Fix Windows Media Player sync error 0xC00D118F

You're trying to sync a song from Windows Media Player 12 (on Windows 10 or 11) to your phone or MP3 player. Everything looks fine until you get the error 0xC00D118F with the message NS_E_PDA_TITLE_COLLISION. This usually happens when you have two copies of the same song in your library—same artist, same album, same track title. Maybe you downloaded it twice from different places, or you have one in MP3 and one in WMA. Windows Media Player sees the same file name and refuses to copy it because the device already has a file with that name.

What causes this error?

Your device (phone, iPod, whatever) already has a song with the exact same file name. Or your Windows Media Player library has duplicates. The sync process checks file names, not song metadata. If you have Song.mp3 and Song.wma, they're different files to the device, but WMP sees them as the same title and stops.

Fix it in 3 steps

I'll show you the easiest way. You don't need any special tools. Just follow along.

Step 1: Find the duplicate files in WMP

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Click the Library tab at the top.
3. Click Music in the left sidebar.
4. Right-click the Title column header. Select Choose columns.
5. Check File name. Click OK.
6. Now sort by Title (click the Title column header). Look for songs with the same title appearing twice or more.
7. Scroll down and check if any of those duplicates have different file names (like song.mp3 and song(2).mp3 or song.wma).

After sorting, you should see rows with identical titles next to each other. If you see two rows with the same artist and title but different file extensions, that's your problem.

Step 2: Remove or rename the duplicate

You have two choices. Pick the one that works for you.

Option A: Delete the extra copy

1. Right-click the duplicate you don't want (usually the one with the smaller file size or lower quality).
2. Select Delete.
3. Check Delete from library and computer (only if you're sure you don't need it).
4. Click OK.

Option B: Rename the file in Windows

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to the folder where your music is stored (usually C:\Users\YourName\Music).
3. Find the duplicate song file.
4. Right-click it, choose Rename.
5. Change the file name slightly. For example, change Song.mp3 to Song_v2.mp3 or Song (Alternate).mp3.
6. Press Enter.

After renaming, go back to Windows Media Player. Press F3 to refresh the library. You should see the new file name appear.

Step 3: Sync again

1. Connect your device to the computer.
2. In Windows Media Player, click the Sync tab.
3. Drag the song you just fixed to the sync list.
4. Click Start sync.

The sync should now complete without the error. You'll see the progress bar move, and after it finishes, the song will play on your device.

What if it still fails?

If you still get the same error after removing duplicates, here's what to check:

• Check the device itself. Sometimes the device has a file with the same name stored somewhere else—like in a podcast folder or a download folder. Look on your phone or MP3 player for any file named exactly like the one you're syncing. Delete or rename it from the device.
• Empty the sync list and start fresh. Click the Clear list button in the Sync tab, then add only that one song again. Try syncing it alone. If that works, add the others back one by one.
• Restart Windows Media Player. Close it completely (right-click the taskbar icon and choose Close window). Open it again. Sometimes the library doesn't refresh properly.
• Update your device driver. Go to Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager). Expand Portable Devices. Right-click your device and choose Update driver. Let Windows search automatically.
• Last resort: Use a different USB cable or port. I've seen broken cables cause weird sync errors. Try the back USB port on your computer, not the front.

If none of that works, it might be a corrupt file. Open the song in a media player like VLC. If VLC can't play it, the file is damaged. Download a fresh copy from wherever you got it.