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How to Install Windows Media Player Windows 10

After buying a brand new Windows 10 computer, double-clicking a video file opens it in Films & TV (or Movies & TV) and the Windows Media Player shortcut is nowhere to be seen. This makes one wonder if Windows Media Player has been removed in Windows 10. The answer is, Windows Media Player very much exists in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

(If you bought the computer from Europe or Korea and have Windows N or the KN Edition, then skip directly to the last part of this article.)

Windows Media Player can be accessed by clicking Start, All apps, Windows Media Player. If the Windows Media Player shortcut is not available in the list, then check out if the file WMPlayer.exe exists under the Windows Media Player folder in the Program Files directory. Or press WinKey + R to bring up the Run dialog, and type: 

C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe

If it says "Windows cannot find wmplayer.exe" then the Windows Media Player package may not have been installed.

Install Windows Media Player in Windows 10 and Windows 11

To install Windows Media Player, right-click Start, click Programs and Features. Click "Turn Windows features on or off". Expand Media Features, enable Windows Media Player, and click OK.

wmp missing windows 10

Windows Media Player not listed in Windows Features?

Windows N and KN editions

If the Optional Features window doesn't list Media Features/Windows Media Player and the file wmplayer.exe doesn't exist, then you're probably using Windows N or KN Edition. Windows N (for Europe) and KN (South Korea) variations don't have media features included by default, due to competition law rulings in both countries. Due to the 2004 rulings, Microsoft had to maintain separate Windows versions for these markets.

What exactly is missing in these Editions, according to Microsoft:

The N and KN editions of Windows 10 include the same functionality as Windows 10, except for media-related technologies (Windows Media Player) and certain preinstalled media apps (Music, Video, Voice Recorder, and Skype). You must install other software from Microsoft or another company for this communication functionality and to play or create audio CDs, media files, and video DVDs, to stream music, and to take and store pictures. New features such as Cortana, Windows Hello, and PDF viewing in the new Edge browser rely on Windows Media files that are not present in these editions.

Get Windows Media Player (Media Feature Pack) via Optional Features

Install Windows Media Player in Windows 10

For Windows 10 v1909 (and higher) N & KN editions, no direct download link is available for Windows Media Feature Pack. You can add or remove Windows Media Player via Optional features.

  1. Open Settings (Win + i)
  2. Click Apps.
  3. Under Apps & features, on the right-side, click Optional features.
  4. Click on the Add a feature button.
  5. Select "Windows Media Player" optional feature and install it.
    wmp optional features wmp n and kn edition 1909
  • For v1903 (19H1) May 2019 update, here is the latest download link: Windows 10 Media Feature Pack. More information at Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N

Install Windows Media Player in Windows 11

  1. Open Settings (Win + i)
  2. Click Apps.
  3. Under Apps & features, on the right-side, click Optional features.
  4. Next "Add an optional feature", click on the View features button.
  5. Select "Windows Media Player", click Next.
  6. Click Install.

See also

  • Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N and Windows 10 KN editions.
  • Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 N (October 2020)

This update supersedes previous updates such as KB3133719, KB3099229, and KB3010081. Installing an older version of the Media Features Pack in a more recent Windows 10 build might cause WMVCore.dll file missing errors.

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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

How to Install Windows Media Player Windows 10

Source: https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/windows-media-player-windows-10/