wmpnscfg.exe and wmpnetwk.exe: What Do They Do?

Understanding Windows Media Player Processes in Task Manager

Have you noticed two entries for Windows Media Player appearing in your Task Manager, even if you don't actively use the application? This can be puzzling. It's common to wonder why these processes are running and consuming system resources.

While these processes typically don't demand significant memory, their persistent restarting can be frustrating. Disabling them often seems ineffective, as they reappear unexpectedly. This article aims to explain these processes and provide solutions to prevent their recurrence.

Related Processes Explained

This discussion is part of a larger series detailing various processes found within Task Manager. We've previously covered processes such as svchost.exe, dwm.exe, ctfmon.exe, mDNSResponder.exe, conhost.exe, rundll32.exe, and Adobe_Updater.exe. If you're unfamiliar with these, exploring those articles is recommended.

What is the Windows Media Player Sharing Service?

Windows Media Player 11 introduced the capability to share media files across multiple computers on a network. It also extended this functionality to include media sharing with the Xbox 360 console. This feature relies on a network sharing service that operates even when the Media Player application isn't actively open.

Both wmpnscfg.exe and wmpnetwk.exe are integral components of this Windows Media Player sharing system. If you utilize these sharing features, it's advisable to leave these processes enabled.

Disabling Media Sharing Through Media Player Settings

The most effective method to eliminate these processes is to adjust the settings within the Media Player configuration panel. This approach prevents them from automatically restarting when Media Player is launched, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Launch Windows Media Player and navigate to the "Library" section. From the dropdown menu, select the "Media Sharing" option.

Alternatively, if you encounter difficulties accessing the menu due to a custom theme or other reasons, open the Options panel, select the "Library" tab, and then click on "Configure Sharing."

Within the Media Sharing dialog, uncheck both available boxes.

Important Note: If the boxes are already unchecked, it's recommended to check them, apply the changes, and then uncheck them again before clicking "OK." This action effectively resets the settings.

Upon clicking "OK," a confirmation dialog will appear, asking if you want to disable sharing for all users. Confirm by selecting "Yes."

This process will disable the service and remove the startup entry for wmpnscfg.exe. You may need to manually terminate the process or log off and back on to fully apply the changes.

Following these steps, the processes should no longer run on your system. If issues persist, further troubleshooting steps are provided below.

Disabling the Service Directly in Services

While the configuration method described above should suffice, you can also disable the service directly through the Services application. This is an alternative approach if you encounter difficulties with the previous method.

Open the Services application from the Control Panel, or by typing "services.msc" into the Start Menu search box. Locate the relevant service in the list.

Double-click the service to open its properties, and then change the "Startup type" to "Disabled."

Important Note: If you attempt to re-enable Media Sharing within Media Player after disabling the service here, it may ignore the disabled setting. Therefore, it's crucial to make the configuration change within Media Player as well.

Advanced Troubleshooting with Regedit

For persistent issues, you can verify settings within the Windows Registry to ensure the services remain disabled.

Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) through the Start Menu search or Run box, and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\HME

Locate a DWORD value named "DisableDiscovery" on the right-hand side. Set its value to 2 (a value of 1 may also work). Ensure it is not set to 0.

To prevent wmpnscfg.exe from being re-enabled, navigate to the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

This key contains applications that launch at startup. If an entry for wmpnscfg.exe exists, delete it.