当软件集成到操作系统中时，使用 . 在较旧的Windows版本中，打开媒体文件将打开Windows Media Player ，除非您安装了(Windows Media Player)VL C 之类的替代品。它不是最好的媒体播放器，但它开箱即用，这(C. It wasn’t the best media player, but it worked out of the box, and that’s ex)正是大多数用户所寻找的。
不幸的是，微软(Microsoft)在 2009 年停止了对Windows Media Player的支持，最后一个版本 ( Windows Media Player 12 ) 已经有十多年的历史了。这些天它有点过时了，但您可以按照以下步骤下载Windows Media Player 12并在(Windows Media Player 12)Windows 10中使用它。
如何下载和安装 Windows Media Player 12(How To Download & Install Windows Media Player 12)
您可能没有意识到这一点，但您实际上并不需要在Windows 10 PC上下载Windows Media Player 12 。虽然这些天没有得到官方支持或普遍使用，但Windows Media Player仍然可以在Windows上使用，隐藏在您的开始(Start)菜单中，供您在Windows 附件(Windows Accessories)文件夹中使用。
如果它不存在，您可以快速启用它，因为Microsoft将它作为可选的Windows功能包含在内。尽管不再支持通过Windows Media Player 12播放(Windows Media Player 12)DVD，但它仍然可以播放某些类型的媒体文件。您还需要其他软件来播放蓝光光盘(alternative software to play Blu-Ray discs)。
- 要启用Windows Media Player 12，请按键盘上的Win+R，或右键单击“开始(Start)”菜单并单击“运行”(Run)。在运行(Run)命令框中，键入optionalfeatures并按OK。这将打开Windows功能设置菜单，您可以在其中启用或禁用Windows功能。
- 在Windows 功能(Windows Features)框中，按媒体功能(Media Features)类别旁边的+ icon确保(Make)Windows Media Player旁边的复选框已启用，然后单击确定(OK)进行确认。
- 如果您的 PC 上尚未安装Windows Media Player ，则此时将安装它。(Windows Media Player)您需要重新启动 PC 才能使更改生效。
- 重新启动 PC 后，您将能够在Windows 开始(Windows Start)菜单的Windows 附件(Windows Accessories)文件夹下找到并打开Windows Media Player 。
- Windows Media Player不会用作媒体播放的默认应用程序，即使您启用它也是如此。如果要更改此设置，请右键单击“开始”菜单(right-clicking the Start menu )> “Windows 设置”，打开“ (Windows Settings)Windows 设置”(Windows Settings)菜单。
- 在此处，按应用程序(Apps)>默认应用程序( Default apps )，然后为视频播放器(Video player )和音乐播放器(Music player)选项选择Windows Media Player。
使用 Groove 音乐或 Microsoft 影视应用(Using The Groove Music or Microsoft Movies & TV Apps)
Windows Media Player是微软(Microsoft)早就放弃的品牌。最初，这有利于利用微软(Microsoft)在便携式媒体设备方面取得的早期成功，通过 Zune Music Pass应用程序来推广其同样已停产的(Zune Music Pass)Zune品牌。
随着Xbox Video和Xbox Music应用程序转向 Xbox，但随着微软自己的野心发生变化，这些应用程序再次被放弃。这些应用程序仍然存在，但具有新名称和新界面：Groove Music和Microsoft Movies & TV（或英国等特定市场的Film & TV ）。
这是Windows 10中(Windows 10)Windows Media Player的两个官方替代品。例如， Groove Music(Groove Music)是一个相当基本的音乐播放器，具有一些有趣的功能，例如能够使用OneDrive在多个设备上构建音乐文件的云集合。
如果您想播放视频内容，Windows将改为推动您使用Microsoft(Microsoft Movies)影视。它不仅可以播放MP4和AVI等基本视频格式，还可以用于从内置租赁市场租用全高清电视连续剧或电影，尽管这仅在某些地方可用。
在这方面，Movies & TV 被设计为Google Play或Amazon Prime Video等其他大型媒体租赁应用程序的竞争对手。如果您决定通过 PC 应用程序租用内容，您也可以在 Xbox 上访问它，如果您也愿意的话。
然而，不可否认的是，Movies & TV 和Groove Music的品牌认知度与微软(Microsoft)在Windows Media Player上的认知度不同。然而，通过将Media Player的功能拆分为两个应用程序，微软(Microsoft)正试图为每个预期目的提供比原始Media Player更独特的功能。(Media Player)
这些可能是Windows Media Player的理想替代品，或者它们可能缺少您期望的功能。例如，这两个应用程序的一个问题是缺乏您从第三方替代方案中看到的整体文件格式支持。这个问题只能通过切换到替代媒体播放器来真正解决。
适用于 Windows 10 的替代媒体播放器(Alternative Media Players for Windows 10)
与其使用 10 多年前的媒体播放器，不如为Windows用户提供更好、更现代的Windows Media Player替代品。(Windows Media Player)存在大量适用于 Windows 的免费媒体播放器(free media players for Windows)，但对于大多数用户而言，最好的选择可能是VLC。
作为第三方媒体播放器，VLC是大多数 Windows 和Mac用户的终极选择。它可以播放几乎所有类型的媒体文件，您甚至可以使用 VLC 来管理音乐播放列表(use VLC to manage music playlists)或使用 VLC 和 Chromecast(use VLC with Chromecast)在电视上远程播放媒体内容。
如果您正在寻找VLC替代品，那么您可能更愿意尝试Plex或Kodi。Kodi和Plex都可(Kodi)用于媒体播放，但如果您正在寻找出色的媒体服务器，Plex是您所需要的，因为它允许您将您喜爱的电影和电视内容共享到网络中的多个设备。
世界已经在发展，所以对于音乐爱好者来说，您可能正在寻找像Spotify 或 Apple Music(Spotify or Apple Music)这样的音乐流媒体服务。这两项服务都允许您将自己的音乐收藏导入他们的应用程序，同时还允许您访问您可能已经拥有的其他艺术家和音乐家的音乐。
在 Windows 10 上播放媒体(Playing Media on Windows 10)
在Windows 10上使用Windows Media Player 12可能不是最佳选择，但它可以让您快速播放一些常见的媒体文件。但是，在Windows Media Player中播放(Windows Media Player)MKV 等较新的媒体格式(newer media formats like MKV)时会遇到问题。对于大多数用户来说，最好使用VLC之类的替代产品，而不是这个过时的播放器。
当然，别忘了微软官方对Windows Media Player 12的替代品。虽然Groove 音乐(Groove Music)和Microsoft(Microsoft Movies)影视应用程序经常被遗忘，但它们将帮助您在 PC 上播放媒体文件，而无需安装额外的第三方软件，尽管VLC仍然是大多数用户的最佳选择。
How to Download Windows Media Player 12 for Windows 10
When software is integrated into an operating system, it becоmеs the obvioυs chоice to uѕe . In older Windows releaѕes, opening media files would open Windows Medіa Player, unless you installed an alternative like VLC. It wasn’t the best media player, but it worked out of the box, and that’s exactly what most users look for.
Unfortunately, Microsoft stopped support for Windows Media Player in 2009, with the last release (Windows Media Player 12) now over ten years old. It’s a little outdated these days, but you can download Windows Media Player 12 and use it in Windows 10 by following these steps.
How To Download & Install Windows Media Player 12
You might not realise this, but you don’t actually need to download Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 10 PCs. While it isn’t officially supported or generally used these days, Windows Media Player is still available on Windows, hidden in your Start menu for you to use in the Windows Accessories folder.
If it isn’t there, you can quickly enable it, as Microsoft includes it as an optional Windows feature. It should still work to play some types of media files, although DVD playback through Windows Media Player 12 is no longer supported. You’ll also need alternative software to play Blu-Ray discs, too.
- To enable Windows Media Player 12, press Win+R on your keyboard, or right-click the Start menu and click Run. In the Run command box, type optionalfeatures and press OK. This will open the Windows feature settings menu, where you can enable or disable Windows features.
- In the Windows Features box, press the + icon next to the Media Features category. Make sure that the checkbox next to Windows Media Player is enabled, then click OK to confirm.
- If Windows Media Player isn’t already installed on your PC, it will be installed at this point. You’ll need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
- Once your PC has restarted, you’ll be able to find and open Windows Media Player in your Windows Start menu, under the Windows Accessories folder.
- Windows Media Player won’t be used as the default app for media playback, even after you enable it. If you want to change this, open the Windows Settings menu by right-clicking the Start menu > Windows Settings.
- From here, press Apps > Default apps and select Windows Media Player for both the Video player and Music player options.
Using The Groove Music or Microsoft Movies & TV Apps
Windows Media Player is a brand that Microsoft has long since given up on. Originally, this was in favor of pushing its also-defunct Zune brand with the Zune Music Pass app, capitalizing on the early success Microsoft had with portable media devices.
A pivot to Xbox followed with the Xbox Video and Xbox Music apps, but again, these were abandoned further down the line as Microsoft’s own ambitions changed. These apps still exist, but with new names and new interfaces: Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV (or Film & TV in certain markets such as the UK).
These are the two, official replacements for Windows Media Player in Windows 10. Groove Music, for instance, is a fairly basic music player with a few interesting features, such as the ability to build a cloud collection of your music files across multiple devices using OneDrive.
If you want to play video content, Windows will instead push you to use Microsoft Movies & TV. Not only will this play basic video formats such as MP4 and AVI, but it can also be used to rent TV series or movies in full HD from the built-in rental marketplace, although this is only available in certain locations.
In that respect, Movies & TV is designed as a competitor for other big media rental apps such as Google Play or Amazon Prime Video. If you decide to rent content through the PC app, you’ll also be able to access it on an Xbox, should you wish too.
There’s no denying, however, that Movies & TV and Groove Music don’t have the same brand recognition that Microsoft had with Windows Media Player. By splitting Media Player’s features into two apps, however, Microsoft is trying to offer more distinctive features than the original Media Player for each intended purpose.
These may be ideal replacements for Windows Media Player, or they may be lacking in the features you’d expect. One problem with both apps, for instance, is a lack of the overall file format support you’ll see from third-party alternatives. This problem can only really be fixed by switching to an alternative media player instead.
Alternative Media Players for Windows 10
Rather than using a 10+ year old media player, there are better, more modern alternatives to Windows Media Player available for Windows users. Plenty of free media players for Windows exist, but the best option for most users is likely to be VLC.
As third-party media players go, VLC is the ultimate option for most Windows and Mac users. It plays pretty much every type of media file, and you can even use VLC to manage music playlists or use VLC with Chromecast to play media content on a TV remotely.
If you’re looking for a VLC alternative, then you may prefer to give Plex or Kodi a try. Both Kodi and Plex can be used for media playback, but if you’re looking for a great media server, Plex is what you’ll need, as it allows you to share your favorite movies and TV content to multiple devices across your network.
The world has moved on, so for music lovers, you may be looking for a music streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music instead. Both services allow you to import your own music collection into their apps, while also giving you access to music from other artists and musicians that you may already own.
Playing Media on Windows 10
Using Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 10 probably isn’t the best option, but it will allow you to quickly play some common media files. You’ll have problems playing newer media formats like MKV in Windows Media Player, however. For most users, you’ll be better off using an alternative like VLC instead of this outdated player.
Of course, don’t forget Microsoft’s official replacements for Windows Media Player 12. While the Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV apps are often forgotten, they will help you play media files on your PC without installing additional third-party software, although VLC still remains the best option for most users.
