

While it carries over much of the same capabilities and functionality of the old WMP, the new app comes with a slicker interface, with Microsoft boasting of rich album art and artist imagery in the player’s full-screen and mini-player modes.


However, it now looks like the Media Player is primed to make a comeback, as Microsoft has given it the Windows 11 design treatment and released the app to Windows Insiders on the dev channel. Microsoft took it out of the spotlight in Windows 10 and buried WMP in the menus as it aggressively pushed its own first-party alternatives, namely Groove Music and the Movies & TV apps that debuted on the platform with Windows 8. There’s no shortage of third-party, potentially better alternatives to the Windows Media Player, but the latter still holds a special place in the hearts of many Windows fans who grew up watching and listening to content on the default media app. Now just called the ‘Media Player’ in Windows 11, the revamped app is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the dev channel. In brief: Microsoft has applied a fresh coat of paint to one of its oldest default OS apps: the venerable Windows Media Player.
