File types supported by Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a built-in desktop application in Windows 11/10. When you fresh install Windows, you can use this to play audio and video files on your computer.  That said, Windows Media Player doesn’t support all formats out of the box. In this post, we share a list of file types that Windows Media Player supports.

File types supported by Windows Media Player

Below is a list of codecs supported by Windows Media Player 12. While Windows comes preinstalled with the same version, make sure to check the version by using ALT+H key combination. Next, click on About Windows Media Player from the menu.

1. Windows Media formats (.asf, .wma, .wmv, .wm)
2. Windows Media Metafiles (.asx, .wax, .wvx, .wmx, wpl)
3. Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms)
4. Windows Media Download Package (.wmd)
5. Audio Visual Interleave (.avi)
6. Moving Pictures Experts Group (.mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe, .m3u)
7. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (.mid, .midi, .rmi)
8. Audio Interchange File Format (.aif, .aifc, .aiff)
9. Sun Microsystems and NeXT (.au, .snd)
10. Audio for Windows (.wav)
11. CD Audio Track (.cda)
12. Indeo Video Technology (.ivf)
13. Windows Media Player Skins (.wmz, .wms)
14. QuickTime Movie file (.mov)
15. MP4 Audio file (.m4a)
16. MP4 Video file (.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .3g2, .3gp2, .3gp, .3gpp)
17. Windows audio file (.aac, .adt, .adts)
18. MPEG-2 TS Video file (.m2ts)
19. Free Lossless Audio Codec (.flac)

While Windows Media Player includes support for popular codecs like MP3, WMA, and WMV, it doesn’t have in-built support for modern formats that include Blu-ray Disc files and some uncommon ones like FLAC files or FLV files.

When you try to play a format for which the codec is unavailable on Windows, you’ll receive a message like “A codec is required to play this file” or “Windows Media Player encountered an error.”

When you install the codecs from the internet, Windows Media Player can use those codecs to play unsupported formats.

Read: How to use Windows Media Player Troubleshooter in the Get Help app of Windows.

Does Windows Media Player support MKV files?

Windows Media Player doesn’t support MKV format natively. You can either install the codec required by the MKV on a Windows PC so the media player can play it, or you can use an alternate player, such as a VLC media player, to play these files.

Does Windows Media Player play MOV files?

No, Windows Media Player cannot play the MOV files. These are specific to Apple, and can only be played on a Macbook or you can use the QuickTime player for Windows to play the MOV files on the PC.