Reference number: CH000970

Help and tips with ripping an audio CD with Windows Media Player.

Question:

Help and tips with ripping an audio CD with Windows Media Player.

Answer:

Below are steps for how Microsoft Windows users can use the included Windows Media Player to rip or copy audio CD's to their computer. The below steps are for users who are running Microsoft Windows Media Player versions 10, 11, or higher. Additional help with opening Windows Media player as well as determining its version can be found on document CH000972.

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. In Windows Media Player click the Rip button at the top of the Window.
3. Insert the audio CD you wish to Rip if not already inserted.
4. If you only want a specific song and not the whole CD only check the songs you wish to rip.
5. Click the Start Rip button in the bottom right corner of the window.

Note: By default Windows Media Player will save all ripped songs as WMA, while this format is an excellent choice for many users. Most users may want to preserve compatibility with all MP3 players and save their songs in MP3 format. If you wish to save your files in MP3 format using Windows Media Player follow the below steps.

1. In Windows Media Player click Tools. If you're not able to see the Tools menu see document CH000973 for additional information about getting this menu.
2. From Tools click Options.
3. In the Options window click the Rip Music tab.
4. Finally, in the Rip Music tab click the drop down menu under Format and select MP3 and then we suggest increasing the Audio quality to either the highest setting or second to highest setting.
5. Once completed click Ok.

In addition to the above steps we also suggest trying some or all of the below tips to make copying the audio CD's to your computer more enjoyable.

1. Be connected to the Internet. If you're ripping a CD and wish for the computer to automatically fill in the name of the CD, who sings it, and each of the names of the tracks you must be connected to the Internet for that information to be found. Although not every CD will be listed in the CDDB, if you're ripping multiple CD's to the computer this will save you a lot of time from having to manually enter the Information.
2. Have Windows Media Player automatically rip audio CD's when inserted. This is great time saver when you are ripping your whole music library or multiple audio CDs. This option is available through the Rip Music tab section explained in the above section.
3. Finally, have Windows Media Player eject the CD when ripping is complete. This is another great time saver and allows you to do other things while ripping your CDs. This option is available through the Rip Music tab section explained in the above section.

Additional Information:

• See our rip dictionary definition for additional information about this term and related terms.