This article explains how to change the playback speed of a song in Windows Media Player. This procedure works for Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10.

What To Know

  • Open a song, and press Ctrl+M. Go to Enhancement > Play Speed, and pick Slow, Normal, or Fast.Reload the track if WMP stops playing following the speed change.

How to Change the Windows Media Player Playback Speed

  • Open a song. Switch the View mode out of Library or Skin by going to View > Now Playing. If the WMP menu bar doesn’t showing, use the Ctrl+M keyboard shortcut to enable it. You can even use Ctrl+3 to immediately switch the view to Now Playing without using the menu bar.
  • Right-click the main area of the screen and choose Enhancements > Play speed settings.
  • In the Play speed settings screen that should now be open, select Slow, Normal, or Fast to adjust the speed at which the audio/video should be played. A value of 1 is for normal playback speed while a lower or higher figure either slows down or speeds up the playback, respectively.
  • Re-load the track if WMP stops responding after you change the speed several times. The speed-settings tool occasionally stops if WMP cannot re-configure the track for the requested custom speed in enough time to reload the track before you make another speed change.

Open a song. Switch the View mode out of Library or Skin by going to View > Now Playing. If the WMP menu bar doesn’t showing, use the Ctrl+M keyboard shortcut to enable it. You can even use Ctrl+3 to immediately switch the view to Now Playing without using the menu bar.

Right-click the main area of the screen and choose Enhancements > Play speed settings.

In the Play speed settings screen that should now be open, select Slow, Normal, or Fast to adjust the speed at which the audio/video should be played. A value of 1 is for normal playback speed while a lower or higher figure either slows down or speeds up the playback, respectively.

Re-load the track if WMP stops responding after you change the speed several times. The speed-settings tool occasionally stops if WMP cannot re-configure the track for the requested custom speed in enough time to reload the track before you make another speed change.

  • What does “playback prohibited by area limitations” mean in Windows Media Player?
  • This message means that the media you’re attempting to play is set for a specific region other than your own. Try changing the region settings for your disc drive by right-clicking the drive’s icon in Windows Explorer, then selecting Properties > Hardware > Properties, then selecting a different region.
  • How do I map my keyboard keys to control playback in Windows Media Player?
  • Windows Media Player should have keyboard commands for playback already set when you start it up. Press Ctrl + Shift + G to increase speed, press Ctrl + Shift + S to slow down playback, and press Ctrl + Shift + N to return to regular playback speed.

This message means that the media you’re attempting to play is set for a specific region other than your own. Try changing the region settings for your disc drive by right-clicking the drive’s icon in Windows Explorer, then selecting Properties > Hardware > Properties, then selecting a different region.

Windows Media Player should have keyboard commands for playback already set when you start it up. Press Ctrl + Shift + G to increase speed, press Ctrl + Shift + S to slow down playback, and press Ctrl + Shift + N to return to regular playback speed.

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