How to Change the Playback Speed in Windows Media Player

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on September 30, 2022
Reviewed by
Kayla Dube
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Reviewed by Kayla Dube
  • J. Everette Light Career Center
Kayla Dube has 4+ years' experience in videography and filmmaking. She frequently works in production with indie film companies.
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Windows

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.

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.

How to Change the Windows Media Player Playback Speed

  1. 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.

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

    Play speed settings for Windows Media Player

  3. 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.

    Slow, Normal, Fast speed settings

  4. 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.

FAQ
  • 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.

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