Windows Media Player is a free digital media program from Microsoft. With it you play videos, listen to music, look at photos and burn CDs. From time to time you may want to check the history. This can help you quickly find a file you previously enjoyed without going on a long scavenger hunt through your computer or the Internet. Luckily, Windows Media Player has a few ways you can check the history.

Open Windows Media Player.

Click the drop-down menu below "Now Playing" and select "More Options." Click on the "Privacy" tab. Near the bottom will be an area called "History." Make sure there is a checkmark in the box next to "Save file and URL history in the Player." If there is not, click the box to put a checkmark there. If this box is checked the history will be saved. If not, it won't be. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to close out of the "More Options" menu.

  • Windows Media Player is a free digital media program from Microsoft.
  • Make sure there is a checkmark in the box next to "Save file and URL history in the Player."

Click the drop-down menu below "Library" and select the library of which you want to check the history. The choices include: "Music," "Video," "Recorded TV," "Other" and "Pictures." Click the "View" menu and select "Choose Columns." If you want to check the history for every library, do this step for each library. For music, videos or recorded TV, click the box next to "Date Last Played" to put a checkmark there. Click "OK." For pictures or other, click the box next to "Date Added" and then click "OK." Now, looking at your library, you can click the "Date Last Played" or "Date Added" button, which is near the top of the library and is a column heading. Sort the items based on the day you played or added them to the library. This will help you find the songs you, for instance, listened to yesterday.

  • Click the drop-down menu below "Library" and select the library of which you want to check the history.
  • For music, videos or recorded TV, click the box next to "Date Last Played" to put a checkmark there.

Click the "File" menu. At the very bottom you can see the last nine items you opened in Windows Media Player. These will be files not already in your library, such as something from your computer's hard drive.

Click the "File" menu again and this time click "Open URL." In the "Open" box start typing "http" or "www" and you'll see a list of previous URL's you opened. You've now finished exploring the various ways you can check Windows Media Player history.