Microsoft Dev Blogs:
There’s a larger blog post with the features and benefits of Windows MIDI Services coming later this month (February 2026). This is just a quick post here to assist users with known issues or workarounds, in the interest of remaining transparent on this project.
We performed a ton of testing with customers, partners, and our own equipment over the development cycle for Windows MIDI Services, but some bugs have made it through, as is known to happen with software development. We’re working on them in priority order, but I wanted to ensure the most impactful ones have more detail here.
Full issue list and updates for bugs may be found on our GitHub Repo
Info: How do I know if the new Windows MIDI Services Stack is enabled?
Windows MIDI Services is part of a Phased Rollout. This means that after you install the KB which contains the Windows MIDI Services binaries, you will get the new feature enabled at some point in the next month. Who gets enabled depends on the algorithms that control the rollout phases.To see if your PC has the feature enabled, go to About Windows MIDI Services and download the checker tool there. It will be up until the next SDK release, where it will be included as part of the SDK and Tools package. Run this checker from a Windows Terminal / command prompt and pay attention to the output. It will tell you if the new stack has been enabled on your PC as part of the phased rollout.
Bug: Dynamic ports (loopMIDI, loopBE, Bome, virtualTE) are not always visible.
Problem: Third-party drivers which dynamically create MIDI ports in Windows do not work as before. Unless the ports were created before the service was started, they are not visible.Github Issue 835
Workaround 1: Restart the service
Close all apps using MIDI. Create the ports in the tool and then restart the MIDI Service through either the Services app or the command line. The service shows up as “Windows MIDI Service” and is named midisrv.Administrator command prompt method: 1. Create your MIDI ports in the third-party tool. 2. Close all MIDI apps 3. Open Windows Terminal as an Administrator (“run as administrator”) 4. Type net stop midisrv 5. After that completes, type net start midisrv
Workaround 2: Use the built-in loopbacks instead
Only if you see that Windows MIDI Services is enabled, you can download the SDK Runtime and Tools package (it is currently unsigned and so you will receive several warnings) and then install it. This will install the MIDI and Musician Settings app. In that app, the first-run experience will prompt you to complete setting up MIDI. Part of that includes creating some default loopback endpoints. You can create as many other loopback endpoints as you need after the initial setup has created a configuration file for you.Please pay attention to how these bidirectional loopbacks work, using the information provided in the MIDI Settings app Loopbacks page when you create a loopback endpoint. Loopback A sends to Loopback B. Loopback B sends to Loopback A.
Of course, this will only work for you if what you need are loopback endpoints.
Bug: Apps using the WinMM MIDI 1.0 API may not see newly plugged-in devices.
If you connect or power on a USB MIDI device after you’ve already started an app using the older WinMM MIDI 1.0 API, the device may not be visible.GitHub Issue 783
Workaround:
Plug in the device and ensure it has fully booted up before starting the app.Bug: Apps using the WinMM MIDI 1.0 API may crash if you disconnect or power down a plugged-in device
If you disconnect or power down a USB MIDI device while an app is using it, that application may crash, depending upon how it has opened the device.GitHub Issue 831
Workaround:
Wait until the app has exited before unplugging or powering down a device. This also applies to dynamically-created devices that are not physical USB devices.Bug: VirtualDJ Not able to communicate with controller
This is new and something we’re actively debugging. No additional information or workarounds available just yet.GitHub Issue 843
Other Important Notes
Do not use the Korg Driver Uninstaller or any other tool which works to change the ordering of midi…midi9 entries in the registry. Windows MIDI Services requires only that midi is set to wdmaud.drv and midi1 is set to wdmaud2.drv. If those two entries are not present, Windows MIDI Services will not work on your system. The SDK runtime and tools includes a tool midifixreg which will ensure these two settings exist, in case you’ve already run one of these tools on your system.How to File Bugs or Report Issues
Please do not comment on this post with issues/bugs/questions.Questions/Discussion, and for customers without access to GitHub, issue reporting: Join the Windows MIDI / Audio Discord Server!
Developers and anyone else with access to GitHub can file issues here: microsoft/MIDI
Source:
Windows MIDI Services rollout - known issues and workarounds - Windows MIDI and Music dev
There’s a larger blog post with the features and benefits of Windows MIDI Services coming later this month (February 2026). This is just a quick post here to assist users with known issues or workarounds, in the interest of remaining transparent on this project. We performed a ton of testing...
devblogs.microsoft.com
