Introduction: How to Rip CDs to an MP3 Player Using Windows Media Player

By My Invention RatMat
About: Inventor and Emergency Doctor.

My daughter bought an MP3 player and asked me to put her favourite CDs on it; I realised this was a great opportunity for another Instructable!

If you aren't technically minded it can be really confusing the first time you get an MP3 player; what you need to do is to load music files called MP3s onto it. These can be converted from a CD in a process called 'ripping'. This is really simple and can usually be done on software bundled with the computer.

These instructions are for Windows; it will be similar on other systems, try typing 'Play CD' or 'Rip CD' into the search box on your computer to see what media software it has installed.

Ripping music from CDs is legal if you own the CD and only use it for your own use. It is illegal if you don't own the CD or distribute the music.

Supplies

MP3 player

USB cable (usually supplied with MP3 player)

CDs

This MP3 player had zero storage so I needed a microSD card, you won't if your MP3 player has storage built in

Computer or laptop with a CD drive

Step 1: The MP3 Player

Put the MicroSD card in, if you need to. Plug your MP3 player into the USB slot on a computer or laptop with a built-in CD/CDROM player. This will start it charging.

Open Windows Media Player and insert CD. It should run automatically and the track list appear in the window.

Step 2: Rip the CD

Click 'Rip CD'. The CD will start to run fast and progress bars will appear on the tracks. When it has finished replace with the next CD.

Step 3: Open File Explorer

Whilst the CD is ripping you can open file explorer to see that the MP3 player is added as an external 'Removable Drive'. If you are having problems you can check here; if it's not showing up then the computer isn't recognising it, there's no memory in it or it's not connected.

Step 4: Synchronise MP3 Player With Computer

Select all the songs to want to copy to your MP3 player and drag them across to the right of the window. (See images for tips.) Press 'Sync'.

Step 5: All Done!

You can see the progress of the files being transferred to your MP3 player from the progress bar. It will tell you when you can disconnect your MP3 player and you are all done.

Enjoy you tunes!