What to Do if WMP Library Won't Add New Tracks and Media

What to Do if WMP Library Won't Add New Tracks and Media
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Windows Media Player - a Universal Media Solution

Windows Media Player (also known as WMP) is a great way to manage all of the songs and videos clips stored on your PC. Using its library feature, it is possible to add your media content to the player and enjoy them on your PC or even streamed to a different device.

So far, so good, but from time to time you might notice that all is not right with Windows Media Player. Currently up to Windows Media Player 12, Microsoft have resolved many long-standing issues with the player for Windows 7, but users of Windows Media Player 11 on Windows XP and Windows Vista might find that they still have the odd problem.

If the WMP library won’t add new content, for instance, these steps should help to resolve the situation.

(Screenshot by author)

Why the WMP Library Won’t Add New Titles

There are two reasons why your WMP library won’t add new tunes, and both of them are related to the software rather than anything you might have done. The first of these is due to a problem with the files and folders that are used to run Windows Media Player, while the other is caused by a corrupt library database.

The second problem is particularly common if you have a large library or one that you regularly add to, but both can be resolved in a matter of minutes by following the right procedure.

Fixing the Windows Media Player Library Database

This is a reasonably quick fix. Begin by exiting Windows Media Player, and then press WINDOWS+R to open the Run dialogue box and enter:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player

Click OK to open this folder**.**

Next, select all of the files in this folder, ignoring the folders**.** When you have selected the files, go to File > Delete or tap the Delete key on your keyboard**.**

Finally, restart Windows Media Player. You should now be able to add to your library

Clearing the Windows Media Player Cache

Should fixing the library database fail, you will probably need to clear the Windows Media Player cache. This is a set of temporary files and folders that can be refreshed when necessary and where information about your library (such as album art downloaded from the web) is stored.

To clear the cache, ensure that Windows Media Player is closed and open the Run dialogue box to enter:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft

Click OK to view this folder, and select the folder labelled Media Player; this will need to be deleted in order to clear the cache.

This may take a few moments to delete. Once complete, restart Windows Media Player and tap F3. This should start the process of the library checking all of the predetermined locations on your PC for content. You can add new locations to be added to the library via File > Manage Libraries.