Windows Media Player not working Windows 7

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Need more help?
Step 1: Uninstall Windows Media Player
Step 2: Reboot
Step 3: Turn Windows Media Player Back On
1. Disable and enable Windows Media Player
2. Disable and re-enable Windows Media Player in Windows Features
3. Try an alternative video player
Cyberlink PowerDVD 21
4. Update Windows and uninstall AMD Media Foundation Transcoder
What Media Player works with Windows 7?
Why can't I get Windows Media Player to work?

Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020

We recommend you move to a Windows 11 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.

Learn more

You may get an error message while using Windows Media Player but without any specific info about the error. Here are a few common pitfalls:

If the error involves a playback problem, you may not have the right codec on your PC to play that file. For more information about codecs, see Codecs: frequently asked questions.
If you can't burn a CD or DVD, does the disc already have content on it? If so, make sure the disc is rewritable and that you erase the existing content before you try to burn new content onto it.
If Windows Media Player stopped working correctly after the latest update from Windows Update, you can verify that the update is the problem by using System Restore. To do this:
1. Click the Start button and type system restore.
2. Select Create a restore point, and then in the System Properties pane, select System Restore.
3. Follow the prompts to select the restore point just before the round of updates that seemed to trigger the problem. Then run the system restore process. (This takes a while.)
4. After your system is restored to the earlier configuration, check to see whether Windows Media Player runs correctly again.

For general help with Windows Media Player, see the Windows Media Player support page. You can also post questions about Windows Media Player errors in the Windows forum. Experts are on hand to help.

Note: For advanced video features like 4K, you might also want to try Microsoft Movies & TV. To download this for free from Microsoft Store go to Movies & TV and select Get.

Need more help?

If you’re having problems with media playback on your Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 PC using Windows Media Player, or even using other applications like Media Monkey, you might need to reinstall Windows Media Player. But how?

Reader Ted wrote in with this tip, which solved his problem of playing ripped music files in either Windows Media Player or Media Monkey.

Step 1: Uninstall Windows Media Player

Open up Control Panel and type “windows features” into the search box, and then click on Turn Windows features on or off.

Go down to Media Features –> Windows Media Player

Step 2: Reboot

That is all.

Step 3: Turn Windows Media Player Back On

Head back into Windows Features on or off, and check the box again.

At this point hopefully your problem should be solved.

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Updated on May 6, 2022

Windows Media Player has been the staple Windows video player since Windows XP.
Like all software, Windows Media Player can sometimes stop working randomly.
Disabling and enabling Windows Media Player can help when it stops working.
Third-party video players can easily replace Windows' default video player, especially since it's old.

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A wide number of users have reported issues when trying to run Windows Media Player on their Windows 10 PCs, seeing an error message Windows Media Player has stopped working. There are various reasons for this occurrence, starting with system or application conflicts.

Some of the affected users shared their problems on Microsoft’s forum.

Windows Media Player has stopped working.
A Problem has caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available. This just started happening today, didn’t install anything to my knowledge. Tried uninstalling & reinstalling but didn’t do anything.

Resolve the error with the steps provided below.

1. Disable and enable Windows Media Player

Press ‘Win + X’ keys on your keyboard, and select the Apps and features option
Click on ‘Manage optional features’, and then search for Windows Media Player in the list
Once you found Windows Media Player, click on it, select Manage, and deactivate it
Restart your PC
Follow the steps 1 to 3 and install the Windows Media Player from the same list
Check to see if the error occurs when trying to open WMP.

2. Disable and re-enable Windows Media Player in Windows Features

In the Windows Search bar, type Windows features and select Turn Windows features on or off.
Navigate to Windows Media Player and disable it by unchecking the box.
Reboot your PC and re-enable Windows Media Player again.
Check for improvements.

3. Try an alternative video player

If none of the solutions for troubleshooting Windows Media Player work, you could always consider using a different video player altogether, since the Windows Media Player is pretty limited in terms of functionality anyway.

A great media player software that exceeds other competitors’ solutions is Cyberlink PowerDVD 21. Using this tool, you will enjoy flexible support for Blu-ray, 8K, and 4K video quality for your Windows device.

This ultimate media player software can bring you qualitative visual and audio performance for all your videos. Plus, you can manage the entire library of photos, music, and videos on your PC.

Additionally, this solution can support ISO files, ultra HD videos, and Dolby True HD audio with Hi-Res audio support for memorable audiovisual results in your own home.

Plus, you don’t need to worry about unavailable video or audio files due to great support for all major file formats.

Cyberlink PowerDVD 21

Upgrade your audio-visual experience with this media player tool with 8K and 4K HDR media support on your Windows PC.

4. Update Windows and uninstall AMD Media Foundation Transcoder

Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Check for updates to update Windows 10.
In the Windows Search bar, type Control and open Control Panel.
Choose Uninstall a program.
Uninstall AMD Media Foundation Transcoder and try running Windows Media Player again.

Windows Media Player is indeed a great tool, so follow these steps if you notice that it stopped working for no reason.

Read more about this topic

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Windows Update Error 80246007 [Solved]

If all else fails, don’t pass on the opportunity to try a better video player, since the features and capabilities far outweigh the price tag.

Let us know what other solutions you tried and worked by telling us about it in the comments section below.

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What Media Player works with Windows 7?

Windows Media Player 12—available as part of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10*—plays more music and video than ever, including Flip Video and unprotected songs from your iTunes library!

Why can't I get Windows Media Player to work?

Step 1: Desktop > click Start button > search box > type Services > click on the result. Step 2: Services window > right side of the pane > under Name > scroll down > double – click on Windows Media Player Network Sharing Services. Step 3: Next window > General tab > Startup type > Automatic> Apply > OK.

Windows Media Player