How to Add Video Folders in Windows Media Player
Adding video folders in Windows Media Player lets you gather all your movies and clips from across your hard drives into one single library instead of searching multiple locations. The app automatically scans your built-in user folders, but you can include any custom folder or external drive with just a few clicks.
Open Windows Media Player and navigate to Video library on the left. Click the Add folder button and select your desired folder. Click Add this folder to Videos to add it to your library.
Add a folder to your Video library in the Windows Media Player app
You can add video folders Windows Media Player uses to automatically find and show all your movies and clips in one place. Open the Windows Media Player app, click the Open file button, and choose the Open folder option. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+O on your keyboard to open the folder directly.
Opening the Windows Media Player app is the first requirement.
Click the ‘Open file(s)‘ button on the Home window and select the “Open folder” option from the dropdown list.
The Ctrl+Shift+O keyboard shortcuts work as an alternative method.
Click the folder containing the target video files once the File Explorer browser window opens.
Add folder to video library from Play queue
You can add a folder to play queue in Windows Media Player if you want to watch videos from a specific directory right away. Click the Play queue button on the left sidebar, click the Add file button, and select the option to add a folder to the play queue. Then pick your folder from the file window.
Click the Add file(s) button and select "Add folder to play queue" from the dropdown option.
Choose the target directory from the File Explorer browser window to include it in Media Player.
Add a folder to the Video library
Launch the Media Player app, then click the Video library button on the left sidebar.
Click the "Add folder" button.
Browse for the directory holding your video files. Click the 'Add this folder to Videos' button to confirm.
Add a folder to the Video library from the settings
You can add a folder to the video library from the settings menu in Windows Media Player so the app always keeps track of your media files. Click the Settings button on the left sidebar, select the Video library locations tile, and click the button to add a folder. Choose your folder from the list to let Windows index your videos.
Select the Video library locations tile. Click the Add folder button to select your video directories.
Locate the target folder in the browser, then click the 'Add this folder to Videos' button.
Windows Media Player indexes the newly added videos and incorporates them into the playlist. Playback can begin immediately afterward.
That completes the process.
Conclusion:
- Adding folders to the Video library in the Windows Media Player app facilitates quick access to your favorite video files without manual searches.
- The app's functionality allows easy organization and management of your entire video collection in one convenient location.
- Various methods, including the File Explorer, Play queue, and Settings page, allow you to add folders to the video library in Windows Media Player.
- Through these steps, users can efficiently ensure all their video files are automatically indexed and added to the app's video library, enhancing the overall user experience.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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