How to Fix Windows Media Player Not Playing MP3 on Windows 10?

Why does your Windows Media Player not play MP3 on Windows 10? I think the following things should be mainly blamed for:

1. The MP3 file you try to play is damaged or corrupted.
2. The MP3 music file is DRM-protected.
3. The problem could be with some missing codecs.
4. The player you’re using is out of date.

There could be more reasons. No matter what the reason behind the problem, you can solve it by trying the methods given below.

Now that we’ve learned some common reasons why your Windows Media Player fails to play MP3 on Windows 10, next, let’s explore the probable solutions to fix the error.

Fix 1. Update to the newest Windows Media Player 12

For most non-tech-savvy users, rebooting their computer is always the easiest way to fix any playback failures or unresponsive conditions. But this method doesn’t always make sense. In such a case, you can try updating your player to the latest version, which is a simpler workaround for solving some playback issues resulting from missing codecs or some playback settings adjusted wrongly. This can sometimes be helpful.

You can press shortcuts Alt + H on your keyboard and click Check for update…. Then it will automatically examine whether you’re using the latest version. If the updates are available, you will get prompts. You just need to follow its instruction to update to the latest version.

Or, you can follow the steps below to manually update to the newest Windows Media Player 12:

Step 1. Go to the Start menu and search for Control Panel.
Step 2. Then go to Programs. Click the Turn Windows feature on or off under the Programs and Features tab.
Step 3. Expand Media Features and uncheck the Windows Media Player box. Click Yes and OK to start removing the current version.
Step 4. Repeat Step 1 to Step 3. Restart your PC to reinstall the latest version of Windows Media Player on your computer.

Fix 2. Run Troubleshooter on Windows 10

Running the Troubleshooter can also help resolve the Windows Media Player not playing MP3 issue. Windows 10 comes with a troubleshooter that assists fix various problems.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Go to Start > Settings.
Step 2. Click on the Troubleshoot on the left panel. Then scroll down until you see Playing audio. Click it and then select Run the troubleshooter.
For a video playback issues, you need to move down until you find the Video playback and then hit to run the troubleshooter.

Fix 3. Repair/Redownload the corrupted .mp3 file

#Suitable for: if your MP3 file is corrupted.

MP3 is the most popular audio format in the world and nearly all digital devices with audio playback and media players can read and play MP3 files. Most of the time, when the player can’t play MP3 on Windows 10, there’s a good possibility that your MP3 file is corrupted. This corruption might happen if your computer loses power or crashes as you download the .mp3 file. Sometimes, viruses and other malware can also cause file corruption.

To check whether your MP3 file is broken or not, you can play it with another media player. There are numerous free music players for Windows 10 in the market, such as VLC media player, PotPlayer, KMPlayer, etc. If the MP3 playback failure still exists, there must be something wrong with your MP3 file.

To fix the file, you can use a repair tool. Alternatively, you can redownload the .mp3 file using a fast downloader, e.g. WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro. It allows you to download music and video from over 1,000 websites, including YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, and more. It also has a powerful player supporting almost all video and audio formats. Download and install the program here to save any music online:

How to download music file(s) via HD Video Converter Factory Pro:

Step 1. Open the software and go to Downloader. Hit + New Download. Then the New Download window will pop up.
Step 2. Copy the target audio URL first. Then hit Paste and Analyze.
Step 3. Once the analysis process is done, choose an audio format under Download Audio, then click on OK. Hit Download All to save the audio to your computer.
Step 4. You can convert the downloaded file to any needed format in the Converter module. Drag and drop the downloaded audio file to the workplace. Click on the output format image on the right and go to Audio > MP3 or any other format you want. Finally, click on Run to start the conversion.

#Suitable for: if your music file is DRM-protected.

Apart from the corrupted MP3 file, DRM (Digital Right Management) limitation could also lead to the error. When your MP3 file is DRM-protected, the content cannot be played on any unauthorized device unless you remove the DRM. Most people wish to make it with a free DRM removal tool. But I personally haven’t found such a free program powerful enough to eliminate any added DRM without hassle. A free tool only works for certain DRM technologies. Anyway, it is still worth trying.

For those who don’t want to waste time and energy installing and uninstalling the DRM removers one by one, there are two simpler methods. They can redownload the non-protected version or record the MP3 file using a recorder. Luckily, besides the downloader, HD Video Converter Factory Pro also features a dedicated audio recorder, allowing you to capture audio from either your PC or the mic or both. Both the inbuilt downloader and recorder are easy to use. Following are the simple steps:

How to record MP3 via HD Video Converter Factory Pro:

Step 1. Go to Recorder. Select the last Audio-recording mode.
Step 2. Choose a recording format from the Format drop-down list. There is MP3, AC3, AAC, and WAV for your choice.
Step 3. Next, tick off Desktop to record sounds from the computer and Microphone to capture your voice.
Step 4. At the bottom of the interface, you can set a new output path or leave it as default. Click the REC button to start recording. When the recording is over, press Ctrl + F1 on your keyboard to stop.

Fix 4. Update your Windows OS

Also, you can see if you are using the older version of windows 10, this can also interfere with audio playback.

For installing the update, go to the Start menu and select Settings. Then navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update. Click on the Check for updates button. If the updates are available, install them.

If this way doesn’t solve the Windows 10 not playing MP3 error, move to the next method.

Fix 5. Install a required codec for Windows Media Player

If none of the above methods works, you can go for an additional codec pack. For example, I personally use K-Lite Codec Pack most often. It features almost all the codec formats and even updates the old codecs on your device. Follow the below steps to install K-Lite Codec Pack on Windows 10 for Windows Media Player:

Step 1. Download and launch the K-Lite Codec Pack on your computer, there are various versions of it, but we recommend you select the Basic or the Standard version.
Step 2. After downloading, open the .exe file and just follow its installation instructions. You can leave all options as default. But note that when you’re prompted to make a player preference, select the Windows Media Player. Once done, click to install and finish.
Step 3. After completing the K-Lite Codec Pack setup procedure, reboot your computer and then play the MP3 file with Windows Media Player to see if the issue is solved.

If the error is still there then move to the next fix.

Fix 6. Convert MP3 to another WMP-supported format

If you are sure that your MP3 file is neither corrupted nor DRM-protected, and the Windows OS and Player version always keeps updating to the newest, but the Window Media Player still encounter a problem while playing the file, then try to make a format conversion to resolve the “Windows Media Player won’t play MP3” error.

To fix unsupported format or codec issues, you’ll need a converter program. Here, we sincerely recommend WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro. This feature-packed toolbox is primarily designed for media file format conversion. It delivers the best output quality, offers the fastest conversion speed, and has the most formats supported. With support for over 500 optimized outputs, you can convert MP3 to WMA, AAC, FLAC, and many common or rare audio formats. Also, you can adjust the audio bitrate, sample rate, channels, etc., and do some edits.

Download and install the versatile converter here. Then follow these steps to convert MP3 to WMP format:

Step 1. Launch HD Video Converter Factory Pro and open Converter. Drag and drop the MP3 file(s) to the converter window.

Step 2. Click on the format image on the right side to open a full list of 500+ configured presets. Navigate to Audio category and select a format supported by your media player, such as WMA.

Step 3. You can open the Parameter Settings window to modify the audio encoder, bit rate, sample rate, channels, etc., at will.

Step 4. Finally, set a destination path and press Run to start the conversion. Once it is over, you can now let Windows Media Player play MP3 on Windows 10 flawlessly.

These are all the recommended fixes when you can’t play MP3 on Windows 10. Based on your actual needs, you can choose to use a different media player, get a codec pack, or whatever. Anyway, I hope you can find this article helpful. Thanks for reading. Have a nice day!