Media Streaming not working on Windows 10/11

October 2022 · 5 minute read

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    • Many users prioritize Windows Media Streaming feature before third-party streaming solutions. That’s an obvious choice if you rather place your trust in built-in Windows features. However, it seems that Media Streaming isn’t working for some users in Windows 10.

    Supposedly, some of them encountered grayed out feature and were unable to start it. In order to address that, we prepared a few solutions that should help you substantially. Make sure to check them out below.

    What to do if Media Streaming isn’t working in Windows 10

  • Enable automatic play
  • Turn On Search Indexing
  • Change Local Group Policy
  • Check related Services
  • Replace Media Player cache folder

    • Solution 1 – Enable automatic play

    First things first, in order to cast or stream any multimedia file via Windows Media Player, you’ll need to enable the automatic play. This procedure is simple and you should be able to make it work in no time. Follow the instructions below to enable automatic streaming in Windows Media Player:

    Follow the instructions below to enable automatic streaming in Windows Media Player:

  • Open Windows Media Player.
  • Click on the Stream drop-down menu near the Menu bar.
  • From the drop-down menu, choose Automatically allow devices to play my media.Media Streaming not working in Windows 10 allow devices to play my media
  • Restart Windows Media Player and try again.

    • Solution 2 – Turn On Search Indexing

    A few knowledgeable users reminded that Media Streaming is connected to Windows Search Indexing and thus, can be affected by it. If you disabled Windows Search Indexing for some reason, we advise you to re-enable it. This will, hopefully, resolve issues with Media Streaming.

    If you’re not sure how to enable Search Indexing, follow the steps below:

  • In the Search bar, type control, and open Control Panel.
  • Choose Programs and features.
  • Click Turn Windows Features on or off from the left pane.
  • Check the box next to a ”Windows Search Indexing” to enable it.
  • Restart your PC to apply changes.

    • Solution 3 – Change Local Group Policy

    Local Group Policy is there for configuration and management of various permissions within a system. Now, there are some protective permission settings with the main purpose to prevent unauthorized streaming.

    Therefore, you’ll probably want that setting disabled, in order to fix the Media Streaming error. For that, you’ll be needing Administrative permission on your PC.

    Follow the instructions below to disable this setting in Local Group Policy Editor:

  • In the Windows Search Bar, type gpedit.msc, and open Local Group Policy Editor.
  • Follow this path:
    • Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Media Player
  • Right-click on Prevent Media Sharing and choose Edit.Media Streaming not working in Windows 10 prevent media sharing
  • Click on Disabled and confirm changes.
  • Restart your PC and try enabling Media Streaming again.

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    READ ALSO: Fix: 360-degree YouTube videos not working

    Solution 4 – Check related Services

    Like every other Windows component, Media Sharing has more than a few related services that govern everything. Now, by default, once you’ve enabled Media Streaming, they should change status to Active. However, it seems that some of them are, for no apparent reason, permanently disabled.

    That occurrence will, consequently, prevent Media Streaming from commencing. Luckily, you can start them manually in a few simple steps. Just follow the instructions below and make sure that the related services are up and running:

  • In the Windows Search bar, type services.msc, and open Services.
  •  Navigate to UPnP host service, right-click it, and open Properties.Media Streaming not working in Windows 10 reset UPnP Device Host service
  • Set the Startup type to Automatic, click Stop and then Start to restart this service. Then click OK.
  • Now, navigate to Windows Media Player Network Sharing service and repeat the same procedure.Media Streaming not working in Windows 10 reset Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service
  • Close Services and look for changes.

    • Solution 5 – Replace Media Player cache folder

    Finally, if none of the previous steps provided you with desired results, we still have one viable solution you should consider. Namely, Windows Media Player stores cache and configuration data in the AppData directory. These files can get corrupted or incomplete and thus provoke a lot of issues with Windows Media Player or, in this distinctive occurrence, Media Streaming through Media Player.

    You can either delete this folder or its content, but we advise you to rather rename it and continue with your life. The next time you start Windows Media Player, the system will re-create the Media Player folder so you can start from a scratch.

    Follow the instructions below to rename Media Player folder:

  • Copy this path and paste it in the Windows Search bar.
    • %userprofile%appdatalocalmicrosoft
  • Rename Media Player to Media Player Old.Media Streaming not working rename Media Player cache folder
  • Restart your PC and start Windows Media Player.

    • That should do it. We certainly do hope you managed to overcome issues with Media Streaming and finally make it work.

    Don’t forget to share your experience with Media Streaming issues with other readers. You can do so in the comments section below.

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