Overview
If something isn't quite right with your Yodeck Windows Player, you're in the right place. This guide walks through the most common issues in plain language. Let's get your screens back up and running.
1. What Is the Yodeck Windows Player?
The Yodeck Windows Player is a desktop app you install on a Windows device to turn it into a digital signage player. Once installed and registered, the device runs the Yodeck app full-screen and plays your content automatically.
Installs once and updates itself over the internet
Managed remotely from the Yodeck Portal
Runs on a wide range of hardware, including 8th-generation Intel and AMD processors, ARM chips, and mobile chipsets
Supports 4K playback on capable hardware
⚠️ Heads up: Only Windows 10 Pro / Enterprise (version 1607 or later) and Windows 11 Pro / Enterprise (version 21H2 or later) are supported. See Section 20.
2. Things the Yodeck Windows Player Cannot Do
Before troubleshooting, here's what the Yodeck Windows Player doesn't support. These aren't bugs. They're platform limitations.
Feature | Supported? | What Happens Instead |
Turn the screen on/off remotely | ❌ No | "Turn Screen Off" shows a black screen. The display itself stays powered on. See Section 18 |
YouTube and Vimeo live streams | ❌ No | Pre-recorded YouTube videos play normally |
Volume schedules | ❌ No | Volume is set on the Windows device, not in the Portal |
Choose which audio output to use | ❌ No | Sound plays through whatever device is set as the default in Windows. See Section 9 |
Run two displays from one Yodeck player | ❌ No | Run two Yodeck apps on the same device, each registered as its own screen. See Section 17 |
USB to HDMI Video Capture | ❌ No | Not available on this player |
3. What Do the On-Screen Messages Mean?
Message | What It Means | What To Do |
Loading  | The player is starting up | Wait a minute. This is normal |
Registration Code  | The player needs to be linked to your Yodeck account | Enter the 9-digit code in the Portal under Screens > +Add Screen > Windows Player |
Downloading | The player is receiving new content | Wait for it to finish. If it takes more than 5 minutes, check your internet |
Internet Access Required  | The player can't reach Yodeck servers | Reconnect to the internet, then click Push to Players |
Apply Needed | Your schedule file is about to expire (within 3 days) | Click Push to Players right away |
Player Already Registered  | The device is linked to another Yodeck account | Remove it from the other account, then register it here |
Device Deactivated | The screen was disabled because your account's screen limit was reduced | Upgrade your plan or delete unused screens |
No Content Assigned to Player  | Nothing has been assigned to this screen | In the Portal, select the screen, assign content, and click Save + Push |
Updating | The Yodeck app is applying a software update | Wait. Most updates take 2 to 30 minutes. Don't close the app |
4. Registration Code Not Appearing?
Work through these in order:
Check your internet connection. The code needs an internet connection to appear. Wait 30 to 60 seconds after connecting.
Confirm the install finished. If something went wrong during installation, reinstall using the setup guide.
Reopen the Yodeck app. If the app window was closed, the code stops showing until you reopen it.
Check that the antivirus isn't blocking the app. See Section 16.
Restart the device. A full reboot relaunches the app and refreshes the code.
ℹ️The registration code changes every time the player restarts. Always use the code currently shown on screen.
5. Blank or Black Screen Issues
A black screen is usually something simple. Try these in order:
Check the display input. The remote may have switched to another HDMI input. Switch back.
Is "Turn Screen Off" scheduled right now? On Windows, this shows a black screen instead of turning the display off (Section 18).
Check the player status in the Portal. Go to Screens:
Online: Wait up to 3 minutes for a fresh screenshot. If it still looks wrong, click Push Again to this Screen.
Offline: See Section 6.
Check the "Last Seen Online" date. After more than 30 days offline, the player may have been disabled. Reconnect it to the internet.
Make sure content is assigned. A player with no content shows "No Content Assigned to Player".
Force a push. Click Push to Players in the Portal, even if the button isn't orange.
Check the active monitor. On a multi-display device, the app may have opened on the wrong screen. See Section 17.
Restart the player. Close the Yodeck app and reopen it, or restart the device.
6. Player Shows as "Offline" in the Portal
Your player needs an internet connection to stay in sync. If it's Offline:
Step | What To Do |
1. Test your internet | Check whether another device on the same network can browse normally |
2. Restart the player | Close the Yodeck app and reopen it. If that doesn't help, reboot the device |
3. Check the network | If on Wi-Fi, move the device closer to the router, or switch to Ethernet |
4. Check for a login page | On a hotel, airport, or public Wi-Fi, a login page may block the device. Ask the network admin to add to the allowlist the device's MAC address |
5. Check your firewall | See the address list below |
6. Check for a proxy | If your network uses an HTTP proxy, contact Yodeck Support for setup help |
Required Firewall Exceptions (all outbound)
Address | Port | What It's For |
hub.dsbackend.com | 443/TCP | Required. Player communication with Yodeck |
packages.dsbackend.com | 443/TCP | Required. Installer and software updates |
dsbackend.s3.amazonaws.com | 443/TCP | Required. Schedules and media |
assets.dsbackend.com | 443/TCP | Required. Media downloads |
repo.dsbackend.com | 80/TCP | Required. Update repository |
widgets.dsbackend.com | 443/TCP | Optional. Live-data apps (Weather, etc.) |
remote.dsbackend.com | 1194/TCP | Optional. Remote support access |
If your network filters by IP instead of address, also allow: 108.128.247.33 and 52.210.76.69.
About Remote Support Access
remote.dsbackend.com (port 1194/TCP) lets Yodeck Support help you remotely. It's optional, so blocking it won't stop your player from working. If you open a support ticket for a complex issue, we may ask your IT team to open this port temporarily.
ℹ️ The Remote Support Password field in the Portal Security settings doesn't apply to the Yodeck Windows Player. It's used by other player types.
Temporarily Offline?
Your player handles at least 30 days without internet. Content keeps playing during that time. A warning appears in the bottom-right corner 3 days before playback stops. After 30 to 40 days offline, playback stops and an "Internet Access Required" message appears. Reconnect to resume.
7. Content Not Updating on Screen
Did You Click "Push to Players"?
This is the most common reason content doesn't update. After making changes in the Yodeck Portal, the button in the top-right corner turns orange and flashes "Push to Players?". Click it to send your changes to the screen.
If the button is already black ("Changes pushed!"), clicking it again forces all players to re-check and restart playback.
Three Ways to Push Content
Push to Players (orange, top-right): Sends pending changes to all screens with updates waiting.
Save & Push to this Screen: Saves and pushes changes to the screen you're editing.
Push Again to this Screen: Re-pushes to one screen, even with no pending changes. Use this to test Portal-to-player communication.
Other Common Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
The screen shows "No Content Assigned to Player." | No content is assigned | Select the screen, assign content, and click Save + Push |
The screen shows old content | Push to Players wasn't clicked after editing | Click the orange "Push to Players?" button |
The download takes more than 5 minutes | Network issue or web filtering | Check your internet (Section 6) |
Wrong content is playing | A Schedule is overriding the Default Content | Review the Schedule and check which rule is active |
Content plays at the wrong time | Timezone is wrong | See Section 12 |
A push can take up to 3 minutes to appear. If the player is Online and the content still hasn't changed after 3 minutes, click Push Again to this Screen.
8. Video Playback Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
The video stutters or lags | The layout is too heavy for the hardware (lots of web pages, videos, or live-data apps at once) | Reduce widgets in the layout, or use a more powerful device |
The player freezes or crashes after a while | Complex layouts with several active widgets can overload the CPU | Restart the player. Simplify the layout |
A video shows an error or won't play | The video format isn't compatible | Re-upload as MP4 (H.264) |
4K video plays but stutters | The hardware isn't powerful enough for smooth 4K | Lower the bitrate, or use a stronger device |
The video gets stuck after a network drop | Known issue with embedded video sources | Restart the player |
Recommended Video Specs
Setting | Recommended Value |
Format | MP4 |
Codec | H.264 |
Resolution | Up to 4K on capable hardware. 1080p for everything else |
Frame rate | 25–30 fps |
Bitrate | 10–20 Mbps for 1080p. 25–40 Mbps for 4K |
Audio | AAC, 128–256 kbps |
💡 If a video plays fine on your computer but not on the player, the format is usually the issue. Re-encode to MP4 (H.264).
9. No Sound / Audio Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
No sound at all | The Windows volume is muted or zero | Right-click the speaker icon in the Windows taskbar and turn the volume up |
Sound comes from the wrong place | The wrong audio device is set as the default in Windows | Open Windows Sound Settings, then set the right output (for example, HDMI to the display) as the default |
Sound works on some content but not others | The file has no audio track | Confirm the file has sound when played on a computer |
Audio and video are out of sync | Encoding problem in the video file | Re-encode using the specs in Section 8 and upload again |
Volume in a schedule doesn't apply | Volume schedules aren't supported on the Yodeck Windows Player | Use Windows volume to control loudness |
ℹ️ The Yodeck Windows Player always uses the audio device that Windows is set to use. The player doesn't have its own audio output picker.
10. YouTube and Streaming Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
A YouTube or Vimeo live stream won't play | Live streams aren't supported | Use a pre-recorded video instead |
The YouTube video shows an error | The video may be age-restricted or region-locked | Try a different video, or upload the video file directly to Yodeck |
Streaming buffers constantly | Slow or unstable internet | Check your connection or switch to Ethernet |
Video plays on your computer but not on the device | The format isn't supported | Re-encode to MP4 (H.264) and upload to Yodeck |
A YouTube or Vimeo video gets stuck after a network drop | Known issue with embedded videos after reconnecting | Restart the player |
💡 If you rely on YouTube content, download the videos and upload them to Yodeck directly. Fewer surprises.
11. Webpage Display Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
The webpage looks broken or doesn't load | The site blocks non-browser access or requires a login | Try a different URL, or screenshot the page and use it as an image |
The webpage shows a login screen | The site requires authentication | Use a publicly accessible URL |
The page is cut off or is too zoomed in | The site isn't designed for large screens | Adjust the zoom in the webpage widget, or use a mobile or embed-friendly version |
The page loads but doesn't refresh | No refresh interval is set | Set a refresh interval in the webpage widget settings |
Heavy webpages slow the player down | Pages with lots of scripts use more CPU and memory | Use a simpler page, or move it to its own layout |
12. Scheduling and Timezone Issues
In general, these devices provide a timezone selection in their device settings.
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
Content plays at the wrong time | The screen's timezone is wrong | In the Portal, check the timezone in the screen's settings, save, and push |
The schedule doesn't activate | The schedule isn't assigned to this screen | Select the screen and confirm the right Schedule is assigned |
Default content plays instead of the scheduled one | The schedule's time slots don't cover the current time | Review the schedule rules |
A schedule worked before, but stopped | The schedule file expired (often after the player was offline) | Bring the player online, then click Push to Players |
The screen is blank during scheduled hours | A layout or media item with an end date has expired | Replace the item or update its availability dates |
How Schedules Work
A Schedule takes priority over Default Content during its active time slots. Default Content is your fallback when no Schedule rule is active.
What Wins When Things Overlap
When more than one schedule or content type wants to play at the same time, Yodeck follows this priority order (top wins):
Emergency Alerts
Takeover Content
Working Hours
Scheduled Content
Default (Filler) Content
Content Availability
Within a single schedule, the event listed higher in the Events List wins. Drag events up or down to change priority. For more, see our Prioritization of Content Types article.
13. Registration and Account Issues
Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
The registration code keeps appearing after setup | The code wasn't entered correctly, or the player lost its registration | In the Portal, go to Screens > +Add Screen > Windows Player and enter the new code shown on the device |
"The registration code given does not match the player type." | The wrong player type was selected | Select Windows Player when adding the screen |
No registration code on the screen | The Yodeck app is closed, or the device has no internet | Reopen the app and check the connection |
The player registered, but no content is playing | No content has been assigned | Select the screen, assign content, click Save + Push |
"Device Deactivated" | Your account's screen limit was reduced | Upgrade your plan or delete unused screens |
"Player Already Registered" | The device is linked to another Yodeck account | Remove it from the other account, then register here |
The screen was deleted by mistake | Deleting removes it from the account | Add the screen again with the new code shown on the device |
A single registration code links a device to a single screen. You can't register the same code on multiple screens.
14. Auto-Start and Windows Login
The Yodeck Windows Player adds itself to your Windows startup list on first launch. So when the device reboots, the app launches again automatically.
There's a catch: if Windows asks for a password at startup, the player can't launch until someone signs in. Most Windows devices show a sign-in screen by default.
Enable Windows Auto Sign-In
For unattended signage devices, you want Windows to skip the sign-in screen. The simplest way is Microsoft's free Autologon tool (Sysinternals). Once you set it up:
Windows boots straight to the desktop
The Yodeck app launches with it
Playback resumes within a minute
Open the App Once on the Auto Sign-In User
The player adds itself to the startup for whichever user opened it first. If you installed the player as one user but Windows auto-signs in as a different user, open the Yodeck app once while signed in as that second user. From then on, it will launch automatically.
If the Player Doesn't Auto-Start
Symptom | Fix |
Windows shows a sign-in screen after reboot | Enable Windows auto sign-in (see above) |
Windows signs in, but the Yodeck app doesn't open | Open the app once on this user. The startup entry will be set automatically |
The player worked before, but stopped launching at startup | Ask your IT team to check whether the antivirus or the company policy is blocking startup apps. See Section 16 |
You closed the Yodeck app and it didn't come back on its own | Reopen the app or restart the device |
⚠️ Don't close the Yodeck app window during normal operation. Closing it stops playback.
15. Windows Update Interruptions
The Yodeck Windows Player stays on top of other windows, so most Windows pop-ups won't show on screen. But Windows Update can force a restart, which stops playback until the device reboots and the player launches again.
To reduce interruptions:
Set Active Hours. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Active Hours, and then set the hours your screens are in use. Windows won't restart during those hours.
Mark the connection as Metered. In Settings > Network & Internet, mark the player's Wi-Fi or Ethernet as Metered. This delays automatic updates.
Enable Windows auto sign-in. After Windows restarts for an update, the player can only resume on its own if Windows signs in without a password. See Section 14.
For company-managed devices, your IT team can also control update timing through Group Policy or Windows Update for Business.
16. Antivirus and Endpoint Protection
The Yodeck Windows Player is a custom app. Some antivirus and security tools, including Windows Defender SmartScreen, may treat it as suspicious and block it.
Symptom | Fix |
Windows SmartScreen warning during install | Click More info, then Run anyway |
Antivirus blocks or quarantines the installer | Open your antivirus, find the file, and mark it as safe. Then add an exception for the Yodeck app folder: |
Company security software blocks the app | Ask your IT team to add to the allowlist the Yodeck app and the addresses in Section 6 |
The app was blocked after install | Add the exception above, then reinstall the player |
ℹ️ The Yodeck installer is downloaded directly from Yodeck's servers and is safe. Browser and Windows warnings about unrecognized publishers are normal for any custom app.
17. Multi-Display Setups
The Yodeck Windows Player runs on one screen at a time. On a device with two or more monitors, the app opens on whichever monitor Windows treats as the main display.
The App Opens on the Wrong Monitor
Open Settings > System > Display in Windows
Click the monitor you want for signage
Scroll down and check Make this my main display
Restart the Yodeck app
Running Two Screens From One Windows Device
You can run two Yodeck apps on the same device, each registered as its own screen in the Portal. This is an advanced setup. Contact Yodeck Support if you need help.
18. Remote Screen On/Off
Windows devices can't send a power-off command to the display the way some other signage devices can. The Turn Screen Off schedule event still works, but only as a black image:
The Yodeck app shows a fully black screen at the scheduled time
The display itself stays powered on, so there will be a faint backlight glow
The display doesn't enter standby or full off mode
Workarounds for true power-off:
Smart power strip or in-line timer. Cuts power to the monitor at set times.
HDMI signal detection. Many monitors switch to standby automatically when there's no signal. Check your monitor's manual.
Display-side scheduler. Many commercial displays have a built-in timer in their menu.
19. Uninstalling the Yodeck Windows App
If you need to remove the Yodeck Windows App from the device, navigate to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and locate the app by name, then click the Uninstall button beside it, or alternatively, follow the Windows uninstall guide.
Use the uninstall option when:
The app installation is corrupted.
The player does not start correctly after installation.
You need to reinstall the Yodeck Windows App from scratch.
ℹ️After uninstalling the app, we strongly advise you to restart the Windows device before installing Yodeck again.
20. Reinstalling the Yodeck Windows Player
The Yodeck Windows Player is a standard Windows app, so reinstalling goes through Windows itself.
Situation | What to Do |
The app is crashing or acting up | Close and reopen it. If that doesn't help, restart the device |
You want to start over completely | Uninstall the Yodeck app from Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then reinstall it. Register the device using the new 9-digit code shown on screen |
After reinstalling, the old screen still shows in the Portal | Delete it from the Screens, then add the device again using the new registration code |
The app won't open even after a fresh install | Check that antivirus isn't blocking it (Section 16). Confirm your Windows version is supported (Section 20) |
⚠️ Before uninstalling: if you only need to re-register the device, try deleting and re-adding the screen from the Portal first. The player will show a new 9-digit code on screen. No reinstall needed.
21. Supported Devices
The Yodeck Windows Player runs on these Windows versions:
Windows Version | Minimum Release |
Windows 10 Pro | Version 1607 or later |
Windows 10 Enterprise | Version 1607 or later |
Windows 11 Pro | Version 21H2 or later |
Windows 11 Enterprise | Version 21H2 or later |
Minimum Hardware
CPU: 8th generation Intel, AMD equivalent, ARM equivalent, or supported mobile chipset
RAM: 4 GB
Display: Connected and powered on during setup
Internet: Stable connection for setup, content sync, and updates
For the latest compatibility details, see our Windows Supported Devices page.
⚠️ Not sure if your device is compatible? Visit the supported devices page above, or contact Yodeck Support, and we'll help you check.
Need Help?
The Yodeck Support Team can help you out! Log in to your Yodeck account and send us a message from the bottom right corner!