Set up devices to sync in Windows Media player

Set up the devices to sync in Windows Media Player. You can use Windows Media Player to copy music, videos, and photos from your Windows Media Player Library to your portable device, such as a compatible MP3 player. This process is called synchronization.

There are two ways to synchronize a project with a device: one is automatic and the other is manual. The first time that you connect a device to your computer, Windows Media Player chooses the synchronization method that best fits the device, depending on the storage capacity of the device and the size of the Windows Media Player Library. After you set up your device for the first time, you can choose another sync method, if necessary.

Automatic sync

If the device has a storage capacity greater than 4,000 megabytes (GB) and the device can hold the entire Windows Media Player Library, Windows MediaPlayer will use automatic synchronization. If you leave this option, the entire Windows media Player Media Library will be copied to your device.

Each time a device is connected to a computer while Windows Media Player is running, Windows Media Player automatically updates the contents of the device to make a mirror image of the contents of the Windows Media Player Media Library.

For example, if you rip a CD to your Windows media Player Library, the next time you connect the device to your computer, it will automatically copy the album to your device. Similarly, if you delete items from the Windows Media Player Library, the next time you connect the device to your computer, the items will also be removed from the device.

Even if your device is set to sync automatically, you can control which items can be synchronized automatically.

Manual Sync

If the device's storage capacity is less than 4,000 megabytes (GB) or the entire Windows Media Player Library cannot be accommodated on the device, Windows MediaPlayer will use manual synchronization. If you leave this option, you must perform multiple steps each time you want to add or remove items from the device.