Recently, I have faced “Widevine Content Decryption Module” error, while visiting on Amazon Prime & Netflix. Maybe you also facing the similar Error, that’s why you are reading this article. This error can occur due to some changes are done, in Chrome Web Browser. But before start telling you some solution, to fix this Error. First, you need to understand few Things.

Widevine Content Decryption Module (also known as WidevineCdm) is essentially a content decryption module (CDM) which decrypts security certificates for DRM (digital rights management) providers. It comes standard as part of any Chrome installation and helps in playing back DRM-protected HTML5 Video and Audio content. I understand that Chrome has replaced Silverlight with Widevine Content Decryption Module. However, my Chrome is showing version 1.4.8.823 and from what I could find the newest version is 1.4.0.203. Is Chrome supposed to automatically update this. I have the latest update of Chrome because I just checked it.

Note: If you’re using Windows 10 Computer and facing this error only on Netflix Site. Then alternatively you can download Netflix App from Windows Store.

What is Widevine Content Decryption Module?.

Widevine content decryption module – is a Google Chrome component, Which automatically gets loaded when you install the browser. This chrome component is made for playing DRM protected HTML 5 video content. So, If this component gets outdated and missing on your chrome and firefox browser. Then you will start facing such Errors.

The older version of Firefox web browser uses adobe flash, for digitally protected content. But Adobe wasn’t able to load HTML5 content, So now Firefox downloads this component by default.

Contents

• 1 Fix Widevine Content Decryption Module.

Fix Widevine Content Decryption Module.

Check Component is Installed or Not.

Before start applying any other fix, First, you need to check – Is the component is installed in your browser or not.

Open Chrome Web Browser and then go to – chrome://components/

– Scroll down a little bit and you will able to find out this component. If component not found, then start trying all other solutions written in this article. But if this component appears in this list, then click on “Check for update” option to find out the new update.

– Many users are getting “Chrome Component not Updated” error while updating Widevinecdm Component. If you’re facing the same then follow these solutions to fix.

Solution: 1 Disable Security Software.

It doesn’t matter you have installed any third-party antivirus program on your Computer or not. Because, If you’re using Windows 10 then you need to know, it comes with “Windows Defender Security Center”.

– This program prevents WidevineCdm to get the update. Not because it is some kind of malware or a bad program. Actually, In the latest version of Windows 10, Microsoft introduced a new security feature which prevents Apps or file to get installed without permission.

– That’s why to fix “Component not updated” error you need to turn off “real-time protection” of this Program. Or if you’re using any other antivirus program, then also you need to disable security before the update. And then try to update this component.

Note: Don’t forget to re-enable security software after Updating component. And if still, you’re getting this error, then try next Solution.

Solution: 2 Allow Full User Control to WidevineCDM.

If full control to WidevineCDM folder isn’t allowed then also this error occurs. If above solution doesn’t fix “Component not updated” error then this will do.

2.1 Open Chrome as Administrator.

Before changing folder security permission, you can try out this solution.

– Simply Right Click on Chrome shortcut, and from the menu click on “Run as administrator” option.
– After opening Chrome browser with administrator rights, now go to Chrome browser component and then try to update it.

2.2 Check User Control of WidevineCDM folder.

Step: 1 Press Windows + R ShortKeys to open Run Window.

Step: 2 In run Window, Type the following command

%userprofile%/appdata/local/google/chrome/User Data

Step: 3 Now, Chrome user data folder will get open – Scroll down a little bit and Right Click on “WidevineCDM folder”, and Click on properties.

Step: 4 In properties Window, Click on Security tab.

– Now, In the security tab, under “Permission for SYSTEM” section Check full control is – allow or deny.
– If it’s allowed then you don’t need to do anything. Or if it’s marked on Deny then follow these steps.

Click on edit button then UnCheck all deny button and then click on Apply then OK.

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Now, Restart your chrome browser once, and then go to chrome’s components and then try to update.

Solution: 3 Delete and Install Again.

If above solution doesn’t work that means Widevine Content Decryption Module is corrupted, or something wrong with it.

– Open Chrome User Data Folder – ( Follow 1st & 2nd steps on 2.2 solutions)
– Now, Delete WidevineCDM Folder.
– Restart Chrome Browser – Type this in URL Bar and Press Enter
Chrome://Restart
– After restarting Chrome Web Browser, now try to update it.

Solution: 4 RESET or Re-Install Chrome. (If it’s missing.)

If the above-mentioned solution doesn’t work for you. Or Widevine Content Decryption Module is missing in components. Then you can reset Chrome Browser or can re-install it. Because, As I told you before, this component auto load when you install Chrome Browser. So, If the component gets deleted by you. Then you can get it back by resetting or re-installing browser. (You can do the same with Firefox If the component is missing.)

4.1 Reset Browser.

– To RESET Chrome Browser, Open this URL to jump into reset menu.

chrome://settings/reset

– Here you will get the option to RESET, Click on it and a popup window will appear for confirmation. Again, Click on the RESET button, and the process will get started.

Note: RESET feature will Restore chrome to its default settings and your all saved data get deleted.

4.2 Uninstall and Install latest Version.

There aren’t any special steps to do this, Simply Uninstall Chrome using Control Panel. Then download the latest version of Chrome Web browser from its official site. If the problem is with Firefox, then also uninstall it and install again.

The latest version of Chrome will come with latest WidevineCDM, So you don’t need to update it.

Summary :

If you encounter problems with Widevine Content Decryption Module in Google Chrome. Don’t worry. This article from MiniTool will offer you some reliable solutions to fix Chrome error Widevine Content Decryption Module.

Widevine Content Decryption Module (WidevineCdm) is a decryption module built into Chrome browsers, which enables Chrome to play DRM-protected HTML5 video and audio.

With this plugin, you can watch DRM-protected HTML5 audio and video in Chrome such as Netflix. However, if this plugin is outdated or can’t be located in Chrome, you will receive the Widevine Content Decryption Module error message and you are unable to play videos.

How to fix the Widevine Content Decryption Module error? Here are some effective solutions to Widevine Content Decryption Module error.

Fix 1. Update Widevine Content Decryption Module

As mentioned before, if the Widevine Content Decryption Module is outdated, you could reveive the error message. In this case, you' better update Widevine Content Decryption Module first. If you don't know how to update the plugin Widevine Content Decryption Module, you can follow the steps below:

Step 1. Right click on Chrome client on your PC and then select Run as administrator to launch Chrome in administrative mode.

Step 2. Type the following address in the address bar of Chrome and hit Enter.

chrome://components/

Step 3. Scroll down to find the entry named as Widevine Content Decryption Module. Click the button Check for update.

Step 4. If the status under the plugin Widevine Content Decryption Module is Up-to-date, it means that the plugin has been updated successfully.

After updating the plugin, the Widevine Content Decryption Module problem should be solved. However, if you get an error “Component not updated” or “Update Failed” when updating the plugin, you have no choice but try other solutions.

Fix 2. Disable Antivirus Software Temporarily

The Widevine Content Decryption Module update could fail, and it could be caused by the antivrus software on your computer.

Since antivirus software can stop your computer from updating the plugin. You can try disabling these antivirus software temoporarily and then try updating Widevine Content Decryption Module again to see if that works.

If you don't know how to disable antivirus software, here are 3 Ways to Disable Windows Defender Antivirus on Windows 10.

After updating the plugin, you should enable the antivirus software as soon as possible to avoid virus attack. If this still doesn't work, try the next method.

Fix 3. Delete the WidevineCdm Folder and Update the Plugin

To fix the Widevine content decryption module issue, you can delete the plugin folder and reinstall it in Chrome. Note that this will require administrative privileges so make sure that you are logged in as an administrator. Then you can follow the steps below to delete WidevineCdm folder and reinstall Widevine Content Decryption Module.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys on the keyboard to bring up the Run dialog box. Copy and paste %userprofile%/appdata/local to the Run dialogue box and hit Enter.

Step 2. Go to Google > Chrome > User Data and scroll down, then you will find WidevineCdm folder from the list. Right click the folder and select Delete.

Step 3. Open task manager, right-click on Chrome entries and select End task.

Step 4. Then follow the steps in Solution 1 to update the plugin. Restart your computer and check if the problem gets fixed.

Fix 4. Reinstall Google Chrome

If above fixes don't help, the last resolution you could try is to reinstall Chrome. Reinstalling Chrome can remove some components that are corrupt or not working, which may help you fix the issue related to Widevine Content Decryption Module.

You can follow the steps below to reinstall Google Chrome.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys to bring up the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the Run dialogue box and hit Enter.

Step 2. Then a window will pop up and all the programs installed on your PC will be listed. Find Google Chrome on the list and then select Uninstall.

Uninstalling unnecessary programs or apps is one of the most common and important tasks that all computer users need to do. Here is a guide to remove them.

Step 3. After uninstalling the program, visit the official Google website and re-download Chrome and install it on your computer.

After reinstalling Google Chrome, check if the Widevine Content Decryption Module Chrome error gets fixed.