The Best Windows Media Player for Mac Alternative

As the default choice for Windows computers, for quite a long time, Windows Media Player has been one of the most popular media players in the world. However, the media files created by Windows are not supported on Mac, hence Windows developed a media player for users who want to play Windows media files. These days, Windows Media Player for Mac seems not to be available anymore. If you have been looking for a replacement, here is the best alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac, just make sure to continue reading!

Part 1: What is Windows Media Player for Mac?

As the second-largest user group in the US, Mac computers have taken up more than 16% of the market share in the US. To cater to the second largest user group, Windows developed a Windows Media Player for Mac, which is the alternative to support Windows media files. The Windows Media Player for Mac opens the world of Windows Media content to Mac, which allows Mac users to access and enjoy the media created by Windows and the web. Windows Media Player for Mac was released around 2003 and supports Apple Mac OS 7.6.1 or later.

Windows Media Player for Mac is quite helpful as it allows you to play streaming and downloading media content. With the player, you can also enjoy the CD-quality audio with a smaller size file. Advanced video compression guarantees users the best video and image quality. Honestly speaking, there was no competitive alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac in the early years.

Part 2: What File Format does Window Media Player Support?

What file format does Windows Media Player on Mac support? As an application for Mac, the player allows you to open files created by Windows, such as WMA (Windows Media Audio 7, 8, 9, Professional and Lossless) and WMV (Windows Media Video 7, 8, 9, SD and HD). Apart from that, Windows Media Player for Mac supports the playback of MP3 files, which has been the most popular and common audio format since the last decade.

Part 3: Is Windows Media Player for Mac Still Available?

So is Windows Media Player for Mac still available? Unfortunately, the update stopped ages ago and you will not be able to find the download from the official Microsoft site. When the Windows Media Player for Mac ended service, Microsoft replaced the media player as Flip4Mac as the alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac in 2006. Developed by Telestream, the application is also known as Flip4Mac. It is a player endorsed by Microsoft which can help to support the playback of Microsoft's media content on Mac.

Part 4: How to Play WMA/ WMV on Mac with Component?

The Flip4Mac WMV player is also known as Windows Media Components for QuickTime. As the alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac, the component serves as a plug-in for the QuickTime Media Player. With the component installed, you can directly play, import, convert and export Windows media files on your Mac easily. It allows the playback of WMV and WMA as well as the embedded Windows media files in the web pages. With the installed components, Windows media files are associated with QuickTime Player by default, which makes it easy to use and welcomed by most Mac users.

However, in Sep 2016, Flip4Mac was found not supported on macOS Sierra. As of July 1, 2019, the official support has updated with the announcement that Flip4Mac has stopped functioning when upgrading the operating system.

For the audio or video clips in Notes created with the Windows version of OneNote, you might need to find free or paid Windows Media conversion apps in the Mac App Store. Here's how.

• 1. Search "WMA" or "WMV" app store, find an app that works.
• 2. Go to OneNote, right-click on the file and select "Save as" to save the files.
• 3. Use the converter app on Mac to convert the files to supported formats.

The team encouraged Mac users to pick up "Switch" as the alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac. The switch is a multi-format video player and encoder which allows you to play a wide variety of media formats, inspect and adjust the properties of media files, and export file at the same time. The switch is designed for professional media editing, for instance, visual file inspection, single file transcoding, etc. It has everything you need for professional media quality control.

With Switch, the new Windows Media component for QuickTime, you can play and convert any Windows media content on Mac. It's a licensed tool for Windows media playback and able to convert formats to any file format you require. To get Switch, you can just download it from the official site. Please note that the Switch is a subscription-based application. You can choose packages from basic player to Switch Plus and Switch Pro with different pricing.

Part 5: How to Play WMA/ WMV on Mac with Windows Media Player for Mac Alternative?

If you don't want to subscribe to the Switch, it's time to "switch to" the best alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac here, with Leawo Blu-ray Player to play WMA/ WMV on Mac. Unlike Switch, Leawo Blu-ray Player is completely free. It's 100% safe and clean. No running ads, no malware, no virus. Leawo Blu-ray Player is the most professional program for media playback. From the old fashion format to next-generation codecs, you can play any format with it! Besides, it's the best free player for 4K Blu-ray, DVD, HD video(HEVC), BDAV movie folder, Blu-ray ISO image files, and many more!

• 

• Leawo Blu-ray Player

  Region-free Blu-ray player software to play Blu-ray disc and DVD disc for free, regardless of disc protection and region restriction.
  Play 4K FLV videos, 4K MKV videos, 4K MP4 videos, etc. without quality loss.
  Play 1080P videos, 720P videos with lossless quality.

  Download WinDownload Mac

For more information regarding the formats, you may check out the product page. Designed with a simple and user-friendly interface, Leawo Blu-ray Player is intuitive to use. Simply launch the program, add a file, and you are ready to enjoy the best cinematic experience that many competitors are not bold enough to offer. Leawo Blu-ray player is just perfect for fans of movies and blu-ray!

Part 6: How to Play WMA/ WMV on Mac with Leawo Video Converter?

If you've got Windows media files like WMA/WMV and want to convert them to the formats you need, try Leawo Video Converter for Mac, the most powerful and all-inclusive software to satisfy all your needs for media editing. It's the best alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac. With Leawo Video Converter, you can convert, copy music and video, burn videos and images to DVD/Blu-ray, make video and audio editing all in ONE place.

• 

• Leawo Video Converter

  1. Convert video and audio files between 180+ formats without quality loss
  2. Support 720P, 1080P and even real 4K video output
  3. Create photo slideshows from photos stored on camera, computer, camcorder, etc
  4. Built-in video editor to trim, crop, add watermark, apply special effect, etc
  5. 2D to 3D converter with 6 different 3D movie effects available
  Download WinDownload Mac

If you want to convert your Windows media files from WMA to WMV, adjust the video and parameters, edit videos, trim, or crop to make the file smaller without losing video quality, Leawo Video Converter is your best choice. On top of that, Leawo Video Converter supports many formats that are way more than you imagine, you can even convert FLAC to AIFF easily with it.

Now let's see how to convert WMA/WAV on Mac with Leawo Video Converter. First off, you will need to download Leawo Video Converter from the links above.

◎ Step 1: Launch Leawo Video Converter

You can see Leawo Video Converter is a module of Leawo Prof. Media. Click the "Video Converter" on the main screen, or open the "Convert" module to enter the video converter module.

◎ Step 2: Add Source Files

Click the "Add Video'' button to browse and add video files from the local drive. You can also simply drag and drop.

◎ Step 3: Set Output Format

Next to the green"Convert" button on the right you can find "MP4 Video". Click the button and you'll see a drop-down menu, select the "Change" option to enter the "Profile" panel, this is where you can set the output format.

Select tab "Format" and "Common audio" to set your output format.

◎ Step 4. Set Output Parameters

After you set the output format, you'll go back to the screen with the file imported. Click the "MP4 video" to find the dropdown menu, and click "Edit" to enter the editing panel, this is where you can set parameters such as Audio Codec, Sample Rate, Bit Rate, Channel.

◎ Step 5: Set Output Directory

After adjusting parameters, format, and video editing, click the big green "Convert" button. You'll see a sidebar pop up, change the output directory if necessary, and click the "Convert" button at the bottom to start conversion.

This is it! It's so much easier to convert your media file with Leawo Video Convert than with the average converters. With Leawo Video Converter, you can convert as many media files as you want with the batch conversion feature. It's the best alternative to Windows Media Player for Mac when you want to convert and play files like WMA/WMV. Leawo Video Converter works 6 times faster than the average, so you don't have to wait for a whole day for files to be converted. While the officially endorsed Microsoft component - Switch seems to be inconvenient for different reasons, why not try Leawo Blu-ray Player or Leawo Video Converter for a better experience?