It is the successor to Groove Music (previously Xbox Music), Microsoft Movies & TV, and the original Windows Media Player.

It began rolling out to Windows 11 Insider channels in November 2021 and then to all users starting in January 2022.

[5] Other changes to the app include the album cover view being in fullscreen, and a refresh to the mini player.

[7] Some features from the original Windows Media Player were initially not included, such as DLNA local streaming and the ripping of CDs.

Ripping was eventually reintroduced in July 2022 for Windows 11, supporting the AAC, WMA, FLAC, and ALAC formats.