Fix NS_E_ATTRIBUTE_READ_ONLY (0xC00D0BD6) in Windows Media Player

Cause #1: The file itself is marked read-only

The most common reason you see 0xC00D0BD6 is that the media file (MP3, WMA, or video) has the read-only attribute set. Windows Media Player won't let you change tags or album art on a read-only file. This happens a lot after downloading files from the web, extracting from a ZIP, or copying from a CD.

How to clear it

1. Right-click the file in File Explorer and choose Properties.
2. At the bottom of the General tab, look for the Attributes section.
3. If Read-only has a checkmark, click it once to remove the check.
4. Click Apply, then OK.

After you click Apply, you'll see the checkmark disappear. That's your cue to try editing the metadata in Windows Media Player again. If it still fails, move to the next cause.

Cause #2: The folder is read-only (yes, that matters)

Sometimes the file looks fine, but the folder it's in has the read-only attribute. That blocks WMP from writing changes back to the file. This is sneaky because Windows doesn't always show it clearly.

Fix the folder attribute

1. Right-click the folder containing the file and select Properties.
2. On the General tab, uncheck Read-only if it's marked.
3. Click Apply. A dialog pops up asking if you want to apply changes to this folder only or also to subfolders and files. Choose Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files and hit OK.

That dialog can take a few seconds if you have a big music library. Don't panic if it hangs for a bit—it's just going through each file. Once it's done, try the metadata edit again.

Cause #3: Permission problems on a network drive or external disk

If your media is on a NAS, external USB drive, or a shared folder, the read-only error often comes from file permissions instead of the attribute. The file might not be read-only, but the account you're using doesn't have write access.

Check and fix permissions

1. Right-click the file and go to Properties → Security tab.
2. Click Edit to change permissions (you'll need admin rights).
3. Select your user account and make sure Modify is checked under Allow.
4. Click Apply, then OK.

If you don't see a Security tab, it's probably a FAT32 or exFAT drive—those don't have NTFS permissions. In that case, the real fix is to copy the file to your local drive, edit it there, and copy it back.

Quick reference table

I've seen a lot of people reformat drives or reinstall Windows because of this error. Don't do that. Nine times out of ten it's a simple checkbox. Start with the file, then the folder, and only then worry about permissions.