Change and Set Windows Media Player 12 64-Bit As Default Player

October 26, 2009 by Pintu
Filed under: Computer

Windows media player 12 64-bit of windows 7 is only a name but 64-bit of Windows 7 includes both 32bit (x86) and 64bit (x64) versions of Windows Media Player 12. 32-bit version of Windows Media Player has been made the default media player to provide maximum compatibility with existing applications and codecs. Windows Media Player 12 is also known as WMP12.

WMP x64 included 64-bit of Windows Vista, and the WMP 11 x64 has also not been made as default player. So in Vista there is workaround to change and set 64-bit Windows Media Player 11 as default player. So here is a tutorial for you to know how to set windows media player 12 (WMP12) as default player. However, the simple trick to switch to 64-bit player does not work anymore as Windows 7 locks the registry key that required to be changed to alter the file associations related to WMP. You need to change is to improve system security so that malicious code cannot modify the WMP play.

So the Windows 7 users who want to use 64-bit WMP has to performed extra steps to unlock the registry key. The WMP 12 (64-bit) software allows application to run natively and take architecture advantage in x64 operating system. It is also potentially run faster by working with larger data sets at any time. Just install one instance of codecs ( x64 version) to switching to WMP x64 and playback various media files in WMC and WMP.

How to change and set 64-Bit Windows Media Player 12 (WMP12) as default Media player

At first, open Run box and type “regedit” to open Registry Editor.
To unlock the registry keys take ownership and grant full control of registry keys listed below :
HKLM>>Software>>CLASSES>>CLSID>>{cdc32574-7521-4124-90c3-8d5605a34933}\LocalServer32
{45597c98-80f6-4549-84ff-752cf55e2d29}\LocalServer32\
{ed1d0fdf-4414-470a-a56d-cfb68623fc58}\LocalServer32
Open an elevated command prompt as administrator and type (%WinDir%\system32\unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:64)
Run Registry Editor navigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/
Windows/CurrentVersion/App Paths/wmplayer.exe
Double click on the registry subkey Path and set its value data as %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player. By default, it has the value data of “%ProgramFiles （x86）%\Windows Media Player”.
Now Exit your Registry Editor.
Copy the following code into a text editor, and save it as a file name .reg extension.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{45597c98-80f6-4549-84ff-752cf55e2d29}\LocalServer32] @=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\ 00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\ 4d,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,61,00,20,00,50,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,5c,\ 00,77,00,6d,00,70,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\ 22,00,20,00,2f,00,45,00,6e,00,71,00,75,00,65,00,75,00,65,00,00,00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{cdc32574-7521-4124-90c3-8d5605a34933}\LocalServer32] @=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\ 00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\ 4d,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,61,00,20,00,50,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,5c,\ 00,77,00,6d,00,70,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\ 22,00,20,00,2f,00,42,00,75,00,72,00,6e,00,43,00,44,00,00,00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{ed1d0fdf-4414-470a-a56d-cfb68623fc58}\LocalServer32] @=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\ 00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\ 4d,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,61,00,20,00,50,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,5c,\ 00,77,00,6d,00,70,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\ 22,00,20,00,2f,00,50,00,6c,00,61,00,79,00,00,00
Then double click on the save file to Run the registry registration file or right click on the save file and click merge.
Unpin and remove the original Windows Media Player x86 shortcut from Windows 7 Taskbar, or else two WMP icons or buttons will be found on the Taskbar. To pin 64-bit WMP icon or button to Taskbar, right click the Windows Media Player x64 on Start Menu and select Pin to Taskbar.

If you are not done the above process the here is an alternative process to set Windows Media Player 12 64-Bit as default player.

Download Win7-WMP-x64.zip both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Media Player 12 Switcher zip package.

Unpack the whole content into a same folder, and open a command prompt with administrator’s rights, and run Set_WMP_x64.cmd to set WMP x64 as default media player. Likewise, run Set_WMP_x86.cmd to revert and reset back to WMP x86 as default media player.

To undo the x64 change, and to switch, swap, revert and change back the default media player to Windows Media Player 12 x86 32-bit edition, use Set_WMP_x86.cmd file above, and manually by issuing the following command instead:

%WinDir%\system32\unregmp2.exe /SwapTo:32

For value data of “Path” sub-key of “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe” registry branch, set it to %ProgramFiles （x86）%\Windows Media Player. Then copy the same code what you use in the first process or the same code written above and save the file as file name .reg file. Then double click on the save file to Run the registry registration file or right click on the save file and click merge.

Finally, re-pin the WMP x86 icon onto Taskbar to be able to run 32-bit WMP directly from Taskbar. Now you are sucess to set Windows Media Player 12 64-Bit as default player.