Change the file type association with Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player takes on a lot of music, video and picture files automatically in Vista, so all you do is open a file and Windows Media Player opens it. However if you have other programs for other things, you can set what Windows Media Player actually opens and what it doesn’t. To do this:

  1. Go to Start , All Programs, then Windows Media Player.
  2. Click on the Alt key to display the menu, Tools then Options.
  3. In the File Types tab, select all the different types of media you wish Windows Media Player to open.
    (We recommend you keep checked asf, wma, wmv, avi and dvr-ms)
  4. Apply then OK.
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9 comments

  1. tom NORWAY says:
    May 6th, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    It don’t work for me ?
    The file types option is not there on my mediaplayer ?
    I’m using mediaplayer 11 ! :(

  2. mixxster UNITED STATES says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 8:58 pm

    I also see no file types tab, and haven’t seen it in 5 different vista machines.

  3. z0rr0 ROMANIA says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    same here :o

  4. gareth NEW ZEALAND says:
    June 29th, 2007 at 5:30 am

    Same here. Nice advice mate :^)

  5. darkspark UNITED KINGDOM says:
    July 8th, 2007 at 11:27 am

    It works in XP, but I now have a Vista laptop, and there is no File Types Option.

  6. Nikki UNITED STATES says:
    August 7th, 2007 at 7:10 pm

    To change media player file type associations in Vista: Go to Start, then Default Programs. Choose Set Your Default Programs. Select Windows Media Player, then ‘Choose defaults for this program’.

  7. Johnny PORTUGAL says:
    April 12th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

    :^)

    Nikki, nice workaround, but that will only get you so far… If you want to configure e.g. DVD and CD playback to be associated with WMP you have to choose the file type and protocol association option, and check each line by hand.

    My 2 cents, since I’m still fishing for an automated command or continuous list of media player options to do that for me… =P

  8. Anonymous UNITED KINGDOM says:
    June 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    (n)(y):$:s;)*-):p:||-):o:^)8-):(:)(bah)(brb)(ap)(au)(ci)(co)(ip)(li)(mo)(mp)<:o)(yn)(xx)(um)(tu)(st)(so)(sn)(pl)(pi)(%)(%)

  9. Bartin SLOVAKIA says:
    June 23rd, 2008 at 4:59 am

    Nikki is right , thank you for that advice , Iam new in vista so that was a reallz helpfull information, thank YOU again !!!
    :thumbs up:

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