Microsoft is accelerating the removal of legacy components from the Windows operating system. The company has decided to discontinue specific features integrated into the traditional Windows Media Player, affecting Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and the upcoming 26H2.
The deprecated features are linked to outdated network streaming protocols and metadata synchronization services. According to Microsoft, these legacy components are no longer compatible with modern security standards and HTML5, leading to high maintenance costs and potential security vulnerabilities.
The company is backporting code changes to disable these functions in current supported versions of Windows 11. Users will lose access to the old streaming channels and metadata services after installing upcoming monthly cumulative or optional updates.
Microsoft recommends that users transition to the modern Media Player application pre-installed on Windows 11. The new player supports modern audio and video codecs, utilizes the Fluent design language, and offers improved system resource management compared to the legacy version.
