NS_E_WMPCORE_PLAYLIST_IMPORT_FAILED_NO_ITEMS Fix

The quick fix: reset the library database

Nine times out of ten, this error pops up because the Windows Media Player library database got corrupted. It happens after a Windows update, a crash, or if you moved your music folder. The database stores pointers to your files. If those pointers break, WMP sees an empty playlist.

1. Close Windows Media Player completely. If it's stuck, kill it in Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc, find 'wmplayer.exe', click End Task).
2. Press Win + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player, hit Enter.
3. You'll see a folder with a bunch of .wmdb files and a folder called Player. Select everything inside this folder, delete it. Don't worry — WMP will rebuild it.
4. Open Windows Media Player again. It'll scan your monitored folders and rebuild the library. After opening, you should see a 'Loading...' message for a few seconds. That's normal.
5. Try importing the playlist again. File > Open playlist, or just double-click the .wpl file.

If that didn't work, move on to the next cause.

Second cause: file paths in the playlist are broken

Playlists are just text files with paths to your music. If you moved, renamed, or deleted the actual music files, WMP can't find them. The error code specifically says no items — that means every single path fails.

Here's how to check and fix it:

1. Open the playlist file in Notepad. Right-click it, choose Open with > Notepad. For .wpl files, you'll see XML. For .m3u files, you'll see one path per line.
2. Look at the paths. A typical line looks like:
   C:\Users\YourName\Music\Song.mp3
3. Open File Explorer and go to that exact path. If the folder doesn't exist, or the file isn't there, that's your problem.
4. If you moved your music, you have two options:
   - Edit the playlist paths to match the new location. Painful if you have many files.
   - Move your music back to the original location.
5. If the files are on a network drive or external USB, plug it in first. WMP won't import paths to disconnected drives.

Pro tip: If you use an .m3u playlist, open it in Notepad and check if the paths use absolute paths (like C:\...) or relative paths (like ..\Music\...). Absolute paths break if you move the playlist. Relative paths break if you move the music. There's no perfect answer — just pick one and stick with it.

Third cause: Windows Media Player is not set to monitor your music folder

This one's sneaky. Sometimes WMP loses its folder monitoring in the settings. You try to import a playlist, and WMP can't find the files because it doesn't know where to look.

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Click the Organize button (top-left), then Manage libraries > Music.
3. In the dialog, you'll see a list of folders under 'Library Locations'. Make sure your music folder is listed. If not, click Add and browse to it.
4. Also check the Include folder button if you added from a network location.
5. Click OK. WMP will rescan. Give it a minute.
6. Try importing the playlist again.

One weird trick that fixes nothing: Some guides tell you to run the 'sfc /scannow' command. I've tested it. It doesn't help with this error. The issue is in your user profile, not system files. Skip it.

Quick-reference summary

If none of these work, the playlist file itself could be corrupt. Try creating a new playlist from scratch in WMP — drag the files in from File Explorer, then save. If that works, the old playlist was broken beyond repair.