6 Ways to Troubleshoot Windows Media Player Not Working [Windows 10/8/7]
November 20, 2020 08:50Posted by Selena Thomas to Play Video
The Windows Media Player, freely available for the Microsoft Windows operating system, integrates with the computer's system. Windows Media Player can handle a number of popular audio and video formats and also supports CD audio and DVD playback. But sometimes, it stopped working properly and can't open your MP4 files or DVDs. This might due to Windows 10 update, codec issue, software update, or other reasons. The following are the troubleshooting tips you can try if your Windows Media Player not working properly on Windows 10/8/7. Hopefully, something here will be helpful for you.
When you come across the problem of Windows Media Player not working, the first thing you can try is to use WMP built-in troubleshooter to fix the problem. Here's what you need to do:
Press the Win+R keys to open the Run box.
Type msdt.exe -id WindowsMediaPlayerConfigurationDiagnostic and hit Enter to open the troubleshooting wizard. Then, click Next to move on.
Click Apply this fix to reset default Windows Media Player settings.
Then, the troubleshooter starts solving the Windows Media Player not working or responding problem. Once the troubleshooting is over, just click Close the troubleshooter, and try opening Windows Media Player again.
Since Windows Media Player comes pre-installed with Windows, it doesn't have all the necessary codecs to play a wide range of video formats. You can open your browser and search for media player codec pack to download various codecs in order to play various formats.
Related: Everything You Should Care about MKV Codec for Windows Media Player
You can also re-register some DLL files to fix this issue. You can follow the steps below:
Type cmd in the Search bar and then right-click Command Prompt to click Run as administrator.
Type the following commands one after another, and then press Enter after each command:
regsvr32 vbscript.dll
regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 wmp.dll
Then, you can exit Command Prompt and restart your computer. Now, you can try again.
Another feasible way to fix Windows Media Player not responding error is to delete the Windows Media Player Library. Here's how to do:
Open the Run box, type services.msc in the box and then click OK to open Services.
Click Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service, right-click it to choose Stop.
Then, press the Win+E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer, and then go to C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft.
If the Windows Media Player video or audio not playing error still remains, you might want to try an alternative to Windows Media Player. To get this, Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Player is a professional program that works seamlessly with your Windows system and supports playing a variety of video & audio formats, including MTS, MXF, AVI, MP4, WMV, MOV, MPEG, RMVB, MKV, etc.
In addition to playing video and audio, this program allows you to play Blu-ray and DVD disc/folder/ISO image file with super-high quality for free. On top of that, you are provided with more advanced options. For example, you can select the chapter or title to play, or choose the desired audio track and subtitle for the playback. You can download and install it on your computer for free.
Related: Top Best Windows Media Player Alternatives
If the above-mentioned solutions can't solve the Windows Media Player not working error, then you can try reinstalling Windows Media Player.
Open the Search bar, type control panel, and then click the Control Panel. Then, select Programs and Features, and click on Turn Windows features on or off in the left panel.
Then, it will bring up a window to expand Media Features. Here, you need to find Windows Media Player and uncheck the box next to it. Then, confirm the operation by clicking Yes and OK.
Now, restart your computer and then go back to check the box next to Windows Media Player. After that, reboot your computer again, and your system will automatically install Windows Media Player.
Why is the Windows 7 Media Player not working?
The reasons why your Windows Media Player doesn't work can be various. The causes could be outdated or corrupted media player or center settings.
What types of Media does Windows Media Player Support?
Windows Media Player 12 has built-in support for a number of popular audio and video formats, such as 3GP, AAC, AVCHD, MPEG-4, WMV, and WMA. It also supports most AVI, DivX, MOV, and Xvid files. With additional plug-ins for Windows Media Player, you can get additional functionality such as audio effects or DVD playback.
Which codecs are included with the Windows Media Player?
By default, the Windows Media Player includes many popular codecs, such as Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Video, and MP3. You can also download the necessary codec from the web to play more videos compressed by using a codec that Windows Media Player doesn't include.
Above listed are the feasible methods you can try to fix the Windows Media Player not working issue. For lossless quality playback and additional features, Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Player proves to be the best choice for playing the content on your Windows 10/8/7. You can also consider other players depending on your requirements.
More Reading
Everything You Should Know about Playing MP4 on Windows Media Player
Why Windows Media Player cannot play MP4 well? How to play MP4 files on all versions of Windows Media Player without any problem? This article will give you all the answers.
(100% Working) How to Free Play DVDs in Windows 10/8/7 with Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player WON'T play DVD? You should check the solution here and get the 4 workable, but free ways to watch DVD on Windows 10, 8, and 7 with Windows Media Player.
How to Take a Screenshot of a Video in Windows Media Player
How do you capture still images from a video in Windows Media Player? Read this post and discover the ways to take screenshots of a video in Windows Media Player.
Windows Media Player Won't Play Blu-ray Movies, Is It True?
Can Windows Media Player play Blu-ray on Windows 10/8/7? If not, what you can do to get smooth Blu-ray playback on your Windows computer or laptop? Here're 3 workable solutions you can get.
