Facing Widevine Content Decryption Module Update error is common while playing DRM (Digital Rights Management) – protected audio and video media files on web browsers such as Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera browser.
This article will call attention to everything you need to know about the Widevine Content Decryption Module, such as what it is, how to update it, and how to fix errors with the widevine CDM.
What does the Widevine Content Decryption Module do?
Chrome browsers come with many pre-installed modules. One of these modules is the Widevine Content Decryption Module which allows browsers to play DRM-protected HTML5 video and audio files such as those found on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, etc.
Disabling or removing the Widevine module will stop your browser from playing the DRM-protected media files.
So, when you get the Widevine CRM error while playing files from these websites, you must fix them soon to continue your entertainment seamlessly.
How can I fix the Widevine Content Decryption Module error?
As reported by many users, the Widevine Content Decryption Module error is resolved when they update the Widevine tool using Google’s Component page. Another way to fix this is to get full access control over the WidevineCdm directory.
Widevine Content Decryption Module update error
The Widevine Content Decryption Module error occurs due to various reasons such as outdated Widevinecdm, Outdated Chrome version, Presence of a Firewall, and many more.
Some of these fixes require administrative privileges. Let us look for some viable solutions that will help you fix the error.
1. Outdated Widevine CDM – Update Widevine Content Decryption Module
2. Widevine CDM lacks permissions – Change Chrome permissions For WidevineCdm
3. Outdated plugin folder – Delete, and update the folder
4. Plugin doesn’t update due to Firewall – Temporarily disable the antivirus and Firewall
5. Outdated Google Chrome version – Perform a fresh installation
Fix 1. Outdated Widevine CDM – How to update Widevine Content Decryption Module?
Having an outdated Widevine Content Decryption Module can be a cause for this error. You should update it to play the media files on the browser.
Step 1. Open Chrome browser and type “chrome://components/” in the URL bar.
Step 2. On the components page, locate the Widevine Content Decryption Module and press the Check for Update button.
Step 3. Refresh the page on which you are trying to play DRM-controlled content. If you receive an up-to-date message, then your plugin has been successfully updated.
Step 4. Restart your computer.
Fix 2. Widevine CDM lacks permissions – How to change Chrome permissions For WidevineCdm
It could be possible that the Wideme CMD does not have full access to perform its tasks efficiently and hence is generating an error.
Step 1. Press the Window +R key and type “%userprofile%/appdata/local” in the Run dialogue box. Press Enter.
Step 2. In the local folder, navigate to the Chrome folder inside Google and open User Data. Navigate the following file path: Local -> Google -> Chrome -> User data.
Step 3. Navigate through the User data list and locate the Widevinecdm folder.
Step 4. Right-click on the folder and go to the properties option.
Step 5. Click on the Security tab and ensure that the “Full Control” option inside the “Permissions for SYSTEM” section is checked.
Step 6. If it is not checked, choose the user profile from the first section of the Security tab and click on the “Edit” button.
Step 7. Remove the tick from the Deny column of Full Control and check the Allow column.
Step 8. Press Apply to save the changes.
Step 9. Restart the computer and launch Chrome to check if the error still exists.
Fix 3. Outdated plugin folder – Delete, and update the plugin folder
Deleting the plugin folder and then reinstalling it from Chrome can help you fix this error. It would be best if you were in Administrative mode to make these changes
Step 1. Press Windows +R key and type “%userprofile%/appdata/local” in the Run dialogue box. Press Enter.
Step 2. In the local folder, navigate to the Chrome folder inside Google and open the UserData folder. Navigate the following file path: Local -> Google -> Chrome -> User data.
Step 3. Navigate through the list and locate the Widevinecdm folder.
Step 4. Right-click on the folder and click on the “Delete” option.
Step 5. Press Windows + S key and type “task manager” in the Search box. Click on “Run as Administrator.”
Step 6. In the Task Manager window, find Chrome and right-click on it. Select “End Task” from the right drop-down button.
Step 7. Follow the steps given in Fix 1 to update the Widevine CDM.
Step 8. Restart your computer and restart Chrome. Your browser should work properly now.
Fix 4. The plugin doesn’t update due to Firewall – Temporarily disable the antivirus and Firewall
The Firewall in the antivirus software might sometimes interrupt the plugin and prevent it from updating itself.
Many security software such as Kaspersky, McAfee, Quick Heal, Norton, etc., do not allow the update citing security reasons.
This prevents the Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox browsers from playing DRM-protected media files from sites such as Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, and Netflix.
You can disable these antiviruses and other security software to allow the Widevine Content Decryption Module to update. Once the software is updated, you can enable it.
Fix 5. Outdated Google Chrome version – Perform a fresh installation
Now that you have tried all the above solutions, the Widevine Content Decryption Module error should be fixed.
However, suppose the Widevine Content Decryption Module Update error persists. In that case, you can uninstall Chrome from your system and then reinstall Google Chrome to get the latest version of Chrome and Widevine.
Step 1. Press Windows key and search for the “Control Panel.”
Step 2. Navigate to the “Uninstall a program” option under the “Programs” menu.
You can also do this directly by pressing Window + R and then typing “appwiz.appl” in the Run dialogue box.
Step 3. Locate Chrome from the list of programs. Right-click on it and click uninstall.
Alternatively, you can open the Settings app using Windows + I key and then navigate to the “Apps” tab. On this page, locate Google Chrome and click the Uninstall button.
Step 4. Now go to the google chrome download webpage and download Chrome software for reinstalling Chrome.
Step 5. Follow the on-screen instructions shown in the installation wizard to reinstall Chrome successfully. Now open Chrome to check if it was able to fix WidevineCDM update error.
Conclusion
The Widevine Content Decryption Module is a decryption module built-in in Google chrome. The tool is crucial to running DRM-protected audio and video files on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify. This is the reason sometimes you get the Netflix error code M7357-1003 when you watch Netflix.
Sometimes this plugin can run into an error and prevent the other browsers from playing protected media files. The reason is an outdated plugin, outdated Chrome version, not having complete access, or Firewall.
We hope the above fixes would have helped you fix the error and that you can now play Netflix videos easily.