Fix NS_E_EXCEED_MAX_DRM_PROFILE_LIMIT (0XC00D1BE0)

Quick answer: Delete the contents of %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\DRM and %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\DRM, then restart the service that triggered the error—no reboot required.

That error code—0XC00D1BE0—shows up when Windows Media Player or any DRM-protected app tries to create a new DRM profile but hits the ceiling. Microsoft caps DRM profiles per user, and once you hit that limit, every attempt fails with this exact message. In my experience, this isn't a real limit. It's almost always a corrupt or orphaned DRM store that thinks it has more profiles than it actually does.

I've seen this happen after a failed Windows update, a forced system restore, or when someone moves a DRM-protected media library from one drive to another. The DRM files don't migrate cleanly, so Windows counts ghosts. The fix is to clear that store and let Windows rebuild it from scratch. Do that and the error disappears—usually for good.

Fix: Reset the DRM store

You'll need administrator rights for this. If you're on a work PC, you might need your IT department to do it for you.

Close any app that uses DRM—Windows Media Player, Movies & TV, Netflix, Spotify, anything that plays protected content.
Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter. The Services window opens.
Scroll down to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Right-click it and select Stop. If it's not running, skip this step.
Open File Explorer. Into the address bar, paste this path and press Enter:
```
%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\DRM
```
Select all files inside that folder (Ctrl+A) and delete them. If some files are in use, you missed a service—go back and stop the sharing service, then try again.
Now do the same for the local user store. In File Explorer, paste this path:
```
%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\DRM
```
Delete everything in that folder too. You might see a subfolder named v10.0—delete that as well.
Restart the service you stopped: right-click Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service and select Start.
Launch Windows Media Player or the app that gave the error. It will rebuild the DRM store automatically. You'll see a brief "temporary files" creation process—that's normal.

After you do this, try creating the DRM profile again. It should go through without the error. If it doesn't, move to the next fix.

If that doesn't work: reset permissions

Sometimes the DRM folder exists but Windows doesn't have the rights to write new profiles. This happens after a Windows upgrade when user profiles get copied over.

In File Explorer, right-click the DRM folder under %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows, select Properties.
Go to the Security tab. Click Advanced.
At the bottom, click Restore Defaults. This resets permissions to the system defaults.
Click Apply, then OK. Repeat these steps for the DRM folder under %LocalAppData%\Microsoft.
Reboot your PC—just to be safe—and test the profile creation again.

If you still see the error, there's one more thing to try: create a fresh Windows user account and test from there. If the new account works, your old user profile is corrupted. You can migrate your files and leave the broken profile behind. That's a bigger job, but it's the only way to get a clean slate without reinstalling Windows.

Prevention: keep your DRM clean

You won't hit this again if you follow a simple rule: don't move DRM-protected files manually. Always use the app's export/import feature—Windows Media Player has a "Manage licenses" option under Tools. When you uninstall a DRM app, run its official uninstaller instead of just deleting files. That clears its DRM profiles cleanly.

Also, if you do system restores often, group them together. Each restore point can leave DRM remnants behind. After two or three restores in a month, you're likely to see this error. So check the DRM folders once in a while—if you see files dated from months ago that you don't recognize, delete them.

One last thing: if you're on a managed corporate PC, the error might be a group policy that limits DRM profiles intentionally. That's rare, but check with your IT team before you delete anything. On a personal PC, the steps above are safe and won't touch your media files—only the DRM licenses, which Windows rebuilds on demand.