Fix NS_E_WMP_ACCESS_DENIED 0XC00D11D2 in Windows Media Player

First Thing to Try: Turn Off the Windows Firewall Temporarily

This error pops up most often when you're trying to play a file from another computer on your network — like a music library on a NAS or a Windows 7 machine sharing media to a Windows 10 laptop. The firewall on the source computer (the one hosting the file) is blocking Windows Media Player's network traffic. Let's test that first.

1. On the computer that has the file, press the Start button and type Windows Defender Firewall. Click it.
2. On the left side, click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
3. Under both Private and Public network settings, select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended). Don't worry — we'll turn it back on in a minute.
4. Click OK.
5. Now go back to your Windows Media Player and try playing the file again. If it works, you've found the problem. The firewall was blocking the media sharing traffic.
6. Turn the firewall back on (repeat steps 1-3 but select Turn on).

What you should see after step 5: The file should start playing immediately. If you still get the same error, the firewall isn't the issue — move to the next section.

Here's the kicker: turning the firewall off is a test, not a fix. The real fix is to add an exception for Windows Media Player in the firewall. Here's how:

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall again.
2. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall on the left.
3. Click Change settings (you need admin rights for this).
4. Scroll down and find Windows Media Player in the list. Check both Private and Public boxes.
5. If you don't see it in the list, click Allow another app, browse to C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe, and add it.
6. Click OK.

Now the file should play without turning off the firewall entirely. If it still doesn't work, move on to the next cause.

Second Cause: Network Discovery and File Sharing Are Off

Windows Media Player uses network discovery to find media on other computers. If that's turned off, you'll get the access denied error even if the firewall is open. This is especially common on Windows 10 and 11, where network discovery defaults to off for security reasons.

Check this on both computers — the one with the file and the one trying to play it.

1. Open Control Panel (search for it in Start).
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. On the left, click Change advanced sharing settings.
4. Under Private (current profile), turn on Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing.
5. Under All Networks, turn on Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders (if that's how you're sharing media).
6. Click Save changes.
7. Now try playing the file again.

What you should see after step 6: The file should now appear in your Windows Media Player library under Other Libraries or you can navigate to the network folder directly. If you still get 0XC00D11D2, the issue is likely the computer name or media sharing permissions.

A quick tip: if you're running Windows 11, network discovery is hidden behind a toggle called Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings. Same options, just a longer click path.

Third Cause: Media Sharing Is Not Enabled in Windows Media Player

Even with firewall and network discovery set correctly, Windows Media Player on the host computer (the one with the files) needs to have media sharing turned on. Without this, WMP won't let any other device see its library.

1. On the computer with your media files, open Windows Media Player.
2. Click the Stream menu at the top (if you don't see it, right-click the toolbar or press Alt to show the menu bar).
3. Select Turn on media streaming.
4. In the window that opens, click Turn on media streaming. You'll see a list of computers on your network — give them permission to access your media by clicking Allowed or Custom next to each one.
5. If you want all devices to see your media without asking, click Allow all at the bottom.
6. Click OK.

What you should see after step 6: The media streaming service starts, and within a minute or two, your other devices should see the shared library in their own Windows Media Player under Other Libraries.

If you don't see the Stream menu at all, you might be running an older version of Windows Media Player (like version 11 on Windows 7 — that's fine) or a stripped-down version. In that case, make sure you're running Windows Media Player 12, which comes with Windows 8, 10, and 11. Older versions don't have the same sharing features.

One more thing: if you're trying to access a file on a network share (like a mapped drive or UNC path like \\SERVER\Music\song.mp3) instead of using media streaming, you need to make sure the file's permissions allow WMP to read it. Right-click the file or folder on the host computer, go to Properties > Security, and check that the Everyone group has Read access. If not, click Edit, add Everyone, and give it Read permissions.

Quick-Reference Summary Table

That's it. Most of the time, this error comes down to one of these three things. Start with the firewall test — it's the quickest way to confirm the issue. If turning off the firewall doesn't make the problem go away, you can rule out a firewall block and move to the other causes.