Fix NS_E_WMP_URLDOWNLOADFAILED 0XC00D0FEA in WMP

1. Internet Explorer Security Zones Are Blocking the Download

This is the most common reason you see error 0XC00D0FEA. Windows Media Player relies on Internet Explorer's security settings to download files — even if you never open IE. If those settings are too restrictive, WMP can't pull the file down.

Here's the fix. It takes about 2 minutes.

1. Close Windows Media Player completely.
2. Open the Control Panel. You can press Windows Key + R, type control, and hit Enter.
3. Click Network and Internet.
4. Click Internet Options.
5. In the dialog that pops up, click the Security tab at the top.
6. You'll see four zones: Internet, Local intranet, Trusted sites, Restricted sites. Click Internet (the globe icon).
7. Below that, click the Custom level... button.
8. Scroll down to the Downloads section.
9. Find File download. Make sure it's set to Enable. If it's set to Disable or Prompt, change it to Enable.
10. Find Automatic prompting for file downloads. Set this to Enable too.
11. Click OK. A warning dialog might pop up — click Yes.
12. Back in the Internet Options dialog, click Apply, then OK.

What you should expect: After clicking OK, the dialog closes. Now try opening the file in WMP again. If the error's gone, you're done. If not, move on to fix #2.

2. User Account Control (UAC) Is Interfering with Download Permissions

Windows Vista and later versions use UAC to limit what programs can do. Sometimes UAC blocks WMP's background download process. This is especially common on Windows 10 and 11.

The fix is to run WMP as an administrator once — this resets the download permissions.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Search.
2. Type Windows Media Player.
3. Right-click Windows Media Player in the search results.
4. Choose Run as administrator.
5. A UAC prompt appears. Click Yes.
6. When WMP opens, try downloading the file again — the one that gave you the error.
7. If it works now, close WMP and open it normally (without admin rights) to test. It should still work.

Why this works: Running as admin lets WMP create the necessary temp files and registry entries it needs for downloads. After that first run, normal user permissions are enough.

Note: Don't leave WMP running as admin all the time — it's a security risk. Only use this once to fix the error.

3. Corrupted Windows Media Player Library or Cache

If the first two fixes didn't work, the problem is likely a corrupted library database. WMP stores info about downloaded files in a hidden folder. If that database gets damaged, it chokes on any new download.

Here's how to reset the library without losing your music.

1. Close WMP.
2. Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
3. Scroll down to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.
4. Right-click it and choose Stop.
5. Leave the Services window open — you'll restart it later.
6. Now open File Explorer. In the address bar, paste this path and press Enter:
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player
7. You'll see several files and folders here. Do not delete the whole folder. Delete only these specific files if they exist:
• CurrentDatabase_*.wmdb (there might be one or more with different numbers)
• CurrentDatabase_*.wmdb.bak (backup files)
• FolderPlayerState.dat (if present)
• Media Player.db (if present)
8. Go back to the Services window. Right-click Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service again and choose Start.
9. Close Services. Now open WMP normally.

What you should expect: When WMP opens, it will rebuild the library database. This might take 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how many files you have. Your playlists and library will appear again. Try the download now.

A quick tip: If you still see the error after this, reboot the PC. Sometimes the old database files linger in memory.

Quick-Reference Summary Table

If none of these fixes work, the problem might be a third-party firewall or antivirus blocking WMP's network access. Temporarily disable your security software to test — if the error goes away, add an exception for wmplayer.exe in your firewall settings.