How to Fix ‘Add to Library in Windows Media Player Doesn’t Work’ Issue – Guide

If you are unable to add files to your Windows Media Player library, your database is probably corrupt and you will need to delete it and re-add all your media to the library. NOTE: Since these methods can remove files, you should back up any of these files first, especially if you purchased music from an online music store.

Guide: Fix ‘Windows Media Player Add to Library Does Not Work’ issue

Windows Media Player 12 was released in the year 2018 and has not received any major updates. That said, Windows Media Player still supports a lot of files, but if an app isn’t getting regular updates, it raises red flags for me. Despite this, many users are experiencing this issue as they cannot add files to their library. ..

It’s important to note that Windows 10 recommends Groove Music when I try to open a music file and Movies & TV app when I try to open a video file. Perhaps Microsoft will disapprove of this soon. Anyway, let’s see how to fix this problem so that you can add, view, and play files in Windows Media Player. Let’s start.

1 How to add media

First, add all the songs you want to listen to into one folder. Then, open Windows Media Player and click Library button.

I added music to my library and it didn’t work right the first time. I had to update the database. You can see real-time progress as names and other data become visible.

2. Only media files

If you want to add music to your Windows Media Player library, make sure that the folder you add it to doesn’t contain any other file types. For example, if you want to add music files from your music folder, make sure that the folder doesn’t also contain video or Office 365 document files. ..

3. Change folder

It is possible that the folder you are trying to add to Windows Media Player is damaged. I would recommend creating a new folder and transferring all music to that new folder before adding it back to Windows Media Player. ..

4. Update operating system and restart

If there is an update waiting to be installed, restart your computer and try again.

You can find all available updates on the left. Otherwise, click Check for updates. button and install all available updates. Restart your computer when you’re done and see if you can add files to a library in Windows Media Player.

5. Troubleshoot

Windows Store apps can cause problems, so you can try to troubleshoot them by following the onscreen instructions. If there is an error, you may need to fix it.

6. SFC Scan

CMD: System File Check

7. Restore database

  1. Delete all the files in the Windows Media Player database folder.
  2. Rename the Windows Media Player database folder to something other than “windowsmediaplayer”.
  3. Start Windows Media Player and enter the following command: “netstat -an” to see if there are any active connections or sockets in your network that might be affecting your database. If there are, you will likely see a message like this:
  4. If you don’t see any active connections or sockets, then your database is not damaged and you can continue to use Windows Media Player without any problems.

I am unable to add, view or delete items.

The media changes option does not work in Firefox.

The database appears to be damaged. ..

Some folders added to the watch folders list disappear or are not saved after the watch is restarted. This issue may occur if the watch is synced with a computer and some folders are added to the watch folders list while the computer is running. ..

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe “C:\WINDOWS\system32\msacm32.dll,PlaySoundEx” ,0 ..

User profile local settings for Microsoft Media Player application data. ..

You will delete all files in this folder – just the files, not the folders or subdirectories. In the screenshot below, you can see that there are two files. Adding Windows Media Player to library does not work. Close everything and restart Windows Media Player. It will automatically rebuild the database, which may take some time, so be patient and have coffee. ..

8. Use a different app

I never really liked Windows Media Player. I found it to be a bit of a pain to use and not very user-friendly. I also found that it didn’t have many features that I was interested in. However, VLC is a much more user-friendly player than Windows Media Player and it can play both music and video files.

Final note

If you’re having trouble adding items to your Windows Media Player library, this guide can help. ..