Ripping Songs from Audio CDs

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated April 13, 2015)

If you have an audio CD, you can copy songs from it and create audio files on your computer. This process is known as "ripping." The process for ripping is quite simple using Windows Media Player, which has the capability built-in. All you need to do is insert the CD into your system and start Windows Media Player. (If the audio CD starts to play automatically, you can stop the playing.) Windows Media Player automatically tries to determine the contents of the CD and then displays those contents. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Windows Media Player.

You rip individual tracks by selecting them (i.e., mark the tracks you want to rip with a checkmark to the left of the song title) and then clicking the Rip CD button on the toolbar. Each track's progress is indicated in the Rip Status column. When the ripping is complete, the ripped tracks will be contained in individual files in your music library. In this case, the created files are .wma files, so you can simply double-click one of them from Windows Explorer to have it begin playing.

 This tip (12370) applies to Windows 7.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Clearing Your Jump Lists

Ever since their introduction in Windows 7, I've found Jump lists to be great timesavers. Some people have privacy ...

Discover More

Settings Compared to Control Panel

Windows 10 has moved a lot of the settings previously found in Control Panel to the Settings app. How is the settings app ...

Discover More

Configuring Automatic Windows Updates

One of the practices you should adopt to keep your system running smoothly is to keep it updated with the latest ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Using Media Player

Windows Media Player can do many things, many of which are covered in other tips. This tip provides the basic overview of ...

Discover More

Editing a Media Player Playlist

Windows Media Player lets you create, edit, and delete playlists over time. This tip explains how to add and delete items ...

Discover More

Creating a Media Player Playlist

Windows Media Player lets you manager all sorts of media. One way to do this is by creating playlists. This tip describes ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is nine minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips