Unable to play Flac files in WMP

Thanks to the solutions from the Xiph foundation and our tutorial, you now know how to read FLAC files with Windows Media Player (WMP). You are the happiest person in the world. However, there is a small problem. The tags (metadata) contained in your FLAC files do not appear in the Windows Media Player library.

A solution exists. It works with all versions of Windows Media Player (including version 12 of Windows 7). You just need to download a program called WMP Tag Support Extender. After its installation (which is very simple), the tags will appear. You will therefore be able to manage your collection of FLAC files from the Windows player.

Note that the result is not guaranteed to be 100%. In some cases, the tags remain invisible. Nothing insurmountable. Most of the time, you need to rewrite this information with specific software. WMP Tag Support Extender
Thank you
https://aspiredomains.com/domain/twixo.org/

Remove - Reset Windows Media Player (WMP) library
Read - Manage FLAC in WMP

Brief summary on these two topics, after researching in the forums. I would like to point out that I am not an IT person and only know Windows.
I am on Windows 7, with Windows Media Player version 12.
I have a DENON network audio player to stream to the Hi-Fi that can read, either via USB port or directly on the PC via Wifi or Ethernet. I now download in FLAC to get CD quality and reasonably sized files.

Observation: I discovered that WMP did not read or manage FLAC and that only files present in the WMP library on the PC were visible to the network player. However, FLAC files do not appear in WMP.

Solution: found in the following forums
- www.commentcamarche.net --> "Play FLAC in Windows Media Player", "Unable to categorize FLAC in WMP", "Reset Windows Media Player under Win7"
- www.01net.com --> "Reset the Windows Media Player 11 library"
- www.aidewindows.net --> "Play FLAC files with Windows Media Player".
and various responses and associated comments.

1 - First, I downloaded the FLAC codec oggcodecs_0.83.17220-win32.exe from the official site xiph.org. Immediately, it worked and you can play FLAC files on WMP but without making them visible.
Since I read that there was a newer version, I uninstalled and installed opencodecs_0.85.17777.exe. It works well but still without making them visible.

2 - I then downloaded a Tag editor to make FLAC files visible. I followed the advice by installing WMP Tag Support Extender, then after uninstalling it, WMP Tag Plus from the BM Productions site which apparently is a newer version.
The MP3TAG editor is also mentioned but I did not quite understand how it works.

3 - I cleaned the WMP library by deleting, as indicated, the only files in C:\User\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player. There, a stubborn file does not want to be removed (CurrentDatabase_372.wmdb and message "action cannot be performed because the file is open in Network Sharing Service of WMP"). After several attempts and incomplete automatic restorations of WMP, I eventually deleted everything in WMP... except for the recalcitrant .wmdb file.

Result: After the automatic restoration, all my albums (WAV, MP3, WMA, and FLAC) are now in the WMP library.
The restoration of the WMP library is quite slow, without knowing very well if it is finished or not (small message at the bottom right that flickers from time to time).
Due to the numerous inconsistencies of the metadata in the albums, it is necessary to organize things... if one has the control: Grouping albums that are scattered in several partial albums (drag-and-drop on the cover), correcting data to add, correct, renumber names, titles, track numbers, artists, etc. (select a range of the album in the WMP libraries and/or W Music, then right-click to rename or modify or properties/details tab).
Don’t hesitate to often close WMP, or even the computer, to reset everything.

Thanks to the internet users in these forums for their advice. I post this on these forums, hoping that it will help those who are struggling with WMP and FLAC.

To change the embedded information in your FLAC files, you need to install a tag editor: there are plenty available. I use MP3tag (www.mp3tag.de/en/) which, contrary to what its name might suggest, can tag pretty much any type of file. It also allows you to manage your entire music library (perform batch processing, change names, directory structure, etc.). The website is in English, but the software installs in French if you request it.

Thank you, Dibou.
I'll give that a try.

@ Clemtho, thanks for the advice, but I want to stick with the Flac format.

I advise you to convert your flac files into a more manageable format, like mp3, using appropriate software. That's what I personally did with Free Mp3 Wma Converter, because flac files only brought me problems, especially the one you just mentioned about classifying them in the WMP library.