How do I from C or C++ use the MP3 decoder supposedly built in

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Editorial Team

Asked: May 26, 20262026-05-26T18:50:49+00:00 2026-05-26T18:50:49+00:00

How do I from C or C++ use the MP3 decoder supposedly built in with Windows since Windows Media Player 6.1?

I want to play an mp3 file without having to depend on any other third party library such as for instance LAME.DLL.

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Editorial Team · Answer 1 · 2026-05-26T18:50:50+00:00

You can control an audio channel (in order to make it play anything, including MP3) with mciSendString http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms709492%28VS.85%29.aspx

Here’s an example (it’s in C#, but it’s basically the same principle):

Here is the same principle in C:

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