File Formats Supported by Windows Media Player Versions 6.0 and Later

This article describes the file formats that Microsoft Windows Media Player supports.

Windows Media Player supports the following file formats:

Windows Media Player 6.0

• Windows Media formats
  File name extensions: .asf, .asx, .avi, .wav, .wma, .wax, .wm, .wmv, .wvx
• RealAudio and RealVideo (version 4.0 or earlier)
  File name extensions: .ra, .ram, .rm, .rmm
• Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG)
  File name extensions: .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mpa, .mpe
  
  Note MPEG 2 requires third-party software or hardware decoders.
• Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
  File name extensions: .mid, .rmi
• Apple QuickTime (version 2.0 or earlier)
  File name extensions: .mov
• Macintosh AIFF Resource
  File name extensions: .aif, .aifc, .aiff
• Intel Video File
  File name extensions: .ivf
• UNIX
  File name extensions: .au, .snd

Windows Media Player 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7, 7.1, Windows Media Player for Windows XP, and Windows Media Player 9 Series

• Windows Media formats
  File name extensions: .asf, .asx, .avi, .wav, .wax, .wma, .wm
• Audio Visual Interleave
  File name extension: .avi
• Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG)
  File name extensions: m3u, mp2v, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .m3u, .mpa, .mpe, mpv2
  
  Note MPEG 2 requires third-party software or hardware decoders.
• DVD Video
  File name extension: .vob
  
  Note DVD playback requires third-party software or hardware decoders and is supported only in Windows XP.
• Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
  File name extensions: .mid, midi, .rmi
• Apple Macintosh AIFF Resource
  File name extensions: .aif, .aifc, .aiff
• Sun Microsystems and NeXT
  File name extensions: .au, .snd
• Intel Video File
  File name extensions: .ivf
  
  Note Intel Video File support requires the Intel Video 5.x codec.
• Windows Media Player Skins
  File name extensions: .wmz, .wms
• QuickTime Content
  File name extensions: .avi, .mov, .qt
  
  Note Windows Media Player can play back older forms of the QuickTime format only. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  316992  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316992/EN-US/ ) Windows Media Player Multimedia File Formats
• Algebraic-Code-Excited Linear Prediction
• UNIX
  File name extensions: .au, .snd
• Macromedia Flash
  File name extension: .swf
  
  Note Playback of Shockwave Flash files requires the Macromedia Flash plug-in.

For more information about these file formats and to test your Windows Media Player client using sample files, visit the following Microsoft Windows Media Player Web page:For additional information about file formats supported on older versions of Windows Media Player, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: