NS_E_DRM_UNABLE_TO_OPEN_LICENSE (0XC00D2717) – Corrupt DRM License

You're trying to play a protected WMA or WMV file — maybe a music download from an old store, or a video from a corporate training site — and Windows Media Player throws up this error: NS_E_DRM_UNABLE_TO_OPEN_LICENSE (0XC00D2717). The message says something about a corrupted license. I've seen this mostly on Windows 10 after a big update, or on Windows 11 when someone transfers protected files from an older PC. The file itself is fine, but the player can't read the license that's supposed to unlock it.

What actually causes this

The DRM (Digital Rights Management) system in Windows stores licenses in a hidden folder under %PROGRAMDATA%. That folder contains a file called drmstore.hds (among others). When that file gets corrupted — maybe from a crash, a disk error, or a poorly written app that touched it — the DRM engine can't open it. The error code 0XC00D2717 is the system's way of saying "I can't read the license store, so I'm giving up."

Don't bother reinstalling Windows Media Player or running SFC /scannow. The fix is to nuke the corrupted store and let Windows rebuild it fresh. Yes, you'll lose any previously saved licenses — but if the store is corrupt, they're useless anyway.

Step-by-step fix

1. Close any app that uses DRM — Windows Media Player, Edge, or any media app. If you don't, the fix won't stick because the files are locked.
2. Kill the DRM service if it's running. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Services tab, find DrmService (or drmk on some builds), right-click and stop it. If it's not listed, skip this step.
3. Delete the DRM folder contents. Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar:
   

   %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\DRM

   Press Enter. You'll see a folder with files like drmstore.hds, drmv2clt.lic and possibly others. Select all (Ctrl+A) and delete them. You might get a UAC prompt — approve it. Windows will ask for permission because these are system files. Click Yes.
4. Clear the Temporary Internet Files that sometimes cache DRM data. Open Control Panel → Internet Options → General tab → under Browsing history, click Delete. Check only "Temporary Internet files and website files" and uncheck everything else. Click Delete. This step isn't always needed, but I've seen it fix edge cases.
5. Restart your computer. This forces the DRM service to reinitialize and create fresh license store files.
6. Try playing the file again. Windows Media Player will re-download the license if the content server supports it. For old files where the server is gone, you're out of luck — the license is lost permanently. That's not a DRM bug, that's the system working as intended (unfortunately).

If it still fails

First, double-check you deleted the right folder. Some users accidentally delete %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\DRM instead of the ProgramData one. That's a different store for user-specific licenses — deleting it won't help for system-wide DRM issues. The correct path is %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\DRM.

If that's correct and it still fails, check if the file itself is corrupt. Try playing it on another machine — if that machine gives the same error, the file's DRM header is bad, and no amount of store resetting will fix it. I had a client last month whose entire download library from a defunct music store was toast like this. The only real fix was to re-rip the CDs.

Sometimes, a Windows update messed up the DRM subsystem. Check for pending updates in Settings → Windows Update. Install any that are waiting, then try again. I've seen KB5006670 (Windows 10 21H2) cause this exact error — after that update, resetting the store fixed it.

If you're still stuck, run the Microsoft DRM Troubleshooter from the Microsoft Store (search for "DRM Troubleshooter"). It's a basic tool but can verify if the DRM components are registered correctly. If that says everything's fine, the problem is the file itself, not Windows.

One last thing: if you use third-party media center software (like Kodi or VLC), they bypass Windows DRM entirely. That won't help you play protected files — those only work in Windows Media Player or Edge. So don't waste time thinking VLC will magically open them. It won't.