Microsoft is slowly breaking Windows Media Player Legacy to force people over to the new app

Published Aug 19, 2026, 9:11 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Windows K2 improves UI but pushes users off older apps, steering them to newer versions. Build 29648 removes Lyrics, captions & subtitles in Media Player Legacy; toggling shows an error pointing to the new app. Microsoft needs to fix feature gaps; VLC still offers capabilities that Windows' new player lacks. With Microsoft's big Windows K2 initiative in full swing, we're seeing much-needed improvements such as finally making Windows 11's context menus make sense. However, we're also seeing Microsoft push for people to leave its older software behind and embrace its newer versions. We previously saw how Windows 10 users won't receive new Microsoft 365 features anymore. Now, we're seeing signs that Microsoft is trying to wind down Windows Media Player Legacy to push people to use the newer Windows Media Player instead. The app asks people to go to the newer app instead XenoPanther on X first spotted this development on their Windows 11 Build 29648 PC. In this version of Windows, attempting to enable the "Lyrics, captions, and subtitles" feature through the settings causes an error message to pop up, stating that the Legacy version of the app no longer supports it. It then points people toward the new version of Windows Media Player if they wish to continue using it. In a reply to their original post, XenoPanther compares this new UI to how Windows Media Player Legacy's menu looked pre-update. Sure enough, while the old UI used to allow you to toggle it on or off, the new version only has the "On if available" option to pick, which, of course, spawns the error message. It appears Microsoft is trying to distance itself from the Legacy version of the app and instead have people use the newer version of Windows Media Player. However, if it really wants to win people over, it ideally needs to fix the fact that VLC Player can do things Windows 11's player cannot.