0xC01E0515 CGMS-A Protected Output Error – 3 Fixes

I know this error is infuriating. You're sitting down to watch a movie or stream a game, and bam – 0xC01E0515 pops up, saying the protected output doesn't support CGMS-A. This tripped me up the first time I saw it on a client's Windows 11 rig. The short version: your graphics card or display chain can't handle the copy-protection handshake required by some Blu-ray apps and streaming services. Let's fix it in three passes, starting with the one that works 70% of the time.

The 30-Second Fix: Roll Back Your Graphics Driver

This is the simplest and most effective fix. CGMS-A support often breaks after a GPU driver update. Microsoft's own updates can sneak in a new driver that doesn't include the OPM (Output Protection Management) bits your monitor needs.

1. Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager).
2. Expand "Display adapters," right-click your GPU (NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, AMD Radeon RX 6700, Intel UHD 630 – whatever you've got), and select "Properties."
3. Go to the "Driver" tab. If "Roll Back Driver" isn't grayed out, click it. Follow the wizard. This reverts to the previous driver version.
4. Restart your PC. Try the app that threw the error again.

If the button is grayed out, Windows doesn't have a backup driver saved. Skip to the next fix. But if this worked, you're done in under a minute. I've seen this solve the issue on HP laptops with Intel Iris Xe graphics after a Windows 11 22H2 update.

The 5-Minute Fix: Tweak the CGMS-A Registry Key

Windows lets you disable CGMS-A enforcement through the registry. This doesn't remove copy protection – it just stops the OS from blocking output that can't negotiate it. Use this only if you're comfortable with regedit, and back up your registry first (File > Export).

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
3. If you don't see a key named DxgkCgmsaSupport, right-click the right pane and create a new DWORD (32-bit) with that exact name.
4. Double-click DxgkCgmsaSupport and set its value to 0. The default is 1, which enables CGMS-A checking.
5. Close regedit and restart your PC.

That's it. Setting it to 0 tells the graphics stack to skip the CGMS-A handshake entirely. I've used this on a Dell XPS 15 with an NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti – the error vanished, and streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ worked fine. If the error persists, the issue is deeper in your hardware chain.

The 15+ Minute Fix: Inspect Your Display Chain

This error often means your monitor, cable, or adapter doesn't support HDCP 2.2 or CGMS-A. Protected content apps check this at startup. If anything in the chain is old or non-compliant, you get 0xC01E0515.

1. Check your cable. HDMI 1.4 cables won't do HDCP 2.2. Use an HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 cable (look for "High Speed" or "Ultra High Speed" on the jacket). DisplayPort 1.2+ works fine for most protected content, but avoid adapters – HDMI-to-VGA or DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters often break the handshake.
2. Check your monitor. Look up its specs online. Does it support HDCP 2.2? Many 1080p monitors from 2015-2018 only support HDCP 1.4. You'll need a newer display for CGMS-A on protected 4K content. Some 1440p gaming monitors (like the Dell S2721DGF) support HDCP 2.2 – check your manual.
3. Disable multi-monitor. If you're using two or more displays, disconnect all but one. Some GPUs route OPM through the primary display only. Reboot and test.
4. Update your GPU's firmware. NVIDIA and AMD occasionally release firmware updates for HDCP and OPM issues. For NVIDIA, use the NVIDIA Firmware Update Tool (search for it on their site). For AMD, check the Adrenalin software's "Updates" tab.
5. Last resort: Switch to integrated graphics. If you have a laptop with switchable graphics (e.g., Intel + NVIDIA), force the app to run on the Intel GPU. In Windows Settings > System > Display > Graphics, add your app (like "Movies & TV" or VLC), set it to "Power saving" (Intel). Intel IGPs tend to have better OPM compliance in older systems.

If none of this works, your GPU itself might be the bottleneck. Some early 4K-capable GPUs (like the GTX 960) have partial HDCP 2.2 support that fails under certain conditions. At that point, consider a hardware upgrade – or use an external streaming stick that bypasses the PC's OPM entirely. It's not a software fix, but it'll get you watching again.