How to Add Music Folders in Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a built-in Windows app that organizes and plays your music files in one place. By default, the app only checks your main Music folder for songs, but you can add extra folders from external hard drives or other spots on your PC.
Adding these custom folders lets you play your whole music collection without searching through different directories on your computer.
Open Windows Media Player, click “Open file(s)” on the Home screen, then select “Open folder.” Navigate to your music folder, select it, and click “Add this folder to Music.” Your music will then appear in the player’s library.
Add a folder to your music library in the Windows Media Player app
Directly targeting folders containing music files saves time tracking down individual songs later.
This process takes just a few moments.
First, open the Windows Media Player app.
Launch Windows Media Player, click the ‘Open file(s)‘ button on the Home window, and pick “Open folder” from the dropdown list.
Alternatively, the CTRL + SHIFT + O keyboard shortcuts work just as well.
When the File Explorer browser window appears, click the folder containing the music files you want to play.
Add folder to the Music library
Once the Media Player app is open, click the Music library button found on the left sidebar.
Next, click the "Add folder" button.
Navigate to and select the folder containing your music files, then click 'Add this folder to Music' to finalize the addition.
Add folder to music library from Play queue
Adding a folder to Media Player from the 'Play queue' offers another route. Select the 'Play queue' button on the left sidebar to begin.
Click Add file(s) and choose "Add folder to play queue" from the available dropdown options.
Select the desired folder from the File Explorer browser window to bring it into Media Player.
Add a folder to the music library from the settings
Navigating through the Settings page provides yet another method for expanding the music library. Click the Settings button on the left sidebar to start.
Select the Music library locations tile, followed by the Add folder button.
Browse to the target directory, select the folder, and click the 'Add this folder to Music' button.
The app scans the directory and indexes your tracks into the library automatically. Playback can begin immediately after indexing finishes.
That completes the setup process.
Conclusion:
- Adding music folders to your library in Windows Media Player allows you to easily access and playback your favorite music files without manual searching.
- By adding a folder to the library, all music files are automatically indexed and included in the app's music library, simplifying the organization and management of your music collection.
- Access your entire music collection in one place by adding multiple music folders to the library.
- The various methods detailed in this post provide flexibility in adding folders to your music library, ensuring a seamless experience for organizing and playing your music in the Windows Media Player app on Windows 11.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
[…] can add your own folders containing music and video files so the app can find them. If your files are missing, you can refresh and re-index […]
hmm… I kind of stumbled on this post. I don’t really use the media player, even, but the presentation appeals to me. You’ve got big screenshots with arrows, and those edits, looks super helpful.
Maybe I should try media player sometime haha.