Windows Media Player is still one of the best tools for playing music and movies, but it does have its own share of problems that pop up now and again. Most issues with the Windows Media Player tool are easily fixed, just like this one. The problem we will talk about today is the one that affects media files such as .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .mov, and .adts. You see, whenever any of these media files have a space in their path or file name, users will experience the following error:
Windows Media Player cannot play the file, The player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file.
This error only occurs when your browser uses a URL-encoded path to call the CreateProcess. Now, since Windows Media Player itself is not capable of opening a URL-encoded path, it shows an error instead.
Read: How to download & install codec on Windows.
Windows Media Player cannot play the file
First, we must install the latest updates
A lot of problems folks are experiencing with Windows 10 is due to their failure of updating their computer on a regular basis. To get the updates, visit the Microsoft Update and install all the latest updates for your system. You may want also to ensure that your Sound and other drivers, as well as your Codec files, are updated.
That should do the trick, but if for some odd reason it doesn’t, well, the following tip should straighten things out, though it’ll require more work on the part of the user.
The workarounds
1] If there are spaces in the name of your media files or the path of the files, you should remove them promptly. That may help.
2] If your media files are not in a Windows Media Player playlist, then go ahead and create it.
To create a playlist, please fire up the Windows Media Player software, then click the button that says Playlist in the left-pane. Finally, you’ll see the option that says “Click here to create a playlist.” Do that, then add your music.
Alternatively, you may see an Unsaved list on the right-pane. Just drag and drop your music there and right away you’ll have a new playlist.
All the best!
Related read: Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file.
