Enable the Windows Media Player Taskbar Toolbar: Quick Guide

How to Activate the Windows Media Player Taskbar Toolbar in Windows

Overview

The Taskbar Toolbar for Windows Media Player adds playback controls and quick-access features directly to the Windows taskbar. Below are concise, actionable steps for enabling it on modern Windows versions (assume Windows ⁄₁₁ unless you need a different version).

Steps (Windows 10 / Windows 11)

1. Open Windows Media Player

   • Press Start, type “Windows Media Player”, and open it.

2. Enable toolbar from Player

   • In WMP, press Alt to show the menu bar.
   • Go to View → Toolbars and check Taskbar (if present).

3. Use Taskbar settings

   • Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and choose Toolbars → New toolbar… — this is generally for folders; WMP-specific taskbar toolbar may not appear here if not supported by your WMP build.

4. Ensure Windows shell integration is enabled

   • Open Registry Editor (press Win+R, type regedit, Enter).
   • Navigate to:
     • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked
     • and
     • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Allowed
   • Look for entries related to Windows Media Player (COM/toolbar extensions). If you find a WMP toolbar GUID under Blocked, move or delete that entry (export first as backup). Restart Explorer or reboot.

5. Verify WMP settings and services

   • Ensure Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service is running: press Win+R, type services.msc, find Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service, set to Automatic and start it if stopped.
   • In WMP, confirm the player is set as default for media types if desired.

6. Re-register relevant DLLs (if toolbar missing)

   • Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Start → Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin)).
   • Run these commands one at a time:

     Code
     Copy CodeCopied
     regsvr32 /s wmpband.dll regsvr32 /s wmpshell.dll 

   • Restart Explorer: in Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click → Restart.

7. Restart and test

   • Sign out/sign in or reboot. Open WMP and check the taskbar for the toolbar controls (play/pause, next, previous, track info).

Troubleshooting

• Toolbar option missing in WMP: WMP versions shipped with Windows ⁄₁₁ may not include the taskbar toolbar feature. Consider using the system media controls in the taskbar or installing a third-party utility that exposes media controls.
• Registry risks: Back up the registry before edits. Incorrect changes can harm the system.
• Permissions: Commands require administrator privileges.

Alternative

• Use Windows built-in media overlay on the taskbar (system media transport controls) or third-party taskbar media control apps (e.g., MiniPlayer-type utilities) if WMP taskbar toolbar is unsupported.

If you want, I can provide exact registry key names/GUIDs and command lines tailored to your Windows build—tell me your Windows version.