The Windows 11 was launched with renewed several applications. But regular users of the platform may have noticed that Windows Media Player is not among them. Fortunately, it’s for a little while. A replacement dubbed just Media Player is on the way and can already be tested by participants in the Windows Insider program.
The novelty is welcome because, although the Windows ecosystem has more advanced media players — like the good old VLC —, Windows 11 should have a modern native player and, of course , with a look that matches the system operational .
Equally or more important is the proposal of the new Media Player to centralize video and audio reproduction. By default, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 trigger the Movies and TV app for video content; for audio file playback, the default player is Groove Music.
The Microsoft has confirmed that Media Player will replace the Groove Music. Movies & TV and Windows Media Player classic will be kept (at least for a while), but the new player will be able to perform the functions of both. This is what the official announcement implies
At the heart of Media Player is a complete music library that lets you quickly browse and play tracks, as well as create and manage playlists.
(…) Media Player includes full support for browsing, managing and playing your local video collection too! All the contents of the PC music and video folders will automatically appear in the [application] library.
Media Player has a clean and uncluttered look
In addition to being more modern, the Media Player interface is clean and well organized. A column on the left gives access to the user’s audio and video collections. Below you can access the available playlists. The content can be managed in the space on the side. In short, everything is just a few clicks away.
While playing a video, the user has the option of displaying the content in full screen, in an adjustable-size window, or in a floating mini-player.
But the software is not ready yet. Microsoft advises that more features are being prepared and warns that some issues can be identified in the current version , including a flaw that affects the playback of content available over the network.
For now, the novelty is only available on the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program. There is no forecast for the release of the final version yet.
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