX A2000
Storage	500 GB WD Black SN750 SE NVMe SSD + 4 TB WD Red Plus WD40EFPX HDD
Display(s)	55-inch LG G3 OLED
Case	Pichau Mancer CV500 White Edition
Power Supply	EVGA 1300 G2 1.3kW 80+ Gold
Mouse	Microsoft Classic IntelliMouse (2017)
Keyboard	IBM Model M type 1391405
Software	Windows 10 Pro 22H2
Benchmark Scores	I pulled a Qiqi~

System Name	Cumquat 2021
Processor	AMD RyZen R7 7800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Strix X670E - E Gaming WIFI
Cooling	Deep Cool LT720 + CM MasterGel Pro TP + Lian Li Uni Fan V2
Memory	32GB GSkill Trident Z5 Neo 6000
Video Card(s)	PowerColor HellHound RX7800XT 2550cclk/2450mclk
Storage	1x Adata SX8200PRO NVMe 1TB gen3 x4 1X Samsung 980 Pro NVMe Gen 4 x4 1TB, 12TB of HDD Storage
Display(s)	AOC 24G2 IPS 144Hz FreeSync Premium 1920x1080p
Case	Lian Li O11D XL ROG edition
Audio Device(s)	RX7800XT via HDMI + Pioneer VSX-531 amp Technics 100W 5.1 Speaker set
Power Supply	EVGA 1000W G5 Gold
Mouse	Logitech G502 Proteus Core Wired
Keyboard	Logitech G915 Wireless
Software	Windows 11 X64 PRO (build 24H2)
Benchmark Scores	it sucks even more less now ;)

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Motherboard	Asrock X870E NOVA
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360
Memory	G.Skill TRIDENT Z 32GB 6000MHz CL30 DDR5
Video Card(s)	MSI Suprim X RTX 4080 16GB
Storage	Kingston KC3000 1TB
Display(s)	Alienware AW3423DWF 34" 21:9 OLED
Case	Antec C8
Power Supply	NZXT C1200 Gold ATX 3.1
Mouse	Roccat Kone Air
Keyboard	OZONE StrikePro Spectra (CherryMX Red)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64