10 Best Alternatives for Windows Media Player for Windows 10/8/7

Windows Media Player

Introduction

Windows Media Player (WMP) is a native video/audio playing software for Windows users. However, with the development of Windows Media Center (WMC) ceased in 2009, you won't see any Windows Media Player update in Windows 8 or Windows 10. As you already know, Windows Media Player lacks compatibility with many frequently-used video and audio formats. What's more, since the release of Windows 8, you can't play DVDs and Blu-rays with it.

You can purchase a Media Center Pack add-on to continue using Windows Media Player on Windows 10/8, while you might find that a third-party player does a better job for you. Here in this article, we will show you 10 great alternatives to Windows Media Player. You can choose any of the Windows Media Player for Windows 10/8/7 to play media files on your computer.

10 great Windows Media Player to help you play media/DVD/Blu-ray on Windows

1. Free Media Player - The best Windows Media Player alternative to play various media files

Compared with Windows Media Player, this Free Media Player can play almost all popular video and audio formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, FLV, MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, OGG and more on your computer. It is compatible with Windows 10/8/7/XP, so you can easily install and use it on your Windows PC. It supports video resolutions up to 4K UHD. You will get lossless image quality when playing 4K and 1080p HD videos with this Free Media Player.

2. Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player - A professional Windows Media Player alternative to play Blu-ray discs

Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player is the best alternative to Windows Media Player. If you want to play DVDs and Blu-rays on your Windows 10/8 or Mac, this powerful media playing software can be your best choice. It highly support any frequently-used video/audio format. Moreover, it enables you to enjoy Blu-ray disc/folder/ISO file, DVD and other 4K UHD/HD/SD videos smoothly on your computer. In addition, it supports DTS-HD and Dolby True HD audio technology to give you home theater audio effects with the best enjoyment.

3. Final Media Player - A more compatible Windows Media Player alternative

Tired of seeing the dreaded "Windows can't open this file" error message? It's time for Final Media Player to replace the Windows Media Player on your PC. It allows you to play more than 40 types of video formats like MP4, M4V, MKV, MOV, MPEG, MXF, RMVB, FLV, etc. Also, it can help you play 40+ audio formats, such as AAC, AIFF, FLAC, M4A, OGG, WMA, and so on. It can work on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1, both 32-bit and 64-bit.

4. KMPlayer - A Windows Media Player alternative for cross-platform

KMPlayer (KMP) is an excellent multi-media playback player, which can play different types of contained formats. As a good Windows Media Player alternative, KMPlayer provides different versions separately for Windows, Mac and iOS/Android devices. It is compatible with any media file because KMP has its' own internal Codec. Supported Codec are separated by internal & external.

5. PotPlayer - An alternative for Windows Media Player for Large media file playback

PotPlayer is a free advanced alternative to Windows Media Player. It is an excellent media player that can handle a large variety of media file types. In test, this free PotPlayer can easily play 1.6 GB MOV, 865 MB MKV, or a 1.4 GB AVI file without any issue. It carries a subtitle feature to play .ass and .srt subtitles natively when they are located in the same folder as the video file. There are also many other functions in PotPlayer, you can download it and have a free trial.

6. SMPlayer - Free Windows Media Player alternative

SMPlayer is another free Windows Media Player alternative to help you play all formats on your computer. It doesn't need any external codecs. Just install SMPlayer and you'll be able to play your media files without the hassle to find and install codec packs. It can remember the settings of all files you play. So it can always resume the video/audio you play at the same point you left it, and with the same settings: audio track, subtitles, volume and so on. This " Windows Media Player" can also play YouTube videos and download subtitles.

7. Zoom Player - Powerful Windows Media Player alternative

Zoom Player is one of the most powerful media players for the Windows PC. It can work as a professional Windows Media Player alternative to help you play any video or audio file on your computer. It can work well with Windows 8/7/XP/Vista PC. All popular video formats are supported in Zoom Player, such as H.264, XVID, DIVX, DVD, FLV, WMV, QuickTime, MPEG 1/2/4, MP3, AAC, DTS, Dolby Digital, FLAC and many more. It offers two versions, Zoom Player Free and Zoom Player Max for you to choose from.

8. VLC Media Player - A great alternative to Windows Media Player

VLC Media Player is another great software that can be considered as a perfect alternative to Windows Media Player. It is totally free to download and install and very easy to use. This free Windows Media Player alternative supports videos and audios in all formats and so there is never any need for downloading codec. It is equipped with a playlist function to allow you to play different media files one after the other.

9. MediaMonkey - A various function Windows Media Player alternative to play music

MediaMonkey is designed with various functions. It can manage 100,000+ music and video files without bogging down, record CDs and download music, movies, and podcasts, lookup and intuitively tag album art, lyrics and other metadata and more. It is a so powerful media playing software which comes with a comprehensive system of managing the library with the integrated library management tools. But it may be a little bit difficult to play video files on your computer. It is the best Windows Media Player alternative to help you play music files.

10. Wondershare Player - A popular Windows Media Player alternative

Wondershare Player is one popular media player for Windows and Mac users. If you can't play DVDs with Windows Media Player 12/11/10 on your computer, you can use this great alternative to Windows Media Player to do that for you. It has the capability to play MKV, WMV, MPEG, AVI and many more formats in high quality. And it supports virtually any audio format: MP3, WMA, M4A, AAC, FLAC, etc. Compared with Windows Media Player, VLC, RealPlayer and others, it takes less time to start up Wondershare Player and open a media file.

Can't play DVDs and Blu-rays with Windows Media Player? Can't use Windows Media Player any more on your Windows 10/8 computer? We list 10 great alternatives to Windows Media Player to help you play media files on PC or Mac. You can select your preferred one from these recommended Windows Media Player alternatives as you like.