NS_E_DRM_UNABLE_TO_CREATE_LICENSE_OBJECT (0XC00D2730) Fix

1. Check Permissions on the License Storage Folder

Nine times out of ten, this error means Windows Media Player can't write a license file to a protected folder. The player needs write access to a specific folder under your user profile. If that folder got locked down (maybe by a security scan or a permissions reset), the license creation fails with error 0xC00D2730.

Here's the exact path you need to check:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player

You can copy-paste that into File Explorer's address bar. Replace [YourUsername] with your actual Windows username. If you don't see the AppData folder, you need to enable hidden items first. In File Explorer, click the View tab and check Hidden items.

Once you're in that folder, right-click the Media Player folder and choose Properties. Go to the Security tab. Look at the list of Group or user names. Find your username in that list. Click it, then look at the bottom pane under Permissions for [YourUsername]. Make sure Full control and Write are both checked.

If they're not checked, click Edit. In the new window, select your username again. Under Permissions, check Full control and Write. Click Apply, then OK. Wait a few seconds, then close everything out.

After that, try playing the media file again. If the error is gone, you're done. If it's not, move on to the next fix.

2. Clear the DRM Cache and Reset Licenses

Sometimes the license cache gets corrupted. Windows Media Player keeps a local copy of DRM licenses so it can play protected files offline. If that cache gets banged up, every new license attempt fails with 0xC00D2730.

To clear the cache, open Windows Media Player. Press Ctrl+M to show the menu bar if it's hidden. Click Tools, then Options. Go to the Privacy tab. Near the bottom, you'll see a section called History. Under that, there's a button labeled Clear caches. Click it.

A warning pops up saying this will clear all saved media usage data. Click OK to confirm. After that, close the Options window. Close Windows Media Player completely.

Now open File Explorer and go to this path again:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player\

Look for a file called DRMStore.lic or any file with .lic in the name. If you see one, delete it. Don't worry — Windows will recreate it fresh when you next need a license. Just make sure Windows Media Player is fully closed when you delete it.

After deleting, restart Windows Media Player and try your file. The player should download a fresh license from the content provider. This takes a few seconds. If the error still shows up, the license server itself might be down, but that's rare for purchased music.

3. Reset the Windows Media Player Library

If permissions are fine and the cache is clean, the media library database could be the problem. Over time, the library database (the file that tracks all your music and videos) gets corrupt. It's a known issue with Windows Media Player on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Resetting the library wipes your playlists and recent play history, but it doesn't delete your actual media files. You'll need to re-add your folders afterward. Here's the safe way to do it.

First, close Windows Media Player. Open Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and look for any Windows Media Player processes. If you see one, right-click it and choose End task.

Now open File Explorer and go to this folder:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player\

Inside that folder, you'll see a subfolder named CurrentDatabase_372B4AB7-4B1B-4B1B-8B1B-1B1B1B1B1B1B (the GUID numbers may differ). Delete that entire folder. If Windows says the folder is in use, make sure Media Player is fully killed in Task Manager.

After deleting, restart Windows Media Player. It will act like a fresh install — it'll ask you to search for media or add folders. Point it to your Music and Videos folders. The player rebuilds the library from scratch. This usually takes a minute or two, depending on how many files you have.

Now try the file that gave you the error. Most likely it'll work. If it doesn't, the file itself may be damaged or the license server for that specific file might be permanently gone (common with old Zune or PlaysForSure content from the 2000s).

Quick-Reference Summary Table

Start with fix #1 — it's the most common. Only move to #2 or #3 if the first one didn't help. I've seen this error on Windows 7 through Windows 11, and the fixes haven't changed in 15 years. The real culprit is almost always a permissions hiccup.