Create shortcut to execute Windows Media Player (WMP)

Question

Sometimes when I load a CD into an attached CD player, the CD begin to plays in WMP. Is there a way to create a shortcut to WMP, say in the Taskbar, to execute WMP when it doesn't start automatically?

Thanks for your help,
PR

Answer 1

Yep - you can pin Windows Media Player to the taskbar and then launch it manually whenever the CD does not automatically start playing.

If you are using the newer Windows Media Player app in Windows 11, press the Windows key and type “Media Player.” Right-click Media Player in the search results and select “Pin to taskbar.” You can then click its taskbar icon whenever you insert a CD and it does not start automatically.

If you are using the older “Windows Media Player” desktop application, press the Windows key, type “Windows Media Player,” right-click it, and select “Pin to taskbar” as well. The older WMP is particularly useful for audio CDs because it can recognize the disc and display the tracks.

Once WMP is open, you normally do not need to manually browse to the CD. Insert the audio CD, wait a few seconds, and the disc should appear in WMP. If it does not, look for the CD under the navigation area on the left and select it. Then click the Play button.

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hth

Marcin