Windows Media Player DRM: Frequently asked questions
If you're having trouble playing a media file, such as a music or video file, it may be because the file is protected. Here are answers to some common questions about digital rights management (DRM), media usage rights, and protected Windows Media files.
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DRM—digital rights management—is a technology that content providers use to make sure that the digital music and video files you get from them are used and distributed properly. Some online stores sell and rent songs and movies that have DRM applied to them, so that the media can't be shared with people who haven't paid for it. If a file has DRM applied to it, it’s a protected file.
Windows Media Digital Rights Management is a type of DRM that’s used by Windows Media Player, as well as some online stores and devices.
Media usage rights give you permissions to use a protected file in a particular way. Content providers, such as online stores, can specify how you can use the protected files that you get from them.
For example, a content provider can offer three different rights that allow you to:
Play the file on your PC (play right).
Burn the file to a CD (burn right).
Sync the file to a portable device (sync right).
Each right can have certain limitations. For example, the content provider might give you the following usage rights:
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The right to play a particular song on your PC an unlimited number of times.
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The right to sync that song to two portable devices five times per month.
The right to burn the song to a CD twice.
When you try to use a protected file in the Player, the Player checks to see if you have valid media usage rights on your PC. If you do, the Player will let you use the file.
If the Player doesn't find valid media usage rights on your PC, or if the rights limit what you can do with the file, the Player can't use the file. In this case, you'll either see an error message that indicates why the file couldn't be played or used, or you'll see an Error button or an Information button next to the protected file that you can tap or click to learn more about the problem.
In most cases, you don't need to download media usage rights because the Player downloads them automatically if you've selected the Download usage rights automatically when I play or sync a file checkbox. To select this checkbox:
Open Windows Media Player:
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)
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Enter Windows Media Player in the search box, tap or click Apps, and then tap or click Windows Media Player.
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Tap or click OK.
If the Player is currently open and you’re in Now Playing mode, tap or click the
Switch to Library button
in the upper-right corner of the Player.
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In the Player Library, tap or click Organize, tap or click Options, and then select the Privacy tab.
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Select the Download usage rights automatically when I play or sync a file checkbox.
If you subscribe to a music or video subscription service through an online store, make sure that the Automatically check if protected files need to be refreshed check box is also selected, so that the Player can download any necessary rights from the Internet for you. This helps improve the playback, burning, and syncing of purchased and subscription files.
To check whether a file is protected, do the following:
Open Windows Media Player:
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)
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Enter Windows Media Player in the search box, tap or click Apps, and then tap or click Windows Media Player.
If the Player is currently open and you’re in Now Playing mode, tap or click the
Switch to Library button
in the upper-right corner of the Player.
Then, do one of the following:
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If you're in the Player Library, and you want to see which items are protected, you can display the Protected column in the Details pane. "Yes" in the Protected column next to each file indicates that it's protected.
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Swipe across or right-click a file in the Details pane of the Player Library, tap or click Properties, and then tap or click the Media Usage Rights tab. If the file is protected, the license terms appear in the Media usage rights box, and you'll see what usage rights you have. If nothing appears in the Media usage rights box, it might be because the file isn't protected, the usage rights aren't found on your PC, or you're playing a file that's being streamed to your PC over the Internet (for example, you're playing subscription content directly from an online store's website).