14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released a preview of a new Media Player specifically built for Windows 11, as the company wants to offer an updated experience on the new operating system.
The new Media Player obviously aligns with Windows 11 in terms of look, so it features a more modern UI, though the main focus has clearly been on the feature lineup.
So while the new Media Player looks pretty good, it also comes with plenty of great features, which is definitely good news since it replaces Groove Music and is a successor to the famous legacy Media Player.
Worth knowing is that all your content from Groove Music is being migrated automatically to the new Media Player, so the transition will be as straightforward as possible.
“Media Player includes full support for browsing, managing, and watching your local video collection too! All your content in the music and video folders on your PC will appear automatically in your library, but you can also tell Media Player where to look for additional content in app settings. We have also optimized for accessibility, with improved keyboard shortcut and access key support for keyboard users and with other assistive technologies,” Microsoft announced.
Windows Media Player lives on
At this point, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be planning to kill off the legacy Windows Media Player, though I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised to see this happening at some point in the future.
The company says it will continue to be available in Windows Tools, though it will also be used as a way to learn how the new Media Player can be improved.
“We are aware of an issue preventing playback from network locations, as well as issues that under certain circumstances impact editing album metadata, sorting library content with accented characters, and UI elements not respecting your app theme preference,” Microsoft says.
The new Media Player is currently available only for Dev channel insiders.