Tutorial – How to Download and Install Windows Media Player MP4 Codec

Why MP4 videos don’t play in Windows Media Player 12? Though MP4 is one of the most popular video formats, you are still notified with these files are not supported by Windows Media Player. It is because Windows Media Player doesn’t support some MP4 codecs. There are two ways to fix Windows Media Player not playing MP4 files. Well, you can install the Windows Media Player mp4 codec, or you can use a Windows Media Player alternative to play MP4. No matter which one you choose, you can get the detailed steps to play MP4 videos on your Windows computer successfully.

Part 1: How to Play MP4 Files with Windows Media Player 12

If you don’t install the proper Windows Media Player MP4 codec, or the default Windows Media Player codecs are outdated, you cannot play .mp4 files with Windows Media Player properly. There will be many different kinds of Windows Media Player not playing MP4 issues.

1. Fail to play MP4 with Windows Media Player.
2. No sound while playing MP4 with Windows Media Player.
3. Audio and video are out of sync in Windows Media Player MP4.

What to do when you receive the notification saying A codec is required to play this file? Don’t worry about that. You can install MP4 video codecs for Windows Media Player as the following paragraphs show.

Step 1: In the Windows Media Player MP4 not playing dialog, click the Web Help option.

Step 2: In the new Windows Media Player Error Message Help window, click the hyperlink below and move into the WMplugin website.

Step 3: Search and download the MP4 codec installation package.

Step 4: Once the WMP MP4 codec installation process ends, Windows Media Player restarts automatically. Now you can get the Windows Media Player 12 MP4 playback.

Part 2: MP4 File Not Playing? Use Windows Media Player Alternative

Sadly, even though you install the Windows Media Player MP4 codec, the WMP not playing MP4 problem still exists. Windows Media Player does not support the playback of .mp4 files natively. If you want to improve your video watching experience, you can use Vidmore Player as your Windows Media Player alternative software. Almost all common video and audio formats are supported. You can always get the lossless video and audio playback.

1. Play all Windows Media Player not supported formats without losing quality.
2. Get the 4K UHD and 1080p/720 HD video playback with no codecs.
3. Be equipped with advanced audio decoding technologies.
4. Adjust image effects and take quick snapshots with simple options.

Step 1: Free download, install and launch Vidmore Player on your Windows computer.

Step 2: Click Open File in the main interface. Add the MP4 video and click Open to move on. Unfold the top Video and Audio lists to adjust video and audio effects.

Step 3: You can use the bottom toolbar to pause, resume, and stop playing MP4 with the Windows Media Player alternative.

Part 3: FAQs of Playing MP4 on Windows Media Player

Why can’t play MP4 with Windows Media Player?

Only Windows Media Player 12 support MP4 video playback. If you use Windows Media Player 11/10/9/7 and earlier, there is no MP4 codec for Windows Media Player. Instead of the unavailable Media Player codec pack, you can use Vidmore Player to play an MP4 file on Windows and Mac smoothly.

How to play MP4 files in Windows 10?

Find and open File Explorer from the Start menu. Right-click on your MP4 video, choose Open with from the right-click menu. You can select Windows Media Player or Windows Media Player alternatives to get the MP4 video playback.

What are the file types supported by Windows Media Player 12?

You can play ASF, WMA, WMV, WM, AVI, WAV, CDA, M4A, M4V, MP4, MP4V, 3G2, 3GPS, 3GP, 3GPP, and even DVD/Blu-ray with Windows Media Player. Be aware that that you need to install new codec packages for Windows Media Player 12 playback.

All in all, you can install the Windows Media Player MP4 codec to play MP4 files on Windows 10/8/7 successfully. If you use Windows Media Player 11 and earlier versions, you had better use Vidmore Player as your MP4 video player software. Just free download the program and have a try right now.