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Tools in Windows Media Player allow you to control content on the player, such as downloads, media information changes, plugins and options. Options give you access to program your media player for your needs, including setting automatic updates to let you know about advances in content, ripping music, controlling security, connecting devices such as speakers, and deciding privacy, burning, network, player, performance and library issues.
Tools on Windows Media Player
The tools option is available on the menu bar, but by default it is not shown in Windows Media Player. You need to go to the player library to start the process. When you reach the player library section, locate the “Organize” icon and search for “Layout.” From “Layout,” click on “Show Menu Bar.” That’s all there is to it.
With tools you can customize your media player to perform in a way that works for you. You can add, delete or change information and control all the data that is included in your media players’ library.
If you’re looking for an easy way to play and manage your media files in Windows 11, then Windows Media Player is what you need. It’s a free built-in application that allows you to quickly access your audio, video, and photo files with just a few clicks. In this article, we’ll show you how to open Windows Media Player in Windows 11.
If you’re seeking information about how to open Windows Media Player on your computer, the Windows Search tool is a good place to start. To open Windows Media Player using the search tool, do the following:
-
Press Win + Q on your keyboard.
- From here, type “Windows Media Player Legacy” into the search bar.
Upon doing this, you will see a list of related results; clicking on this will then open Windows Media Player automatically.
The Run dialog box is one of the most useful tools on Windows. It’s a quick and easy way to access frequently used programs and files without having to search through your computer’s file system.
To open Windows Media Player using the Run command, do the following:
- Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. For more information, check out our complete guide to Windows Keyboard Shortcuts.
- In the Run dialog box, type wmplayer.exe and click OK.
That’s it. This is how you can open Windows Media Player on your PC.
Task Manager is a powerful Windows tool you can use to manage your computer’s resources as well as close unresponsive programs, but it isn’t limited to this. You can also use it to open applications, such as Windows Media Player, quickly and easily.
To open Windows Media Player using Task Manager, follow these steps:
- First, press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously on your keyboard.
- In the Task Manager window, click on More details if necessary.
-
Click Run new task at the top of the page.
- Now in the text box, type wmplayer.exe and press Enter on your keyboard.
This will open up Media Player, so you can enjoy all your media files without any trouble!
Another way to access Windows Media Player is by using File Explorer. To do this, follow the below steps:
- Right-click on Start and select File Explorer or press Win + E on your keyboard. This will open the File Explorer window.
- From there, go to the address bar, type wmplayer.exe, and hit Enter.
The Start menu works as a central hub on your computer from where you can access the files and programs you have installed. To open Windows Media Player from the Start Menu, follow these steps:
- The first thing you need to do is open the Start Menu by clicking on the Windows logo at the bottom left of your screen.
- From here, click All apps in the top right corner.
-
Then scroll down and click Windows Tools in the list.
- Double-click Windows Media Player Legacy on the next page.
The Control Panel is a feature on Windows that allows you to access and manage system settings easily. With the help of this tool, you can access almost any application you have installed.
To start Windows Media Player from the Control Panel, follow these steps:
- Click on Start, search for Control Panel, and select it from the top of the list.
- In the Control Panel window, make sure that the View option is set to Large or Small icons.
-
Scroll down and click Windows Tools. This will open a new folder containing advanced tools for system administrators.
- Now double-click Windows Media Player Legacy to launch the tool.
Creating a desktop shortcut for Windows Media Player is one of the most convenient and efficient ways to start playing audio and video files. This can be very useful if you frequently open the Windows Media Player application on your computer. This way, you can quickly access the application without having to search your hard drive or a search engine.
To open Windows Media Player from a desktop shortcut, you must first create its shortcut. Here’s how to do it.
-
Right-click on your desktop area and select New > Shortcut.
-
In the text box, type the following path and click Next or press Enter.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe
- Give the shortcut a name and click Finish.
You will now have a shortcut icon on your desktop. Now, whenever you need to open the Windows Media Player tool, just double-click its shortcut.
There is another way to create a desktop shortcut that only takes a few seconds. The steps are as follows:
- Go to the Start menu and search for Windows Tools.
- Then select the result from the top of the list.
- Next, locate Windows Media Player Legacy and drag it to the desktop.
After creating the shortcut, double-click it to launch Windows Media Player Legacy.
Windows offers multiple ways to open Windows Media Player, but the keyboard shortcut is the quickest and easiest way. To use it, follow these steps:
- Make a Windows Media Player shortcut as per method number seven.
-
Right-click on the shortcut icon and select Properties.
- Type any letter or number in the shortcut field.
- Next, click Apply > OK to save the changes
Once you have done so, just press Ctrl + Alt and type the letter or number you chose. Just remember to keep the desktop shortcut around; if you ever delete it, it’ll take down the keyboard shortcut with it.
After reading this article, you should now be familiar with nine different ways that you can use to open Windows Media Player on your Windows operating system. Try them out and choose the one that works for you.
Do you know how to open Windows Media Player on your computer? If it is not the default media player on your PC, do you know how to make it default? Besides, if you can’t find it, do you know how to get it back? In this post, MiniTool Software will show you all the information you want to know.
In this post, we will show you the following information:
- How to open Windows Media Player?
- How to make Windows Media Player default?
- What to do if you can’t find Windows Media Player?
Windows Media Player is a Windows built-in tool, which is pre-installed on your Windows computer. How to find and open it on your computer?
You can use one of the following ways to open it:
Way 1: Use Windows Search
Windows search is also a Windows tool. You can use it to search for files and programs that are installed on your computer. So, you can also use it to search for Windows Media Player and open it.
Here is a guide:
- Click Windows search.
- Type Windows Media Player.
- Select the first result to open Windows Media Player.
Way 2: Use Run
You can also use Run to open it. Here are the steps:
- Press Win+R to open Run.
- Type wmplayer.exe into the Run dialog.
- Press Enter and this will open Windows Media Player.
Tip: Pin Windows Media Player to the Taskbar
If you use Windows Media Player frequently, you can pin it to the taskbar. You can search it using Windows search and right-click the first result. Then, you need to select Pin to taskbar.
After these steps, you will see its icon on the taskbar. When you want to open it, you can just click its icon on the taskbar.
Windows Media Player is a Windows snap-in tool. But this doesn’t mean that it is the default media player on your computer. If you want to make Windows Media Player default, you can follow this guide:
- Click Start.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps.
- Click Choose a default under Video player and select Windows Media Player from the dropdown list. If another media player has been the default, you can also just click that player and then select Windows Media Player.
After these three simple steps, you successfully make Windows Media Player default.
Some users report that they can’t find Windows Media Player on the computer. If so, you should uninstall it by mistake or it disappears for some unknown reason. If you get it back by installing it again on your computer.
How to Reinstall Windows Media Player on Your Computer?
1. Click Windows search and type features.
2. Select Turn Windows features on or off from the result.
3. Scroll down to find Media Features and expand it.
4. Check Windows Media Player.
5. Click OK to save the change.
6. Restart your computer.
Now, you know how to open Windows Media Player, make it default, and how to get it back if you can’t find it. If you are bothered by some other related issues, you can let us know in the comments.
Все способы:
- Скачать Windows Media Player бесплатно
- Поддержка многих форматов аудио и видеозаписи
- Работа со списком воспроизведения
- Настройка звука
- Изменение скорости воспроизведения
- Настройка видеозаписи
- Работа с субтитрами
- Копирование музыки с диска
- Запись аудиодиска и диска с данными
- Достоинства Windows Media Player:
- Недостатки Windows Media Player:
- Вопросы и ответы: 5
Для того, чтобы иметь возможность воспроизводить музыку и видео, на компьютер должна быть установлена программа-медиапроигрыватель. По умолчанию в ОС Windows встроен проигрыватель Windows Media Player, и именно ему и будет посвящена речь.
Скачать Windows Media Player бесплатно
Загрузить последнюю версию программы с официального сайта
Виндовс Медиа Плеер – наиболее популярный медиапроигрыватель, в первую очередь, потому, что уже предустановлен в ОС Windows, и большинству пользователей хватает его возможностей для выполнения всех задач, связанных с воспроизведением медиафайлов.
Поддержка многих форматов аудио и видеозаписи
Программа Windows Media Player легко воспроизводит такие форматы файлов, как AVI и MP4, но, например, бессильна при попытке воспроизвести MKV.
Работа со списком воспроизведения
Составляйте список воспроизведения, чтобы воспроизводить выбранные файлы в установленном вами порядке.
Настройка звука
Если вас не устраивает звучание музыки или фильмов, вы сможете скорректировать звук, используя встроенный 10-полосный эквалайзер с ручной регулировкой или выбрав один из нескольких вариантов заданных настроек эквалайзера.
Изменение скорости воспроизведения
При необходимости, регулируйте скорость воспроизведения в большую или меньшую сторону.
Настройка видеозаписи
Если качество картинки в видео вас не устраивает, то исправить данную проблему поможет встроенный инструмент, позволяющий отрегулировать оттенок, яркость, насыщенность и контраст.
Работа с субтитрами
В отличие, например, от программы VLC Media Player, которая предоставляет расширенные возможности для работы с субтитрами, вся работа с ними в Виндовс Медиа Плеер заключается лишь в их включении или отключении.
Копирование музыки с диска
Большинство пользователей предпочитают постепенно отказываться от использования дисков, организовывая хранение на компьютере или в облаке. В Windows Media Player имеется встроенный инструмент для копирования музыки с диска, который позволит сохранить аудиофайлы в подходящем для вас формате аудио.
Запись аудиодиска и диска с данными
Если же вам информацию, наоборот, необходимо записать на диск, то для этого вовсе не обязательно обращаться к помощи специализированных программ, когда с этой задачей прекрасно может справиться и Windows Media Player.
Достоинства Windows Media Player:
1. Простой и доступный интерфейс, привычный многим пользователям;
2. Имеется поддержка русского языка;
3. Проигрыватель уже предустановлен на компьютер под управлением ОС Windows.
Недостатки Windows Media Player:
1. Ограниченное количество поддерживаемых форматов и настроек.
Windows Media Player – это отличный базовый медиапроигрыватель, который станет идеальным выбором для нетребовательных пользователей. Но к сожалению, он весьма ограничен в количестве поддерживаемых форматов, а также не предоставляет такого просмотра для настроек, как, скажем, KMPlayer.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the media player featured in Windows 10 and 11. For the media player featured prior to Windows 11, see Windows Media Player.
Windows Media Player
|
Media Player running on Windows 11 in Light mode |
|
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 2021; 3 years ago |
| Stable release | March 2025 Update (11.2503.5.0) (22 April 2025; 12 days ago[1]) [±] |
| Operating system | Windows 10, 11 |
| Predecessor | Groove Music Microsoft Movies & TV Windows Media Player |
Windows Media Player (or simply Media Player) is a video and audio player developed in UWP by Microsoft for Windows 11 and subsequently backported to Windows 10. It is the successor to Groove Music (previously Xbox Music), Microsoft Movies & TV, and the original Windows Media Player. It began rolling out to Windows 11 Insider channels in November 2021 and then to all users starting in January 2022.[2][3] It was later released to Windows 10 users in January 2023.[4]
The new version of Windows Media Player (or Media Player) now includes support for video files, as part of Groove Music’s rebranding from a music streaming service to a media player.[5] Other changes to the app include the album cover view being in fullscreen, and a refresh to the mini player.[6] Accessibility has also been optimized in this new version, with some improved keyboard shortcuts and hotkey support for keyboard users and with other assistive technologies.[7]
Some features from the original Windows Media Player were initially not included, such as DLNA local streaming and the ripping of CDs. Ripping was eventually reintroduced in July 2022 for Windows 11, supporting the AAC, WMA, FLAC, and ALAC formats.[8]
This is a list of known supported formats in Media Player on Windows 10 and Windows 11.[9][10][11]
List of supported audio formats
| File Container | File Extension | Number of channels |
|---|---|---|
| MPEG-1 Audio Layer III MPEG-2 Audio Layer III |
.mp3 | 2 |
| Free Lossless Audio Codec | .flac | 2 |
| Raw AAC stream Audio Data Interchange Format (ADIF) Audio Data Transport Stream (ADTS) |
.aac, .adt, .adts | 2 |
| MPEG-4 audio-only file (AAC) | .m4a | 5.1 |
| Waveform Audio File Format | .wav | 2 |
| Windows Media Audio | .wma | 5.1 |
| Dolby AC-3 | .ac3 | 5.1 |
| 3GP and 3G2 | .3gp, .3g2 | 2 |
| Adaptive Multi-Rate | .amr | 2 |
| Matroska audio-only file | .mka | 2 |
| Ogg audio-only file (may contain various Xiph formats such as: Ogg FLAC, OggPCM, Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Opus)[12] |
.oga | 2 |
| Ogg container (Vorbis) | .ogg | 2 |
| Ogg container (Opus) | .opus | 2 |
List of supported video formats
| File Container | File Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MPEG-4 video Apple MPEG-4 video (MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264, H.265, AV1) |
.mp4, .m4v | Dolby Vision, H.265, and AV1 playback require installation of an add-on from Microsoft Store. DTS Audio playback requires DTS Sound Unbound from Microsoft Store with a DTS:X Decoder license. |
| QuickTime File Format | .mov | |
| Advanced Systems Format | .asf | |
| Audio Video Interleave | .avi | |
| Windows Media Video | .wmv | |
| BDAV MPEG-2 Transport Stream | .m2ts | |
| 3GP and 3G2 | .3g2, .3gp2, .3gpp | |
| Matroska video | .mkv | |
| WebM (VP8, VP9, AV1) | .webm | AV1 playback requires installation of add-on from the Microsoft Store. |
| Ogg container (Theora) | .ogv |
List of supported streaming protocols
| Streaming Protocol | URL Identifier |
|---|---|
| Shoutcast / Icecast (ICY) | — |
| HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)[13] | .m3u8 |
- ^ «Windows Media Player». Microsoft Apps. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ Baxter, Daryl (September 29, 2021). «Microsoft accidentally shows off a new Media Player for Windows 11». TechRadar. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Daryl (January 5, 2022). «New and improved Windows Media Player is rolling out to Windows 11 users». TechRadar. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Daryl (January 13, 2023). «The beat stops for Groove Music in Windows 10 as it’s replaced by Media Player». TechRadar. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Holt, Kris (November 17, 2021). «Microsoft is replacing Windows Media Player with Media Player for Windows 11». Engadget. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ «Full screen album art». 16 November 2021.
- ^ «Optimized accessibility». 16 November 2021.
- ^ Parmar, Mayank (2022-07-14). «Windows 11 now lets you easily rip CD with new Media Player». Windows Latest. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ Windows 11’s New Media Player Brings Big Improvements to Audio and Video — PCMag
- ^ «Supported audio and video formats (Windows Runtime apps) — Windows app development». Microsoft Docs. 13 October 2015.
- ^ «Supported codecs — UWP applications». Microsoft Docs. 15 November 2024.
- ^ «MIME Types and File Extensions — XiphWiki».
- ^ «HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) tag support — UWP applications».