diff --git a/sys/d3d11/gstd3d11utils.c b/sys/d3d11/gstd3d11utils.c
index 9e342c08f4..6cf9a77dea 100644
--- a/sys/d3d11/gstd3d11utils.c
+++ b/sys/d3d11/gstd3d11utils.c
@@ -386,29 +386,6 @@ gst_d3d11_get_device_vendor (GstD3D11Device * device)
   return vendor;
 }
 
-static gchar *
-gst_d3d11_hres_to_string (HRESULT hr)
-{
-  DWORD flags;
-  gchar *ret_text;
-  LPTSTR error_text = NULL;
-
-  flags = FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
-      | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS;
-  FormatMessage (flags, NULL, hr, MAKELANGID (LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
-      (LPTSTR) & error_text, 0, NULL);
-
-#ifdef UNICODE
-  /* If UNICODE is defined, LPTSTR is LPWSTR which is UTF-16 */
-  ret_text = g_utf16_to_utf8 (error_text, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-#else
-  ret_text = g_strdup (error_text);
-#endif
-
-  LocalFree (error_text);
-  return ret_text;
-}
-
 gboolean
 _gst_d3d11_result (HRESULT hr, GstD3D11Device * device, GstDebugCategory * cat,
     const gchar * file, const gchar * function, gint line)
@@ -419,9 +396,13 @@ _gst_d3d11_result (HRESULT hr, GstD3D11Device * device, GstDebugCategory * cat,
   if (FAILED (hr)) {
     gchar *error_text = NULL;
 
-    error_text = gst_d3d11_hres_to_string (hr);
+    error_text = g_win32_error_message ((guint) hr);
+    /* g_win32_error_message() doesn't cover all HERESULT return code,
+     * so it could be empty string, or null if there was an error
+     * in g_utf16_to_utf8() */
     gst_debug_log (cat, GST_LEVEL_WARNING, file, function, line,
-        NULL, "D3D11 call failed: 0x%x, %s", (guint) hr, error_text);
+        NULL, "D3D11 call failed: 0x%x, %s", (guint) hr,
+        GST_STR_NULL (error_text));
     g_free (error_text);
 
     ret = FALSE;
diff --git a/sys/mediafoundation/gstmfutils.cpp b/sys/mediafoundation/gstmfutils.cpp
index cecf80cf82..77793a1a92 100644
--- a/sys/mediafoundation/gstmfutils.cpp
+++ b/sys/mediafoundation/gstmfutils.cpp
@@ -356,29 +356,6 @@ gst_mf_media_type_release (IMFMediaType * media_type)
     media_type->Release ();
 }
 
-static gchar *
-gst_mf_hr_to_string (HRESULT hr)
-{
-  DWORD flags;
-  gchar *ret_text;
-  LPTSTR error_text = NULL;
-
-  flags = FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
-      | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS;
-  FormatMessage (flags, NULL, hr, MAKELANGID (LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
-      (LPTSTR) & error_text, 0, NULL);
-
-#ifdef UNICODE
-  ret_text = g_utf16_to_utf8 ((const gunichar2  *) error_text,
-      -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-#else
-  ret_text = g_strdup (error_text);
-#endif
-
-  LocalFree (error_text);
-  return ret_text;
-}
-
 gboolean
 _gst_mf_result (HRESULT hr, GstDebugCategory * cat, const gchar * file,
     const gchar * function, gint line)
@@ -389,9 +366,13 @@ _gst_mf_result (HRESULT hr, GstDebugCategory * cat, const gchar * file,
   if (FAILED (hr)) {
     gchar *error_text = NULL;
 
-    error_text = gst_mf_hr_to_string (hr);
+    error_text = g_win32_error_message ((gint) hr);
+    /* g_win32_error_message() doesn't cover all HERESULT return code,
+     * so it could be empty string, or null if there was an error
+     * in g_utf16_to_utf8() */
     gst_debug_log (cat, GST_LEVEL_WARNING, file, function, line,
-        NULL, "MediaFoundation call failed: 0x%x, %s", (guint) hr, error_text);
+        NULL, "MediaFoundation call failed: 0x%x, %s", (guint) hr,
+        GST_STR_NULL (error_text));
     g_free (error_text);
 
     ret = FALSE;
diff --git a/sys/wasapi/gstwasapiutil.c b/sys/wasapi/gstwasapiutil.c
index 1651bdf808..61076df842 100644
--- a/sys/wasapi/gstwasapiutil.c
+++ b/sys/wasapi/gstwasapiutil.c
@@ -292,28 +292,17 @@ hresult_to_string_fallback (HRESULT hr)
 gchar *
 gst_wasapi_util_hresult_to_string (HRESULT hr)
 {
-  DWORD flags;
-  gchar *ret_text;
-  LPTSTR error_text = NULL;
+  gchar *error_text = NULL;
 
-  flags = FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
-      | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS;
-  FormatMessage (flags, NULL, hr, MAKELANGID (LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
-      (LPTSTR) & error_text, 0, NULL);
+  error_text = g_win32_error_message ((gint) hr);
+  /* g_win32_error_message() seems to be returning empty string for
+   * AUDCLNT_* cases */
+  if (!error_text || strlen (error_text) == 0) {
+    g_free (error_text);
+    error_text = g_strdup (hresult_to_string_fallback (hr));
+  }
 
-  /* If we couldn't get the error msg, try the fallback switch statement */
-  if (error_text == NULL)
-    return g_strdup (hresult_to_string_fallback (hr));
-
-#ifdef UNICODE
-  /* If UNICODE is defined, LPTSTR is LPWSTR which is UTF-16 */
-  ret_text = g_utf16_to_utf8 (error_text, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-#else
-  ret_text = g_strdup (error_text);
-#endif
-
-  LocalFree (error_text);
-  return ret_text;
+  return error_text;
 }
 
 static IMMDeviceEnumerator *
diff --git a/sys/wasapi2/gstwasapi2util.c b/sys/wasapi2/gstwasapi2util.c
index 0bbce301a4..81109d020a 100644
--- a/sys/wasapi2/gstwasapi2util.c
+++ b/sys/wasapi2/gstwasapi2util.c
@@ -157,33 +157,6 @@ hresult_to_string_fallback (HRESULT hr)
   return s;
 }
 
-static gchar *
-gst_wasapi2_util_hresult_to_string (HRESULT hr)
-{
-  DWORD flags;
-  gchar *ret_text;
-  LPTSTR error_text = NULL;
-
-  flags = FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
-      | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS;
-  FormatMessage (flags, NULL, hr, MAKELANGID (LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
-      (LPTSTR) & error_text, 0, NULL);
-
-  /* If we couldn't get the error msg, try the fallback switch statement */
-  if (error_text == NULL)
-    return g_strdup (hresult_to_string_fallback (hr));
-
-#ifdef UNICODE
-  /* If UNICODE is defined, LPTSTR is LPWSTR which is UTF-16 */
-  ret_text = g_utf16_to_utf8 (error_text, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-#else
-  ret_text = g_strdup (error_text);
-#endif
-
-  LocalFree (error_text);
-  return ret_text;
-}
-
 gboolean
 _gst_wasapi2_result (HRESULT hr, GstDebugCategory * cat, const gchar * file,
     const gchar * function, gint line)
@@ -193,11 +166,23 @@ _gst_wasapi2_result (HRESULT hr, GstDebugCategory * cat, const gchar * file,
 
   if (FAILED (hr)) {
     gchar *error_text = NULL;
+    gboolean free_string = TRUE;
+
+    error_text = g_win32_error_message ((gint) hr);
+    /* g_win32_error_message() seems to be returning empty string for
+     * AUDCLNT_* cases */
+    if (!error_text || strlen (error_text) == 0) {
+      g_free (error_text);
+      error_text = (gchar *) hresult_to_string_fallback (hr);
+
+      free_string = FALSE;
+    }
 
-    error_text = gst_wasapi2_util_hresult_to_string (hr);
     gst_debug_log (cat, GST_LEVEL_WARNING, file, function, line,
         NULL, "WASAPI call failed: 0x%x, %s", (guint) hr, error_text);
-    g_free (error_text);
+
+    if (free_string)
+      g_free (error_text);
 
     ret = FALSE;
   }
diff --git a/sys/winscreencap/dxgicapture.c b/sys/winscreencap/dxgicapture.c
index 6d2de48fae..07c30dc702 100644
--- a/sys/winscreencap/dxgicapture.c
+++ b/sys/winscreencap/dxgicapture.c
@@ -1339,26 +1339,16 @@ _hresult_to_string_fallback (HRESULT hr)
 gchar *
 get_hresult_to_string (HRESULT hr)
 {
-  DWORD flags;
-  gchar *ret_text;
-  LPTSTR error_text = NULL;
+  gchar *error_text = NULL;
 
-  flags = FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM | FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
-      | FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS;
-  FormatMessage (flags, NULL, hr, MAKELANGID (LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
-      (LPTSTR) & error_text, 0, NULL);
+  error_text = g_win32_error_message ((gint) hr);
+  /* g_win32_error_message() doesn't cover all HERESULT return code,
+   * so it could be empty string, or null if there was an error
+   * in g_utf16_to_utf8() */
+  if (!error_text || strlen (error_text) == 0) {
+    g_free (error_text);
+    error_text = g_strdup (_hresult_to_string_fallback (hr));
+  }
 
-  /* If we couldn't get the error msg, try the fallback switch statement */
-  if (error_text == NULL)
-    return g_strdup (_hresult_to_string_fallback (hr));
-
-#ifdef UNICODE
-  /* If UNICODE is defined, LPTSTR is LPWSTR which is UTF-16 */
-  ret_text = g_utf16_to_utf8 (error_text, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-#else
-  ret_text = g_strdup (error_text);
-#endif
-
-  LocalFree (error_text);
-  return ret_text;
+  return error_text;
 }