In an interesting decision by Microsoft, it looks like the company is getting ready to bring the new Media Player that it brought to Windows 11 users to those still hanging out on Windows 10. There is an update in the mix that will be slowly making its way to the public that will include the new Media Player as an option.
It will not replace the original Media Player, so users will still have access to both of them for the time being. However, users will continue to wait for this update unless they are on the preview channels since it hasn’t received the full thumbs-up just yet.
That being said, if you’d rather not wait, users can find the new Media Player within the Microsoft Store here. Allowing them to manually install it that way. This method will also leave the original Windows Media Player intact in case you so choose to still use it as well.
As for why I started things off by calling it an interesting decision, Windows 10 is no longer in focus as the company continues to develop Windows 11. Support for Windows 10 will eventually become more and more security-based until its EOL (end of life) in October 2025. Where updates will cease to exist as users venture forward to the current version of the operating system. Usually, by now, Microsoft wouldn’t be so focused on adding features to its previous OS.
However, this does narrow necessary security updates to a singular tool and not multiple versions of Media Player. Making support a little easier as the company still provides updates before the EOL date is approached. Although it could be seen as a new feature for the already aging OS, it is really more of a consolidation that works for both parties. Meanwhile, Microsoft can tag the previous Media Player as something no longer being supported.
This is part of a number of apps originally made for Windows 11 that have made their way to Windows 10 as well. Either through Windows Updates or via the Microsoft Store.
