Download and Install Windows Media Center

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A step-by-step guide to install WMC on your computer

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: January 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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Windows 10/Windows 11

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Windows 8.1

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Windows 7

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Video

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Tips

Windows Media Center was Microsoft's media PC interface and allowed you to record live TV, manage and playback your media, and more. Media Center has since been discontinued, but you can still download an old version of it for your computer.

Get Windows Media Player on Your Computer

Although discontinued, you can download repacked versions of Windows Media Center for Windows versions 8.1, 10, and 11. If you're using Windows 7 or Vista, WMC is included with your version of Windows and you can find it in the search menu in your taskbar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Windows 10/Windows 11

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1
Download the necessary files. You'll need a repacked version of Windows Media Center created by enthusiasts. You can download the file here, here, or you can search for WindowsMediaCenter_10.0.10134.0v2.1.rar and download it from a trusted site on the list of results.
- You will need the ability to open RAR files in order to extract the files. You can use the trial version of WinRAR or the free 7-Zip to open RAR files. See How to Open RAR Files for more information.
- Windows Media Center has been discontinued and is no longer supported by Microsoft. Because of this, it is not possible to install Windows Media Center the traditional way you would do so. The links above are repacked versions of Windows Media Center by regular people and not officially related to Microsoft.
- Only download files from sources you trust. Downloading from unknown sources increases the risk of infecting your computer with malware.
Use your RAR extraction program to open and extract the files. Place it on your root system drive (usually the C: drive).

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You should see several files here.
_TestRights.cmd and click "Run as administrator". A command prompt window will appear and start installing automatically.
Installer.cmd and select "Run as administrator". Another command prompt window will appear. You'll be prompted to exit the window once installation is complete.
You should be able to launch Windows Media Center by searching for it on the Start menu, or by looking in the "Windows Accessories" folder.
Some users have reported issues playing all of their files due to missing codecs. If this is the case, you can install codec packs from various sources online. Look for the "Shark" codec pack for Windows 10 and 8.1. It will add MKV, AVI,, MOV, and other codec support.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Windows 8.1

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1
Download the .msi file for Windows Media Player. Go to https://gist.github.com/axeltechtips/8789b96208cf61c6f826adea2d419c81 and click the link to download the installer.
- WMC (Windows Media Center) was previously purchasable, but that's no longer the case. However, you can download a working version of WMC for your Windows 8.1 or higher computer.^{[2]
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- Make sure you're running Windows 8.1. The upgrade to 8.1 is free, and you can get it from the Windows Store. See How to Upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 for detailed instructions on upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1.
Find the downloaded file, wmcsetup-64x.msi, on your computer (most likely in your "Downloads" folder), and double-click it to run it.
3
Install WMC. Follow the instructions to install Windows Media Center on your computer!
- You might want to restart your computer after installing to finalize it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Windows 7

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1
Ensure you have the correct version of Windows 7. Media Center is available for free for all versions of Windows 7 except Starter and Home Basic. If you have either of these versions, you'll need to upgrade to at least Home Premium in order to get access to Media Center.^{[3]
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- You'll need to purchase an upgrade key if you want to upgrade your version of Windows 7. These usually cost around $100, but may be hard to find now that Windows 7 is getting older. This is the only legal way to get Windows Media Center in the Starter or Home Basic versions of Windows 7.
If you have a supported version of Windows 7, but can't open Windows Media Center, it may likely be disabled during installation. You can start enabling it from the Control Panel, which you can open from the Start menu.
This will open a list of all of the programs installed on your computer.
This will open a list of all of the Windows features that have been enabled or disabled. You will need administrator access to open this list.
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Expand the "Media Features" option. You should see three different options when you expand it: "Windows DVD Maker", "Windows Media Center", and "Windows Media Player".
- If you only see "Windows Media Player", you have either Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic. It is not possible to legally get Windows Media Center in these versions. You'll need to upgrade to a version of Windows 7 or 8.1 that supports Windows Media Center.
Click "OK" to begin installing the feature. This may take several minutes to complete.
After being enabled, you can find Windows Media Center in your Start menu. If you can't find it, type "Windows Media Center" into the search field.
If you rely on Windows Media Center, you may want to put off the free upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft has terminated the Windows Media Center project, and it is no longer supported in Windows 10. There is a workaround available outlined at the top of this page, but it results in limited functionality.

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Tips

If you're using Vista, only Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions are compatible with WMC.

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Alternatives to Windows Media Center include Plex and VLC.

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