Media Player will not play my MP4 video

For the longest time, Media Player came with every version of Windows. But it was always limited, as to just what types of media it could play.
I like Media Player because I can set the Equalizer to my own taste, and add some WOW for greater sound depth.
And I don't have to ADD another media player to my PC.

Along with the things I install with every Windows Install, is the K-Lite Codec Pack. That allows Media Player to play most every kind of media file.


I've been using the K-Lite Mega pack for so long, I don't even question whether I should install it. It gets an upgrade periodically, and I do try to keep it up to date. I just now downloaded the latest version. Excuse me, while I install it!

TM
PS: The install went smoothly, as always.

rufford155 said:

I'm not sure why Media Player 12 has been mentioned because I'm reading from MS that it's not possible to have it in Windows 11.

When I have time I shall change the format of the problem video to see if I can fix it seems the only option.

It did install VLC and that plays it ok.

Many thanks for all your replies.

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Hi.
Media Player Legacy is included in Windows 11. I recently clean installed Windows 11 23H2 and then later updated to Windows 11 24H2. I have the good old Windows Media Player Legacy and it plays .mp4 video files well. This media player is not in the Start Menu but can be found in Applications folder, which can be reached at: C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:appsfolder

neves said:

Just a personal curiosity: If you have other (Superior) players which work (simply - far far more capable - more features/codecs/filters rich) - why are you so fixated in using one the worst available video players (Windows Media Player) in 2024 and for quite some time now?

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For me the Windows Media Player Legacy has worked the best for Ripping my older CDs to files for use on a computer, especially those Notebooks that no longer have ODDs. I have a 1TB USB SSD over half full of songs. For recording audio from the 'net I use Total Recorder which also plays quite well.

Berton said:

For me the Windows Media Player Legacy has worked the best for Ripping my older CDs to files for use on a computer, especially those Notebooks that no longer have ODDs. I have a 1TB USB SSD over half full of songs. For recording audio from the 'net I use Total Recorder which also plays quite well.

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And yet, even you're praising an audio related feature (while the topic/subject in question is about video playback).

Side note: almost 20 years ago - back when i was still using Win2k (eventually, did switch to Windows XP - but turn it into Win2K appearance wise - for extra performance) - my OCD/Obsession with finding the best apps for any given task - lead me to ImgBurn as the king of ripping audio CDs (very light, and more capable in more ways than one). WMP seemed to be more demanding on Desktops with 128 - 256 SDRAM and Duron CPUs - especially on Windows XP. When it worked - it did the job (ripping a CD), but sometimes would just freeze randomly while Ripping a CD. Which was really bad if it happened on a Saturday - since no stores were open to buy more CDs. That, never happened with ImgBurn.

The OP is using Media Player in Windows not Windows Media Player.

antspants said:

Download Handbreak and try to re-encode it.

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VidCoder is also a good choice. It's based on Handbrake with a easy to use GUI. Home | VidCoder

idgat said:

You need to understand that a video file (of whatever type) is simply a container for a video stream and an audio stream ... it's the format of these streams that media players are sensitive to. Thus an mp4 (or any other type, for that matter) file can contain different video stream formats that result in some being able to be played, and some not

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As I said, it is exactly the same file with exactly the same properties using exactly the same Media Player version.

Windows 10 plays it but Windows 11 does not ! Trust in your technology - I dare you !

rufford155 said:

Trust in your technology

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When it comes to Microsoft multimedia software .... I DON'T !!

Which is why I use Daum PotPlayer and VLC Player (without the need for any codec packs!) for video, and Irfanview for image and sound multimedia

All Windows provided media options are instantly and ruthlessly uninstalled on device setup

I had something somewhat similar happen to me a few months back with Windows 10 playing mp4s and crashing explorer.


Turns out I had to uninstall all third party codec packages (like K-Lite) and just use the built-in codecs that most video and audio software out there comes with, preinstalled.

"MP4" is just a container—it can hold video encoded with a bunch of different codecs (like H.264, H.265, DivX, etc.). Windows Media Player (WMP) is notoriously picky and old. It probably doesn't have the necessary codec for the video inside that specific MP4 file.

Quick Fixes to Try:
a. Use VLC: Seriously, download VLC Player. It's free, plays literally everything, and rarely has codec issues. It should get your file working instantly.
b. Install Codec Packs: You can try installing a third-party codec pack , but sometimes those cause more problems than they solve.

Honestly, messing around with codecs and WMP is a waste of time. When I run into that, it's usually a sign that the file structure is just slightly off or too new for older players. That's usually when I just grab a solid video downloader like keeprix and redownload the file. Most good ones let you choose a modern, universal format right from the start, so it plays perfectly on any device without the codec hassle.