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In order to play Windows Media audio and video in Firefox you will need to install a plugin. Learn how to get it installed and working.

{for win} {warning}If you've come to this article from a link on the Babylon toolbar and you'd like to get rid of it, see the [[How to remove the Babylon toolbar, home page and search engine]] article for instructions.{/warning} To play Windows Media in Firefox, you need the Windows Media Player browser plugin installed. There are two different versions: *The original, which is usually included with Windows up until XP. *The new version, specifically developed for Windows XP and above, which is only available by download. This article describes how to check for and install the Windows Media Player Firefox plugin.{for winxp}Many Windows XP users will have the old plugin already, but it is recommended that you install the new plugin, anyway.{/for} {for fx42,win7,win8,win10} <!--Windows 64-bit Firefox requires Windows 7 or above (bug 1093741)--> {warning}'''Important:''' The new [https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/12/15/firefox-64-bit-for-windows-available/ Windows 64-bit version of Firefox] does not recognize or support this plugin.{/warning} {/for} {note}'''Note:''' Even if you already have Windows Media Player installed, you may still be missing the plugin required to play back Windows Media audio and video embedded in web pages.{/note} {/for} {for linux} '''Mplayer''' is a popular Linux media player that can play back Windows Media files. In order to use Mplayer to play a Windows Media stream in Firefox, you must install two packages, named [http://code.google.com/p/gnome-mplayer gnome-mplayer] and [http://code.google.com/p/gecko-mediaplayer gecko-mediaplayer]. Your Linux distribution may have these packages readily available to install. {/for} {for mac} Microsoft discontinued the Macintosh version of Windows Media Player in 2006. The '''Flip4Mac''' replacement added Windows Media playback capabilities to [[Use the QuickTime plugin to play audio and video|QuickTime]] and was distributed for free until May 1, 2014, when Telestream began charging for Flip4Mac Player. For more information, see [http://telestream.force.com/kb/articles/Knowledge_Article/Why-isTelestream-charging-for-Flip4Mac-Player this Telestream article]. If you want a free player for many different media types, including Windows Media, you can try the '''[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html VLC Media Player for Mac OS X]'''. To play embedded audio and video content on web pages, you would need to download the '''VLC Web Browser plugin package''' (available from the {button Download VLC} drop-down menu). For other alternatives, try the Mac App Store. {/for} __TOC__ {for mac}{note}The following applies to Windows and Linux with the Windows Media plugin installed.{/note}{/for} {for win} = Checking if the plugin is installed = {warning}'''Important:''' The Windows Media plugin is now disabled by default and doesn't show up in the Add-ons manager. Please see [[Windows Media or other plugins stopped working after Firefox update|these instructions for turning it back on]].{/warning} To see if you already have the plugin installed: # [[T:Open Add-ons|type=Plugins]] # Scroll down the list, and look for the entry called: <br/>'''Microsoft® Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin'''<br/> {filepath np-mswmp.dll}<br><br>[[Image:WMP Fx23]]<br> #*If the entry is present, then the plugin is installed. #*If the entry is missing, proceed to the Installing the plugin section. = Installing the plugin = #Go to the [http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download plugin download page on Interoperability Bridges]. #*The Interoperability Bridges page also contains more detailed installation instructions. #Click "'''Download Now'''" You will be prompted to save a file. #Save the file to your desktop. #Once it has downloaded, run it, and the plugin will install. #When the installation has finished, close Firefox: #*[[T:closeFirefox]] # When Firefox has completely closed, start Firefox up again. #[[Template:aboutconfig]] # Search for '''plugins.load_appdir_plugins''' #Double-click {pref plugins.load_appdir_plugins} to change its value to {pref '''true'''}. #[[Template:closeFirefox]] When you restart Firefox the plugins will be enabled. {/for} = Testing the plugin = The following link is to a test page that requires the Windows Media Player plugin. If the player loads and plays, then the plugin is installed correctly: *[http://www.vdat.com/techsupport/windowstest.asp Windows Media test] =Enabling or disabling the plugin= You can disable or enable the Windows Media Player plugin in the Firefox Add-ons Manager. #[[T:Open Add-ons|type=Plugins]] #In the list of plugins, select the Windows Media Player plugin. #*If you want to disable the plugin, select {button Never Activate} in its drop-down menu. #*If you want to re-enable the plugin, select {button Always Activate} in its drop-down menu. If the plugin is disabled, pages with embedded Windows Media such as the "Windows Media test" linked above will not work and, if you download a Windows Media file, Firefox may ask you what to do with the file instead of automatically opening it in Firefox. =Links to media files= The Windows Media formats handled by the plugin include asf, asx, wm, wma, wax, wmp, wmv, and wvx. When you click on a link to download a Windows Media file and the plugin is enabled, it will open automatically in Firefox using the plugin. If you do not want this to happen, you can select a different download action in your Firefox Application settings for Windows Media files. For more information, see [[Change what Firefox does when you click on or download a file]]. =Troubleshooting= If you are having problems with Windows Media content, see [[Fix common audio and video issues]]. <!-- MZ credit --> <br/> <br/> '''''Based on information from [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Windows_Media_Player Windows Media Player (mozillaZine KB)]'''''