Windows 11 update brings back ripping CDs so you can pretend its 2002 again
Rip your CDs into MP3 files once more
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A newWindows Media Playerupdate forWindows 11has brought back CD ripping, meaning that any audio CDs you have can be transferred to your PC and added to a playlist.
If you’ve been aPC userin the last 25 years, you’ve most likely come across CD ripping within amedia player, allowing you to save your music onto your computer. However, in recent year’s it’s fallen out of favor, due to fewer PCs coming with CD or DVD drives, plus the rise in streaming services like Spotify (as well as various copyright concerns artists and publishers had).
However,Windows 11build 25158will once again allow you to rip a CD into MP3, AAC, FLAC and ALAC within Media Player, alongside setting the bitrate, so you can maintain the sound quality of your favorite Spice Girls track, for example.
These updates are further proof that Media Player is going back to its roots in, and makes us wonder what could be next asMicrosoftprepares thefirst big update to Windows 11since its launch in 2021.
Analysis: Please Microsoft, bring back skins next
Many people will remember the bizarre skins that you could use in older Windows Media Player versions, such as a green head or a blue bacteria character.
But with CD ripping now back for Windows 11 users, I want to keep banging the Media Player drum of bringing back skins to the app.
That was part of what made Media Player fun to use; you had the simplicity of playing your favorite tracks, but in the guise of a green head for no justified reason. Let’s start to see these make a return in a future version - remastered skins that can look great up to8Kfor example, or perhaps dedicate a section of the redesigned Microsoft Store to new themes.
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Or even the ability to create your own. There’s a bunch of possibilities here, so let’s start to see the fun return to Media Player.
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
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