Fix NS_E_DRM_POLICY_METERING_DISABLED 0xC00D2776

Quick Answer

Enable the DRM metering policy in the registry or delete the DRM folder in %userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\DRM. Then restart Windows Media Player.

What's Going On

This error pops up when you're trying to play protected content — like a rented movie, a purchased song, or a corporate training video — and Windows Media Player can't send usage data back to the license server. The culprit here is almost always a broken DRM database or a disabled metering policy in the registry. Microsoft designed this to track how often you play the content, but if it's off, playback just fails.

I've seen this on Windows 10 20H2 and up, and Windows 11 too. It's common after a Windows update that resets DRM settings, or after you've used a media player that messes with DRM files.

Fix Steps

1. Close Windows Media Player completely. Check Task Manager — kill any wmplayer.exe processes.
2. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe). Go to:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences

3. Look for a DWORD named MeteringPolicy. If it's missing, create it. Set its value to 1.
4. If that doesn't exist, also check:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences

   Same thing — create MeteringPolicy as DWORD (32-bit) and set to 1.
5. Close Registry Editor.
6. Open Windows Media Player and try the content again.

If That Doesn't Work — Reset DRM

Sometimes the registry fix alone isn't enough. The DRM database itself might be corrupt. Here's what to do:

1. Close Windows Media Player.
2. Open File Explorer and type this in the address bar:

   %userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\DRM

3. Delete everything in that folder. Don't worry — Windows will recreate it next time you play DRM content.
4. Restart your PC. Or at least restart WMP.

Alternative Fixes (If Both Fail)

• Run Windows Media Player as admin. Right-click the shortcut, choose 'Run as administrator'. Sometimes it needs elevated permissions to update DRM.
• Check your date and time. If they're wrong, DRM licenses expire or fail to validate. Sync with time.windows.com.
• Reinstall Windows Media Player via 'Turn Windows features on or off'. Uncheck 'Media Features', reboot, check it again.

Prevention Tip

Don't use third-party tools that clean temp files aggressively — they often wipe the DRM folder. And if you're on a corporate network, your group policy might block metering. Talk to your IT admin about enabling it. Also, keep Windows updated — Microsoft patched a few DRM bugs in recent cumulative updates.

That's it. Nine times out of ten, the registry or folder reset gets it done. If not, it's likely a deeper network or policy issue.