Windows Media Player will not play or rip CD

Ms Kris Clark 0 Reputation points
2026-10-14T18:46:20.7366667+00:00

Windows Media Player will NOT play or rip A BRAND NEW CD. CD information does NOT show in the player

I would like to rip some songs but can NOT.

Windows for home | Other | Music, photos, and video

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  1. Bulldog 4,870 Reputation points
    2026-10-14T21:35:09.51+00:00

    Windows Media Player is legacy software - Microsoft even calls it Legacy Windows Media Player.

    'Legacy' means that the software is old and no longer being developed. In time it will be discontinued.

    Most people today are not ripping CDs and making music libraries - the original use case for LWMP - and so it no longer made financial sense for Microsoft to pay a substantial license fee to Gracenote or MusicMatch who provided the metadata. Microsoft ended its contracts with metadata providers in December, 2026. Since then, LWMP does not provide any metadata.

    There are still third parties that provide the metadata, some for free and some charge for it. In the past I have used Exact Audio Copy with success.

    BTW, something else LWMP no longer does is sync to MP3 players, because hardly anyone uses them anymore, and that saves Microsoft from having to pay royalties.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-14T18:46:39.7733333+00:00

    This usually points to one of these issues:

    1. A required codec is missing or corrupted.
    2. Windows Media Player’s database is corrupted.
    3. The Windows Media Player app itself needs repair or reinstall.
    4. The CD/DVD drive or its registry entries are corrupted.
    5. CD track information may not appear automatically even when the disc is readable.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Check whether the CD drive is recognized in Windows If the drive is not consistently recognized, Windows Media Player may not be able to play or rip the disc.
    2. Clear the Windows Media Player database
      • Close Windows Media Player.
      • Press Windows + R.
      • Type: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player\
      • Delete all files in that folder, but do not delete the folder itself.
      • Restart Windows Media Player.
    3. Repair or reset Windows Media Player
      • Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
      • Find Windows Media Player.
      • Select the three dots next to it > Advanced options.
      • Select Repair first.
      • If that does not help, select Reset.
      • Warning: Reset deletes custom Windows Media Player settings and preferences, but not media files or the library.
    4. Uninstall and reinstall Windows Media Player
      • Open Start > Control Panel > Programs.
      • Select Turn Windows features on or off.
      • Clear Media Features and select OK.
      • Restart the PC.
      • Go back to the same window.
      • Re-enable Media Features and select OK.
      • Restart again.
    5. Run the Windows Media Player troubleshooter
      • On Windows 11: Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run Windows Media Player.
      • On Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters and run Windows Media Player.
    6. Check system files
      • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      • Run: sfc /scannow This checks for and repairs corrupted Windows system files that can affect playback or ripping.
    7. If the CD/DVD drive is detected but still fails, fix corrupted CD/DVD registry entries
      • Warning: Incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry first.
      • Open Run with Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
      • Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
      • Delete UpperFilters if present.
      • Delete LowerFilters if present.
      • Restart the computer.
      • Note: After this, some CD/DVD recording apps may need to be reinstalled.

    About the missing CD information:

    • Windows Media Player can retrieve album and track information from the internet when ripping CDs.
    • In Windows Media Player, check Organize > Options > Privacy and make sure Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet is enabled.
    • If CD titles still do not appear, there may be no supported way to restore automatic track-title lookup in newer Windows 11 versions, and manual entry may be required.

    If playback also shows codec-related errors such as audio playing without video, that indicates a missing codec.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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