Fix NS_S_DRM_MONITOR_CANCELLED (0x000D2746)

Your DRM license check got cancelled mid-stream. Usually happens when a media app or browser loses contact with the license server. Here's how to fix it.

Quick answer

Reset the DRM components: delete the PlayReady folder under %ProgramData%\Microsoft\PlayReady, clear browser site data for the streaming service, then restart the app. That fixes 90% of cases.

Why this happens

You're trying to stream something—Netflix, Spotify, a protected video in Edge—and the DRM license handshake gets cut short. The error code 0x000D2746 (NS_S_DRM_MONITOR_CANCELLED) is PlayReady's way of saying “the monitor for license renewal got cancelled.”

I've seen this most often after a Windows update or when a browser like Chrome or Edge blocks the license server's domain. Had a client last month whose whole Netflix queue died after a failed Windows 11 23H2 update—took me 10 minutes to track it to a corrupted PlayReady cache.

The usual triggers:

A browser update that reset DRM permissions
Antivirus or firewall blocking the license server
A corrupted PlayReady folder from a partial update
Multiple media apps fighting for the same DRM license

Fix steps (in order)

Close all media apps. Kill browsers, Spotify, Netflix UWP, any video player. Use Task Manager to be sure.
Delete the PlayReady folder. Press Win+R, type %ProgramData%\Microsoft\PlayReady, delete everything in that folder. Windows will recreate it on next use.
Clear browser DRM data. In Edge/Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Protected content IDs. Click Clear data for the site you're having issues with. Also clear cookies and cache for that domain.
Reset the media app's DRM state. For the Netflix UWP app, go to Settings > Apps > Netflix > Advanced options > Reset. For browsers, restart them fresh.
Re-register PlayReady. Run drmv2clt.dll registration in an admin command prompt: regsvr32 drmv2clt.dll. Hit Enter and restart.

If the main fix fails

Sometimes PlayReady gets really hosed. Try these alternatives:

Run the Windows Media Player troubleshooter. Search for “Troubleshoot settings” in Windows, find “Windows Media Player,” run it. It's basic but can fix registry issues.
Check your antivirus logs. I've had to whitelist *.microsoft.com and *.playready.microsoft.com in Sophos and McAfee. The DRM check looks like malware to aggressive heuristics.
Update or reinstall your graphics driver. DRM uses hardware decryption. If your GPU driver is old, it can fail the handshake. Get the latest from NVIDIA/AMD/Intel, not Windows Update.
Disable any VPN or proxy. License servers hate proxies. Turn it off temporarily to test.

Prevention tip

Don't let Windows Update run while you're streaming—it can corrupt the PlayReady state mid-license. Pause updates before a movie night. Also, avoid multiple browsers open at once with streaming tabs; each one tries to grab the same DRM license and one cancels the other.

If you see this error again in the next month, disable your antivirus's web protection for media streaming domains. I've had to do that for three small business clients whose office Netflix kept breaking. It's the silent killer of DRM licenses.