A routine Windows 11 update has been silently breaking DJ controllers for thousands of DJs since late January 2026. Microsoft’s new “Windows Midi Services” – an overhaul of how Windows handles Midi, adding Midi 2.0 support – rolled out via automatic updates and is causing DJ controllers to appear completely dead in DJ software, even though Windows says it can see them just fine.
The symptoms are consistent across reports: you plug in your controller, your DJ software detects it, but jogwheels, faders, buttons – nothing responds. In some cases, controllers aren’t detected at all if powered on after the software has launched. In others, disconnecting a controller crashes the DJ software entirely. One Rane Performer user on Microsoft’s developer blog described wiping their entire machine and spending two days reinstalling everything, only to find the controller still crashes the software when disconnected.
This is an unusual one. Normally when we hear about DJ software compatibility problems, it’s audio drivers – and usually on Mac. Having Midi break on Windows is strange territory, and it’s caught a lot of DJs offguard precisely because it’s so unexpected.
What’s actually happening?
Microsoft shipped a new Midi stack that’s designed to modernise how Windows handles Midi devices – adding multi-client support, Midi 2.0, and better device naming. The problem is that when the new stack starts up, it grabs hold of connected Midi devices for protocol negotiation before the old APIs can see them. The result is that DJ software using the older (and perfectly functional) Midi 1.0 APIs simply can’t communicate with the controller.
Microsoft’s own Pete Brown – the developer leading the project – acknowledged that the new stack is much faster than the old one, which is triggering timing-related bugs in apps that never appeared before. To make matters worse, some hardware manufacturers (particularly inMusic, which owns Rane, Denon DJ, Numark, and others) have drivers that actively conflict with the new Midi service.
As of early April 2026, the new Windows Midi Services feature is now enabled on all consumer Windows 11 PCs that haven’t blocked or uninstalled updates. So this is only going to become more widespread.
How have the companies responded?
The issue has been confirmed across Serato DJ Pro, VirtualDJ, Algoriddim djay Pro and Rekordbox. Here’s how each company has responded:
Serato published a dedicated known issue page, acknowledging hardware detection failures and crashes when disconnecting hardware. Their advice is to close Serato before unplugging anything, and to keep Windows updated as Microsoft rolls out fixes. VirtualDJ has been the most proactive of all the software companies. They worked directly with Microsoft, resulting in Build 9005 which fixes a UI freezing issue caused by the new Midi stack’s speed. Their forums contain the most detailed user troubleshooting threads, including a Rane-specific discussion and a thread tracking the March cumulative update which reintroduced the same problems. Algoriddim published a full troubleshooting guide recommending Microsoft’s Midi timestamp fix from GitHub, followed by uninstalling the affected updates and pausing future ones. Engine DJ (and all inMusic brands – Denon DJ, Rane, Numark, M-Audio, Akai) published identical support articles across their sites, recommending users uninstall the Windows update or try running controllers class-compliant (without the vendor driver). Note that Engine (and all)) standalones are not affected, only when used as controllers. Microsoft has confirmed the InMusic driver itself is part of the problem, and inMusic has acknowledged this. Rekordbox/AlphaTheta and Native Instruments/Traktor have not published any advisory about this issue at the time of writing.
What gear is affected?
When it comes to controllers, reports have come in for hardware from across the industry. Confirmed affected devices include the Pioneer DJ DDJ series units (with Rekordbox and djay), Denon DJ Prime when used as Midi controllers, Rane Performer and Rane Four, Hercules DJControl devices, and Traktor controllers (when used in Midi mode with djay).
InMusic devices (Rane, Denon DJ, Numark) appear to be the hardest hit because their proprietary audio+Midi combo drivers conflict directly with the new Midi service. Microsoft has said these drivers need updating by inMusic to be compatible – it’s not something Microsoft can fix alone.
It’s worth noting that Native Instruments Traktor controllers use HID (not Midi) when communicating natively with Traktor, so they may be less affected when used with their own software. But in Midi mode with third-party software, they’re vulnerable like anything else.
Not every controller on every PC is affected – some VirtualDJ team members reported their Pioneer DJ controllers worked fine after the update. But as far as we can see there’s no way to predict which systems will have problems until it’s too late.
What can you do about it?
There are several approaches, depending on your situation:
The simplest workaround is to make sure your controller is powered on and connected before you launch your DJ software. This doesn’t fix all cases, but it resolves the timing-related detection issue for some setups.
If you caught the problem early (within 10 days of the update installing), you can uninstall the offending updates – KB5074105, KB5077181, and KB5077241 – through Windows Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall Updates, then immediately pause future updates.
If you’re past the 10-day uninstall window, a tool called ViVeTool can disable just the Midi 2.0 feature without removing the entire update. The VirtualDJ Rane thread has step-by-step instructions. This is an unofficial workaround and Microsoft doesn’t formally support it, so use it at your own risk.
For inMusic devices specifically (Rane, Denon DJ, Numark, Akai, M-Audio), Microsoft has a preview fix available on their Midi Discord server, with the proper Windows fix targeted for the end of May 2026. If your device is class-compliant (works without a vendor driver on other operating systems), you can try uninstalling the vendor driver entirely and letting Windows use its built-in Midi 1.0 driver instead.
And then there’s the option to just wait. Microsoft is actively working through the bugs in priority order, with Pete Brown posting regular updates on the Windows Midi Services known issues page (updated 2 April 2026). Various fixes are targeting end of April and end of May 2026. If you can afford to sit tight and your gig schedule allows it, this will eventually be resolved without you having to tinker with anything.
Final thoughts…
This is an unusual situation – Midi breaking on Windows isn’t something most DJs would have been watching out for. But the advice we always give our students applies here more than ever: if you’re a laptop DJ, never have auto-updating turned on, and never update anything on your system until you’re sure others have done so and it hasn’t caused any problems. It would have been easy to let your guard down with this one due to how strange the issue is, but that advice would have saved every DJ who is now struggling to undo these updates.
The golden rule remains: your DJ laptop is a tool for performing. Treat it like one. Update on your own schedule, not Microsoft’s – and ideally on a day when you’ve got no gigs coming up and plenty of time to test everything afterwards.
It’s worth noting that the intentions behind this update are good – multi-client Midi, better device naming, and Midi 2.0 support are all things Windows musicians have wanted for years. But rolling it out as a mandatory automatic update, when the testing clearly hadn’t covered the sheer variety of DJ controllers and drivers out there, was always going to cause problems. As one user on the VI-Control forum put it, the testing programme had “holes the size of a moon in” it.
For now, if you’re on Windows 11 and your controller has stopped responding, the links above are your best starting points. And if everything’s working fine for you – don’t touch anything.
Have you been affected by this Windows Midi update? What controller and software are you using, and did you find a fix? Let us know in the comments.
