Widevine Content Decryption Module Update - Errors and how to fix them‍

Written by: Hrishikesh Pardeshi, Founder at Flexiple, buildd & Remote Tools.
Last updated: Jan 19, 2023

When streaming media content from platforms like Netflix on Google Chrome, you may have faced the 'Widevine content decryption module' error. This often occurs when playing content that is DRM-protected (DRM - Digital Rights Management) such as DRM-protected HTML 5 videos. Below, we have put together comprehensive details on the Widevine CDM and everything you need to know about it to have a smooth streaming experience.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What does the Widevine Content Decryption Module do?

As stated earlier, the Widevine Content Decryption Module is used for playing DRM protected videos. Removal or disabling this component will bar you from viewing DRM protected content, ie, content from Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, etc. Browsers such as Chrome and Mozilla make use of this component.

Widevine Content Decryption Module update error

You could get the 'Widevine content decryption module' error for multiple reasons. We have compiled a list below, do check it out so you can accordingly apply the fix.

1. Outdated Widevine CDM - How to update Widevine Content Decryption Module?

Go to chrome://components/ through the Omnibox on Chrome/ search bar. (Find out more about Chrome Components here).
You will see the Widevine Content Decryption Module component in the list.
Click the 'Check for Update' option.
Refresh the page and check for Status – Up-to-date.
Restart the computer and you should be good to go.

2. Widevine CDM lacks permissions - How to change Chrome permissions For WidevineCdm

This error arises when the Widevine CDM doesn't have complete access due to lack of permissions or the CDM has crashed.

On your desktop, open Run by pressing Windows + R.
Enter '%userprofile%/appdata/local' in the dialogue box and hit Enter. This will take you to the AppData -> Local folder in your PC.
Go to Google -> Chrome -> User Data and you should see a list of folders having some Chrome Component names
Right click on 'WidevineCdm', go to Properties.
Under the 'Security' tab check that the login has full access. You can check for this by making sure the 'Full Control' option is checked.
If the above isn't checked, select your profile, click on 'Edit' button and if any box under the 'Deny' column is checked, uncheck it. Click on 'Ok'
Restart your computer and update Widevine Content Decryption Module using the steps given in the first method. Restart the PC again and you should be good to go.

3. Outdated plugin folder - Delete, update plugin folder

Press Windows + R to access Run.
Enter the '%userprofile%/appdata/local' in the dialogue box and hit Enter. This will take you to the AppData -> Local folder in your PC
Go to Google -> Chrome -> User Data and you should see a list of folders having some Chrome Component names
Right click on 'WidevineCdm' -> Delete.
Find 'Task Manager' you can find this by searching after clicking the Windows key. Right click and select 'Run as administrator'
Right click on Chrome related items and select 'End task'
Restart your computer and update Widevine Content Decryption Module using the steps given in the first method. Restart the PC again and you should be good to go.

4. Plugin doesn't update due to firewall - Temporarily disable the antivirus and Firewall

Security and antivirus softwares like firewalls, McAfee or Kaspersky don't allow plugins to update for safety purposes and stalls Chrome from updating the plugins. You can try to temporarily disable the firewall/ antivirus and update the Widevine CDM plugin. Make sure to enable the firewall/ antivirus after installing.

5. Outdated Google Chrome version - Perform a fresh installation

If the above methods don't work, you may need to reinstall Google Chrome into your PC as this will then give the latest version of Widevine CDM.

Access the list of apps on your PC through the following steps -

Go to Control Panel -> Programs - Uninstall a program (you can also directly access this page by typing 'appwiz.cpl' in Run (Windows + R)).
Right click on Google Chrome and select 'Uninstall'
Windows 8+ allows you to do the same through Settings -> Apps-&-> Click on Google Chrome in the list -> Select 'Uninstall' and confirm.
You can now download and install Chrome again from the website and then use Netflix.

Widevine Content Decryption Module Update Error in Mozilla Firefox browser:

If the browser you use to stream Netflix content is Firefox, then you can follow the below mentioned steps to fix this issue.

Go to the Menu in the top right on Firefox
Select 'Add-ons' or just press 'Ctrl+Shift+A', go to 'Plugins.' You should see a list of the plugins you use and 'Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.' will be present if installed.
Go to the drop-down button on the right and select the 'Always Activate' option.
Close and reopen the browser and try streaming content on Netflix.

However, if you can't see this plugin in the list of plugins, you will have to install it using the following steps:

Go to the Menu in the top right on Firefox and select 'Options', alternately you can search for 'about:preferences' in the search bar at the top.
Under 'General', scroll to 'Digital Rights Management (DRM)'
Check 'Play DRM-controlled content', Firefox will now download the Widevine CDM and you can then play Netflix videos.

Widevine Content Decryption Module Update Error in MacOS

Hold 'Option' key, click on 'Go' and select 'Library.'
Now, go to 'Application Support' -> 'Google' -> 'Chrome'
You will find a folder called 'WidevineCDM', delete this folder.
Next, go to Chrome browser and type 'chrome://components' and enter the page
Click on 'Check for update' under 'WidevineCdm' and refresh the page.

Netflix Error due to Widevine CDM - Netflix Error M7701-1003

This error is widely observed when there is a problem in Widevine Content Decryption Module. This causes a hindrance in the smooth streaming of Netflix HTML5 videos and you would then need to try the 1st method to solve this. Resort to the others if needed.

Spotify and other content players

Amazon Prime, Spotify and all such media streaming platforms also make use of DRM-protected HTML 5 videos. If you are having issues with the smooth functioning of these, it's likely it's due to the same reason. You can then try out the above methods to solve for it by updating Chrome's content protection feature.

Content Decryption Module with their uses

Widevine Content Decryption Module, by Google. This is used in Chrome, Firefox and Opera. However, since the Opera browser does not support HTML 5 videos, you cannot play content from Netflix etc. in it.
FairPlay, used in the Safari browser in MacOS
PlayReady, which is made use of in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11
Adobe Primetime CDM

Encrypted Media Extensions

As explained in the blog on Chrome Components, platforms like Netflix make use of DRM to avoid violation of copyright in the content that you stream. The browser component at our end is supposed to unlock the DRM and give access rights. This is called Encrypted Media Extension (EME), which makes use of a Key System to decrypt the encrypted videos in streaming platforms. It also eradicates the need of extensions to support media playback, such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silver light.