How to Fix Movies & TV App Not Working on Windows 10/11?

The Movies & TV app (also known as Films & TV in some regions), which comes pre-installed on Windows 10/11 PC, sometimes does not work properly. These issues generally include:

• App Won't Open: Clicking on the app icon does nothing, or the app briefly opens and then closes.

• Codec Issues: Videos fail to play or play without sound due to unsupported format.

• Playback Issues: Experiencing video stuttering, freezing, or skipping.

• App Crashes: The app crashes or freezes unexpectedly during use.

As it's a frequently-asked question on Microsoft Community and other Q & A platforms, I've sorted out 7 tried-and-true methods below for self-troubleshooting Movies and TV app not working problem.

The most common problem is that specific video codec or container is not supported by Movies & TV app, which will result in "Codec missing", "Can't play", "0xc004f011" or "0xc00d5212" error.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a multi-purpose yet easy-to-use video processor primarily designed to fix any format/codec incompatible issue. Download it below and here's the quick workflow:

Step 1. InstallInstall and run the application. Open "Converter", then drag the unsupported video file into the interface.

Step 2. Click on the format profile on the right side, select one of the Movies & TV app compatible formats. MP4 (H.264/AAC) is recommended for its best compatibility.

Step 3. Specify a directory to save the converted file. Press "Run" button to initiate the conversion.

When the process is complete, it will work properly in your Movies & TV app.

Restart seems to be regarded as a universal solution to computer troubleshooting. I have to say that, it really works somehow in most cases. I bet most of you guys have personal experience of this.

If your Movies and TV app still doesn't work, try other solutions below and see if that helps.

Movies & TV app not working may be caused by incorrect settings. Follow the steps below to verify whether your computer's time, date, language, and region settings are correct:

Step 1. Click on "Start" button in the bottom left-hand corner, select "Settings" option. Alternatively, press the hotkeys "Windows key + I" to open the "Settings" window.

Step 2. Click on "Time & Language" category.

Step 3. Select "Date & time", "Region" and "Language" options in sequence, then check all settings. If the settings seem OK, just go ahead.

A video library is an indexed location, where the Movies & TV app will load, read and manage video files by default. If there is something wrong with the video libraries, Movies & TV app will not work as usual. Fortunately, Windows 10/11 allows you to restore it quickly.

Step 1. Open "This PC" or press "Windows key + E" to open Windows Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click "Libraries" in the left pane and select "Restore default libraries".

Tips: If there is no left pane or "Libraries" option, select "View" tab at the top of the screen. Enable "Navigation pane" and "Show all folders". Before restoring default libraries, you're able to delete all problematic libraries right there. No worries, deleting and restoring the libraries does not affect the data in the libraries.

I'm so curious what cleaning up temporary folder has to do with Movies & TV app, but it seems someone has already made it work again using this method.

Step 1. Press the "Windows key + R" and type "temp" in the "Run" dialog box, then press "Enter". Or simply go to "C:\Windows\Temp" directory.

Step 2. Select and delete all files & folders. If you are notified that some files or folders are in use, select "Skip".

For an occasional glitch like not opening, crash, it will be probably fixed by resetting or reinstalling Movies & TV app.

Open Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features, scroll down to Movies & TV and select "Advanced options". Then you can decide to reset or uninstall Movies & TV app. To reinstall, visit https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9wzdncrfj3p2?hl=en-us&gl=US from Microsoft Store.

If all aforementioned solutions do not work, give it another shot on some free alternatives to Movies & TV app like VLC Media Player, MPC-HC/MPC-BE, PotPlayer, KMPlayer, GOM Player or something else.

UPDATE: Movies & TV application has been superseded by Media Player on Windows 11, and will be removed from the pre-installed apps in 2024. Meanwhile, Microsoft also rolled out an update to Windows 10 users between January and June 2023, replacing the Movies & TV app with the newborn Windows Media Player. However, it still remains available through the Microsoft Store.

A: Try running the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter or reinstalling the app. Additionally, ensure your system and graphics drivers are up to date.

A: Video playback issues can be caused by outdated graphics drivers, excessive video parameters, incorrect playback settings, or insufficient system resources. Make sure your drivers are up to date, adjust your playback settings, and close any unnecessary applications running in the background.

A: Yes, other apps can sometimes cause conflicts, resulting in a choppy video playback or an unexpected issue. Perform a clean boot to determine if a background service or startup program is causing the issue.

That's all I want to share with you on how to fix Movies & TV app not working on Windows 10/11. Hope that will help you a lot. But if you keep experiencing the problem, try to contact Microsoft Support via https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus. Thanks for your reading.