Adding Lyrics and Managing Information in Your Library
Add static/synchronized lyrics to your songs and manage media information and playlists in your library.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
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How do I add static lyrics to my music files?
You can use the Advanced Tag Editor feature in Windows Media Player. To add static lyrics to your files, do the following:
1. | In Windows Media Player, click Library. |
2. | Right-click the file you want to add lyrics to, and then click Advanced Tag Editor. |
3. | In the Advanced Tag Editor dialog box, on the Lyrics tab, click the Add button. |
4. | In the Language list, select your desired language, and then type or paste lyrics into the Text box. If you want to create a set of synchronized lyrics from your static lyrics, we recommend that you separate lyrics by pressing ENTER after each verse. For example: This is the first verse This is the second verse ...and so on To learn how to create synchronized lyrics, see the next question. |
5. | Click OK. |
The static lyrics you added are displayed in the Now Playing feature below the Video and Visualization pane when you play a song. If you do not see the lyrics, make sure that captions and subtitles are turned on in the Player. For more information, see "Add Lyrics to Music Files" in the Windows Media Player How-to Center.
How do I add synchronized lyrics to my music files?
The easiest way to add synchronized lyrics is to convert a copy of the static lyrics for a song by using Advanced Tag Editor. To add synchronized lyrics to your files, do the following:
1. | Complete steps 1 - 4 in the previous question. |
2. | In the Advanced Tag Editor dialog box, click the Synchronized Lyrics button. |
3. | In the Synchronized Lyrics dialog box, wait for the Player to load the static lyrics data into the Timeline area. |
4. | If necessary, adjust the time values to more closely synchronize the lyrics to the vocals in the song. To do this, click the value in the Time column for a verse, click the Edit button, and type in a new time value. You can test how closely the updated time values match the synchronized verse to a song's vocals by clicking a time value, and then clicking the Play button. The song will play starting at the new time value that you entered. Repeat this step until the synchronized verse is displayed exactly when the matching vocals begin in the song. |
5. | When you're all done, in the Synchronized Lyrics dialog box, click the OK button. |
6. | (Optional) In the Advanced Tag Editor dialog box, if you only want the synchronized lyrics to be visible, and not the static lyrics, click the Delete button. |
7. | Click the OK button to close Advanced Tag Editor. |
Now when you play the song, the static lyrics that you added (if you didn't delete them) are displayed in the Now Playing feature below the Video and Visualization pane until the time value for the first synchronized verse is reached, then your synchronized lyrics will replace the static lyrics. If you do not see the lyrics, make sure that captions and subtitles are turned on in the Player. For more information, see "Add Lyrics to Music Files" in the Windows Media Player How-to Center.
NoteYour online store may also provide the ability to add synchronized lyrics to the songs you are playing. For more information, see "To add synchronized lyrics to a file" in Windows Media Player Help.
How can I update media information on a custom mix CD?
If you have ripped a custom mix CD and you notice that the Player has not correctly identified the songs in your library, do the following to update the media information for each of the songs:
1. | In Windows Media Player, click Library. |
2. | In the Contents pane (the left pane), expand the Album category, and then click the custom mix CD album. |
3. | In the Details pane (the right pane), right-click the song or songs that you want to edit, and then click Advanced Tag Editor. To select multiple adjacent songs, press and hold the SHIFT key while selecting each song. To select nonadjacent songs, press and hold the CTRL key while selecting each song. Then right-click the selected songs, and click Advanced Tag Editor. |
4. | In the Advanced Tag Editor dialog box, enter the media information you want to change. If you selected multiple songs to edit in step 3, you must select the check box beside the media information before you can change it. Your changes will apply to all of the songs that you have selected. If you selected a single song, you will not see a check box. |
Why can't I change the "Enhanced Playback Experience" options on the Privacy tab when I try to retrieve media information?
This issue typically happens when you are using Windows Media Player at work, and your network administrator has used Group Policy to prevent you from changing these options. This might prevent your computer from retrieving media information from the Internet for CDs and DVDs. It might also prevent your computer from automatically acquiring licenses for protected content. For more information, contact your network administrator.
Can I save a Windows Media playlist as an M3U playlist?
Yes. By default, playlists in Windows Media Player 9 Series or later are saved as Windows Media playlists with a .wpl file name extension. However, you can save a Windows Media playlist as an M3U playlist with a .m3u file name extension by doing the following:
1. | Click Library. |
2. | In the Contents pane (the left pane), expand the My Playlists category, and then click a playlist. |
3. | On the File menu, click Save Now Playing List As (Save Playlist As in Windows Media Player 9 Series), click Save as type, and then click M3U Playlist(*.m3u). |
4. | In the File name box, type a file name for the M3U playlist, and then click Save. Even if your portable device supports M3U playlists, the music in the playlist might not play properly after it is copied to your device. This may occur because the path and file name references for the audio files in the M3U playlist refer to a folder on your computer or on a shared network folder. |
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.