How to Install libCEC (Windows)

Modified on Fri, 1 May at 12:26 AM

libCEC is the software that powers the Pulse-Eight USB-CEC Adapter. Installing it gives you CEC Tray — which lets you control your TV from your PC — as well as the command-line tools and batch files used for automation. This article covers installation on Windows.

Step 1 — Download the Installer

The current version of libCEC is 7.1.1. Download the correct installer for your PC:

Version	Download	Use when…
64-bit (recommended)	libcec-x64-7.1.1.exe	Most PCs running Windows 10 or 11
32-bit	libcec-x86-7.1.1.exe	Older PCs running a 32-bit version of Windows
EventGhost plugin	libcec-eventghost-plugin-7.1.1.exe	Only if you are using EventGhost for scheduling — install EventGhost first

Not sure whether your PC is 32-bit or 64-bit? In Windows, go to Settings → System → About and look at the System type field. Almost all modern PCs are 64-bit.

Step 2 — Run the Installer

Open the downloaded fileDouble-click the installer file you downloaded. If Windows asks "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?", clickYes .

Accept the licence agreementRead through the licence agreement and clickI Agreeto continue.

Make sure all components are tickedOn theChoose Componentsscreen, ensure every option in the list has a tick next to it. This is important — if components are left unticked, some features will not be installed and CEC Tray or the batch files may not work correctly.

Complete the installationClickInstalland wait for the process to finish, then clickFinishto close the installer.

Step 3 — Check the Installation Worked

Once the installer finishes, check that libCEC installed correctly:

Look in the bottom right corner of your screen (the system tray, near the clock). You should see the CEC Tray icon — a small Pulse-Eight logo. If it is not visible, click the arrow to show hidden icons.
Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Pulse-Eight\USB-CEC Adapter (or C:\Program Files (x86)\Pulse-Eight\USB-CEC Adapter on 32-bit). You should see the installation folder containing cec-client.exe, tv_on.cmd, tv_off.cmd, and other files.

If the CEC Tray icon does not appear automatically after installation, click the Start button, type cec-tray, and press Enter to launch it manually. You can set it to start automatically with Windows — see CEC Adapter — Turn Your TV On When Your Windows PC Boots Using CEC Tray.

What to Do Next

Now that libCEC is installed, connect your USB-CEC Adapter and confirm it is working. Open CEC Tray, go to File → Enable Advanced Mode, click the CEC Tester tab, and verify that your TV responds to power on and off commands.

From here, see the relevant guide for what you want to do:

Getting Started with the Pulse-Eight USB-CEC Adapter — if this is your first time setting up
Which TV Power Control Method Should I Use? — to decide the best way to automate TV power
CEC Adapter — Turn Your TV On When Your Windows PC Boots — to turn the TV on automatically at startup
Upgrading the Firmware of the CEC Adapter — to check your adapter is running the latest firmware

About the SHA256 Hashes

Each installer on the GitHub releases page has a SHA256 hash listed alongside it. This is an optional security check — it lets you verify that the file you downloaded has not been tampered with or corrupted. You do not need to check this to use libCEC, but if you want to verify your download, open a Command Prompt, navigate to the folder containing the installer, and run:

certutil -hashfile libcec-x64-7.1.1.exe SHA256

The output should match the hash shown on the GitHub releases page for that file.

Having trouble installing libCEC?
Contact Pulse-Eight support with your Windows version and a description of the problem.

UK: 01202 413 610 | US: (858) 748-8250 | support@pulse-eight.com