How are ratings used in Windows Media Player?

Applies to all editions of Windows Vista. Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?

Windows Media Player uses ratings to help you find and organize your favorite songs, videos, and pictures quickly. You can also use ratings as a search criteria when creating auto playlists.

Ratings are displayed in the Rating column in your library. By default, most items in your library are automatically given an auto rating. The auto rating is controlled by non-Microsoft data providers, such as AMG and some online stores. You can override an auto rating by explicitly choosing a new user rating. You can distinguish between the two types of ratings by the appearance of the stars, which are blue for auto ratings and bright yellow for user ratings.

When creating an auto playlist, you can search for items based upon their auto ratings or their user ratings (note that user rating appears in the search criteria list as My Rating).

To rate an item

1. Click the Library tab. 2. Find the item in your library that you want to rate, and then click one of the stars listed in the Rating column. One star is the lowest rating. Five stars is the highest rating. To clear a user rating, right-click the item, point to Rate, and then click Unrated. You can also rate an item by using a keyboard shortcut. To rate an item zero through five stars, play the item, and then press CTRL+Windows logo key+number. For example, to rate an item five stars, play the item, and then press CTRL+Windows logo key+5. To clear a user rating, play the item, and then press CTRL+Windows logo key+0. NoteBy default, the Player stores your user rating information in your individual digital media files. Previous versions of the Player stored user rating information in your library database file. For more information, see the question about saving ratings in Media information: frequently asked questions.

See also

• Find items in the library
• Add or edit media information