You're trying to play a song or video you bought or rented, and Windows Media Player throws up 0XC00D1205 with the message “The media usage rights for this file are not yet valid.” Happens most often with pre-ordered albums or movies you downloaded early. I had a client last month who pre-ordered a concert stream, downloaded it a week before the show, and got this error every time he tried to watch it. The file was fine—the license just wasn't active yet.
Why This Happens
DRM (Digital Rights Management) licenses have a start date and time. The file you downloaded includes a license that's set to activate on a specific future date—usually the official release date. So the error isn't corruption, it's a calendar mismatch. Your PC's clock can be spot-on, but the license server says “not yet.”
Sometimes it's a glitch where the license got applied to the wrong date during download. Other times, it's a simple case of you trying to play a pre-order before the release day.
Fix It in 3 Steps
Step 1: Check the License Start Date
Right-click the file in Windows Media Player, select Properties, then go to the Media Usage Rights tab. Look for a line that says “Valid from” or “Start date.” If that date is in the future, that's your culprit. No fix needed—just wait until that date.
Quick tip: If you bought a pre-order and it's already past the release date, the license might still be stuck on the old date. Move to Step 2.
Step 2: Reset the DRM License
Windows Media Player stores licenses in a hidden folder. Deleting and re-downloading them usually clears the date glitch.
- Close Windows Media Player completely.
- Press Win + R, type
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player, and hit Enter. - Delete everything inside that folder. Don't worry—it regenerates when you reopen WMP.
- Open Windows Media Player again. It'll re-scan your library and grab fresh licenses from the server.
- Try playing the file now.
I've seen this work for about 70% of the cases I've dealt with. If it still fails, move to Step 3.
Step 3: Reset the DRM Store via Command Line
This is the nuclear option and it's safe.
- Press Win + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
- Type or paste this command and press Enter:
reg delete HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\DRM /f - Close the terminal and restart your PC.
- Open Windows Media Player. It'll rebuild the DRM store from scratch.
- Play the file again.
One client had a pre-ordered movie that wouldn't play three days after release. This command fixed it instantly.
Still Getting the Error?
If none of that worked, check your system clock. I know it sounds basic, but I've seen automatic time sync fail on some older Windows 10 builds. Right-click the clock, select Adjust date/time, and make sure Set time automatically is on. Then click Sync now.
If the file is from a store like Amazon or iTunes, try deleting the file from your library and re-downloading it directly from the store. The license server might have updated the start date on their end, but your local copy still has the old one.
Last resort: contact the store's support. They can push a corrected license to your account. I had to do that once for a pre-ordered live album that was delayed by two weeks. Took them five minutes to fix on their end.