Windows Media Player

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called wmp, wmplayer, windows media player legacy

Microsoft CorporationSystem

The legacy in-box player. The process is wmplayer.exe. Windows 11 also shipped a new Media Player Store app that is not this exe.

What you need to know

wmplayer.exe is Legacy WMP. Films & TV is Video.UI.exe.

The classic player still exists as an in-box or Optional Feature. Windows 11’s newer Media Player Store app is a different package. Films & TV is the Store video locker, not this library.

What is it?: The legacy in-box player, wmplayer.exe
Same as Films & TV?: No. That is Video.UI.exe
Same as the new Media Player?: No. Different Store app

Feex says

If wmplayer.exe is on screen, that is the old player. I would not hunt a download site for it, and I would not call Films & TV the same app.

What is Windows Media Player?

Windows Media Player Legacy is wmplayer.exe. It rips CDs, holds an old library, and plays files Windows still decodes. It is not Films & TV and not the new Store Media Player.

If you have never used it

If Task Manager shows wmplayer.exe, this is the old Windows Media Player, the library-and-rip app that shipped with Windows for decades. On Windows 11 Microsoft also ships a newer Media Player Store app with a different name and package. Films & TV is a third app (Video.UI.exe) for Store movies. Do not download a “Windows Media Player setup” from a random host. Use Optional Features if Legacy WMP is missing.

What is it used for?

Legacy library and CD rip

Rip and organize in the old library. The new Store Media Player and Films & TV do not replace that rip workflow.

Simple local playback

Open WMA, MP3, and files the Windows codecs still handle. VLC covers more containers without this library.

Optional Feature on Windows 11

Microsoft can hide Legacy WMP behind Optional Features. Films & TV is a Store app you do not enable that way.

Who is it for?

People whose library still lives in the old WMP database
Users who need CD rip in the classic player
Anyone who mixed wmplayer.exe up with the new Store Media Player or Films & TV

Current status

Windows Media Player (1991) is a current legacy media player from Microsoft Corporation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://support.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-player.

How old is it?

Windows Media Player branding goes back to the 1990s (Player 6.4 is the famous old one). wmplayer.exe is that legacy line. The Windows 11 Store Media Player is a 2020s replacement for Groove-style playback. A 2005 “rip a CD in WMP 10” guide is this family, not Films & TV.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Legacy wmplayer.exe

New Store Media Player (different app)

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	In-box or Optional Feature on a supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Microsoft
RAM	Light. The old library can feel slow on a huge catalog, not because of a missing GPU

Resource profile

CPU demand: Low for simple files
Disk demand: Library and rip output

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
wmplayer.exe	Main Windows executable

Startup components

WMP should not start with Windows unless you left a file playing or added a shortcut. It is not a service.

File locations

Common Windows Media Player locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\

File formats

WMAWMVMP3files Windows still decodes

Common problems

Missing on Windows 11

Enable Windows Media Player Legacy under Optional Features. A third-party WMP installer is the wrong file.

File opens in the new Media Player instead

Default apps can point MP4 at the Store player. wmplayer.exe is a different target.

Getting unstuck

Settings > Optional Features if wmplayer.exe is gone

Microsoft’s current path for Legacy WMP. Do not download wmplayer from a forum.

Confirm the process name

wmplayer.exe is this article. Video.UI.exe is Films & TV. The new Store Media Player is another package.

N editions need the Media Feature Pack

Microsoft documents that pack for N SKUs. That is not VLC and not a codec portal.

Alternatives

The new Store Media Player for simple local files. Films & TV for old Microsoft movie purchases. VLC for odd containers.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	support.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-player Official installer or vendor page
Help	learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/wmp/ Vendor support
Official site	support.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-player Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

A disc drive still matters if you rip. Playback itself is light.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Windows Media Player official site · Vendor product page
Windows Media Player help · Vendor support
Windows Media Player Win32 docs · Developer-facing WMP documentation
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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