How To Use The New Media Player In Windows

Windows 11 comes with a revamped Media Player that offers a more modern interface, better media management, and improved playback features. The new Media Player is a significant upgrade from its predecessor, Groove Music and the old Windows Media Player, combining the best elements of both to offer a seamless media experience. In this guide, we will explore the features of the new Media Player in Windows 11, explain how to set it up, and outline how to use it for various types of media content, such as music, videos, and playlists.

1. Introducing the New Media Player in Windows 11

The new Media Player in Windows 11 is designed to unify music and video playback under one app. It has a sleek, modern design that integrates seamlessly with the overall Windows 11 aesthetic. The updated player supports a wide range of audio and video formats, making it an all-in-one media solution for users. Key features include:

1.Unified media library: Easily manage and access your music and video collections in one place.

2.Enhanced playback features: High-quality audio and video playback, along with support for various file formats.

3.Automatic media organization: Media Player can organize your files by metadata, including artists, albums, genres, and more.

4.Dark and light mode themes: Adaptable to Windows 11’s theme settings for a consistent look and feel.

5.Playlist management: Create, edit, and manage music playlists effortlessly.

2. How to Access and Set Up the New Media Player

To start using the new Media Player, you first need to ensure it’s installed on your system and set up to handle your music and video files.

Step 1: Install the New Media Player

In most cases, the new Media Player comes pre-installed with Windows 11. However, if you don’t see it, you can install it manually:

1.Open the Microsoft Store: Press `Windows + S` and type Microsoft Store in the search bar.

2. Search for Media Player: In the Microsoft Store, search for Media Player.

3. Install the App: If the app is not already installed, click Get or Install to download and install the Media Player.

Step 2: Set Media Player as Your Default Player

To make the new Media Player your default app for playing music and videos:

1. Open Settings: Press `Windows + I` to open the Settings app.

2. Navigate to Default Apps: In the left panel, select Apps, then click Default apps.

3. Set Media Player as Default: Scroll through the list of applications or use the search bar to find Media Player. Once found, click on it, and set it as the default for file types such as `.mp3`, `.mp4`, `.avi`, and others.

 3. Using the New Media Player for Music

The new Media Player offers a robust set of features for managing and enjoying your music collection. Here’s how to use it:

Adding Music to Your Library

1. Launch Media Player: Open Media Player from the Start menu or search bar.

2. Add Music Files: To add music to your library, click on the Music tab from the left-hand menu.

•    Automatically Add Music: Media Player can automatically search your system for music files. It will scan your Music folder by default and add any compatible files to the library.
•    Manually Add Folders: To add more music, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, select Manage libraries, and choose Music. Here, you can manually add folders from other locations on your system.

3. Browse Your Collection: Once your files are added, you can browse your music collection by artist, album, genre, or songs. The player automatically organizes tracks using embedded metadata.

Playing Music

1. Select a Track or Album: From your library, click on a song, album, or artist to start playing music.

2. Now Playing View: Once a track begins playing, you’ll enter the Now Playing screen. This screen displays the album art, song title, artist, and playback controls (play/pause, forward, rewind).

3. Playback Controls:

•    Shuffle: To randomize the order of tracks, click the shuffle button.
•    Repeat: Click the repeat button to loop the current song or album.
•    Volume and Equalizer: Adjust the volume with the slider, and access audio enhancement settings by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting Audio settings to access the equalizer for custom sound profiles.

Creating and Managing Playlists

1.Create a Playlist: To create a playlist, go to the Playlists tab from the left-hand menu. Click Create playlist and give it a name.

2.Add Songs to Playlist: Browse your music library, right-click on songs, albums, or artists, and select Add to playlist. Choose the playlist you want to add to or create a new one.

3. Edit and Organize Playlists: You can rearrange the order of tracks in your playlist by dragging them into the desired sequence. To remove a song, right-click and select Remove from playlist.

4. Using the New Media Player for Video Playback

In addition to music, the new Media Player is fully equipped to handle a variety of video formats, offering a smooth and high-quality playback experience.

Adding Videos to Your Library

1. Go to the Video Tab: From the Media Player home screen, click on the Video tab.

2. Add Video Files: Just like with music, the Media Player will scan the default Videos folder for compatible video files. You can also add additional video folders by going to the Manage libraries option and selecting Videos.

3. Browse Your Videos: The Media Player organizes videos by name and recently added, making it easy to find your favorite movies, clips, and other media.

Playing Videos

1. Select a Video: From your video library, select the file you want to watch. Clicking on a video will bring up the Now Playing screen for videos.

2. Playback Controls: In the video Now Playing view, you’ll have access to standard video controls, including:

•    Play/Pause: Start or stop the video playback.
•    Skip: Use the forward and backward buttons to skip through chapters or time frames.
•  Full Screen: Click the full-screen button to view the video in full-screen mode.
•    Subtitles and Audio Tracks: If the video contains subtitles or multiple audio tracks, you can switch between them by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting the appropriate option.

5. Customizing Your Media Experience

The new Media Player provides a few customization options to enhance your media experience:

Audio and Video Enhancements

 

1.Equalizer: For music playback, you can access the Equalizer by clicking the three-dot menu on the Now Playing screen and selecting Audio settings. This feature lets you tweak sound settings to your preference.

2.Video Quality: Media Player automatically optimizes video playback quality based on your system’s resources, but you can access more advanced settings by right-clicking the video and selecting Playback settings.

Dark and Light Mode

The Media Player adapts to Windows 11's system-wide theme settings. If your system is set to Dark Mode, the Media Player will also display a dark-themed interface. You can change this by going to Settings > Personalization > Colors and selecting your preferred app mode.

Keyboard Shortcuts

For a more seamless experience, Media Player supports a variety of keyboard shortcuts:

1.Spacebar: Play or pause the media.

2.Arrow keys: Skip forward or backward during playback.

3.F11: Toggle full-screen mode for videos.

6.Organizing and Syncing Your Media

Syncing Media Across Devices

If you have a Microsoft account and use OneDrive, you can sync your media files across devices. This allows you to access your music and video collections from any device logged into your Microsoft account.

1. Sync Music and Videos to OneDrive: To sync media files, upload them to OneDrive. Once the files are in OneDrive, you can access them from any device using the Media Player app.

2.Stream Media: From Media Player, select the Stream option to stream media from OneDrive to your local device.

7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you experience any issues while using Media Player, here are a few troubleshooting tips:

1.Media Files Not Appearing: Ensure that the correct folders are being scanned by checking the Manage libraries section in the Media Player settings.

2.Playback Issues: If a file won’t play, check that it’s a supported format. Media Player supports most common formats, including MP3, MP4, AVI, and MKV. You can also try updating your video and audio drivers to ensure compatibility.

3.Syncing Issues: If media files aren’t syncing across devices, make sure you’re logged into the same Microsoft account on all devices and that files are properly uploaded to OneDrive.

Conclusion

The new Media Player in Windows 11 provides a modern and unified solution for managing and enjoying your media content. With its sleek design, comprehensive features, and seamless integration with the Windows 11 interface, it delivers an enhanced experience for both music and video playback. The ease of organizing media, creating playlists, and customizing playback options ensures that users can tailor their experience to their preferences. Furthermore, features like equalizer settings for music, video quality optimizations, and syncing across devices through OneDrive make it a versatile tool for various media needs.

Whether you're a casual user looking to enjoy your favorite songs and videos or someone who enjoys curating playlists and organizing media libraries, Windows 11's Media Player is a powerful and user-friendly application. By following the steps in this guide, you can easily set up, navigate, and make the most of its features to enhance your overall media experience on Windows 11.