Native Windows MIDI Services Setup (Windows 11 preview)

On recent Windows 11 builds, Microsoft has been rolling out Windows MIDI Services — a rebuilt MIDI stack that includes MIDI 2.0 support and a native loopback layer. Once it's enabled, MetaServer can talk to its native loopback ports directly and loopMIDI is no longer needed. This page walks through the one-time setup. The general overview of MIDI on Windows (actions, objects, port naming) stays in MIDI Integration — Windows.

When to use this

Use this guide if either of the following applies:

• You're on Windows 11 and would prefer the native MIDI stack over running loopMIDI.
• loopMIDI has been giving you trouble after a recent Windows update (recent Windows 11 changes are what break loopMIDI for many users — the same changes provide the native loopback path below).

If you're on Windows 10, or your MIDI is working fine via loopMIDI today, you don't need to change anything — the legacy loopMIDI path remains supported and documented in MIDI Ports.

Before you start

You need a recent Windows 11 build with Windows MIDI Services enabled. The first user to get this running end-to-end was on build 26200, with security update KB5074105 applied. Older builds simply won't expose the native ports even after the steps below.

If you don't see native MIDI ports after completing the steps, the most likely reason is an outdated Windows build. Make sure Windows Update has finished applying everything before troubleshooting further.

The native loopback plugin is currently a preview-stage Microsoft release, so a manual install is needed. Microsoft is shipping the pieces in phases; expect the install process to get simpler over time as the components are finalised.

Steps

A reboot after the final step is required. Rebooting between steps is safe and recommended if you hit something unexpected.

1. Enable Developer Mode

Search "developer mode" in Windows Settings and switch it on. This isn't cosmetic — the preview loopback plugin is unsigned, and Windows only loads unsigned service plugins when Developer Mode is on. Without this, the plugin won't load at all.

2. Bring Windows up to date

In Windows Update, install any optional or pending updates so you're on the newest build. Turning on "get the latest updates as soon as they're available" helps ensure you receive the relevant Windows MIDI Services pieces.

3. Install MIDI 1.0 Basic Loopback

Download and install the MIDI 1.0 Basic Loopback service plugin from Microsoft's official repository: microsoft/MIDI releases on GitHub. This is the plugin that creates the loopMIDI-style ports — the SDK runtime on its own does not. Skipping this step is the most common reason native ports don't appear.

4. Install the Network MIDI 2.0 preview

From the same repository, install the spring-2026 Network MIDI 2.0 preview: Network MIDI 2.0 Spring 2026. Look for the Windows.MIDI.Services.MIDI2.0.Preview… package.

5. Install the SDK Runtime and Tools

Download the current Windows MIDI Services SDK Runtime and Tools package from Microsoft's official page: aka.ms/midi. Install it.

Don't use winget for this. A community-uploaded winget package (Microsoft.WindowsMIDIServicesSDK) exists and works in a pinch, but per Pete Brown (Microsoft, Windows MIDI Services project manager — see the forum thread), it is currently outdated and does not track Microsoft's latest releases. aka.ms/midi is the authoritative download.

In testing, this is the step that pulls everything together — the previous installers register the components, and the SDK install completes the wiring.

6. Configure the Windows MIDI Services service

Open services.msc, scroll to Windows MIDI Services, right-click → Properties. Two settings to change here:

• Log On tab → Log on as: Local System account. Without this, MetaServer is unable to see the native ports even though they exist.
• General tab → Startup type: Automatic (Delayed Start). This ensures the service is fully up by the time MetaServer launches at login, avoiding a startup race where MetaServer can't find the ports because the service isn't ready yet.

7. Reboot

Reboot the machine. After it comes back, MetaServer should enumerate the native Windows MIDI ports, and you can disable loopMIDI (or uninstall it entirely once you've confirmed everything works).

After setup

In MetaServer's MIDI Ports tab, the native ports appear under the same Metasystem - … naming MetaServer uses for everything else — there's no UI difference between native-backed and loopMIDI-backed ports from MetaServer's perspective. Toggle the ports your DAW needs, then verify in the DAW that the inputs show up.

If a DAW project was previously bound to loopMIDI-backed ports, the port name should still match (MetaServer keeps the same naming) — but some DAWs cache port GUIDs separately from names. If a DAW stops receiving MIDI after the switch, reassign the MIDI input once in the project and re-save.

A note on the loopMIDI startup error

A common loopMIDI problem on Windows is that MetaServer launches before loopMIDI has finished creating its ports, so MetaServer doesn't see them and reports an error — even though loopMIDI is running fine. Restarting MetaServer manually once loopMIDI is up resolves it.

Moving to native Windows MIDI removes this race entirely, because the native ports are created by the Windows service itself and are available before either MetaServer or loopMIDI starts.

Status of this feature

This setup uses preview-stage Windows components. Microsoft is still finalising the rollout, so individual steps (the names of the GitHub releases, the SDK package, the loopback plugin) may change as updates ship.

What's coming, per Pete Brown (Microsoft, Windows MIDI Services project manager): over the next few months the SDK — and the MIDI 1.0 loopback support — are planned to ship in-box with Windows, so the separate downloads in steps 3–5 above should eventually no longer be required. Breaking API changes are expected during that transition; the downloadable and in-box SDKs are designed to coexist while users migrate. There's no firm date yet — for now, treat the version numbers and download links above as point-in-time accurate rather than permanent.

Where to get help

• Windows MIDI Services itself: the Windows MIDI / Audio Discord run by the Microsoft team. Pete Brown and team post setups, workarounds, news of developments, and fix announcements there.
• MetaServer-specific questions: the original MetaGrid forum thread — it's where the setup steps above were originally documented and continues to be the right place to flag MetaServer-side issues.

If a step here doesn't match what you're seeing on a newer Windows build, either channel is a good place to ask.