Why is my Windows Media Player suddenly adding duplicates of songs already in playlist?

Question

My Windows Media player has started adding duplicates of songs already on my playlist. I am talking about 5 copies of some of the same songs (and I have an extensive library of them). I don't have time to go in every time this happens and spend literally HOURS to delete the duplicates. How can this be corrected?

Answer 1

Hi @Ira S

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum 

This usually happens because Windows Media Player’s library database gets confused, not because your songs are actually being copied. When the same music folder is added more than once, files are moved after being indexed, or the database becomes corrupted, Media Player can re‑index the same song multiple times. As a result, you see several copies of the same track appearing automatically in playlists, even though the file exists only once on your computer. 

1. Reset the Database 

• Close Windows Media Player. 
• Press Windows Key + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player, and hit Enter. 
• Delete all files in this folder. (Don't worry, this doesn't delete your music; it just deletes the "index" of your music). 
• Restart WMP. It will begin rebuilding your library correctly. 

2. Check Your "Watched" Folders 

• In WMP, go to Organize > Manage libraries > Music. 
• Look at the list of locations. If you see two paths that lead to the same files, Remove one of them. 
• Ensure "Automatically add items to my library" isn't pulling from a cloud-sync folder (like OneDrive) that might be creating "ghost" copies. 

3. Repair or reset the Media Player app  

If duplicates appear only inside Media Player (not in File Explorer): 

• Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps 
• Locate Media Player 
• Select Advanced options 
• Choose Repair 
• If needed, choose Reset 
• For more details, please refer to: Repair apps and programs in Windows

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.   

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Answer 2

The issue of Windows Media Player adding duplicates of songs in your playlist can be frustrating. This behavior may occur due to several reasons, such as:

1. Library Settings: Check your library settings to ensure that the option to automatically add files is not enabled, which could lead to duplicates.
2. File Locations: If the same song is located in different folders or if you have multiple versions of the same file, Windows Media Player might recognize them as separate entries.
3. Corrupted Playlist: Sometimes, the playlist file itself may become corrupted, leading to unexpected behavior like duplicates.

To correct this issue, you can try the following steps:

• Clear the Playlist: Remove all songs from the playlist and then re-add them to see if the duplicates persist.
• Check for Updates: Ensure that Windows Media Player is updated to the latest version, as updates may fix bugs related to playlist management.
• Rebuild the Library: You can rebuild your media library by deleting the library files and allowing Windows Media Player to recreate them. This can help eliminate any corruption.

If the problem continues, consider using a different media player or a playlist management tool that can handle duplicates more effectively.

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References:

• Playlist Burning
• Playlist Sample