Windows 11 26H2 blighted by new audio issue

Microsoft's latest Windows 11 26H2 update has been plagued by an audio issue since its release in early October. The problem, which also affects Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, stems from decoding AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio and can cause applications using the decoder to crash or fail to launch. Microsoft identified the issue following the September 22 Windows update, with many older applications reportedly affected.

Modern applications, however, typically do not utilize Windows' built-in audio decoding and should not experience this problem. The faulty code component is primarily found in legacy applications that still rely on Windows' native audio decoding. Affected software may encompass games, media players, and specific productivity tools.

Microsoft has no immediate fix for the AC-3 malfunction, suggesting that uninstalling the problematic applications is the current solution. The audio issue, alongside other known problems in 26H2, underscores a series of setbacks for Microsoft, including a recent Patch Tuesday update that addressed other RDP and Hyper-V issues but failed to resolve all audio-related concerns. Microsoft has not provided a timeline for resolving the latest AC-3 bug.