This article shows you how to add or edit a music album cover both within Groove and within Windows Media Player. It should be noted that on some versions of Windows 10 there is no longer Windows Media Player. If you need to edit the metadata of MP3 files to include the album cover image, you can use several programs created specifically for this purpose.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Manually Add a Cover Image to Groove
Step 1. Locate and download the album cover image
Start your internet browser you usually use and search online using the album name followed by the keywords "album cover", for example "divide album cover" (you can also use the search string "album [album_name] cover"), select the image to download with the right mouse button and click on the option Save placed in the context menu appeared.
- Using some browsers and search engines you will need to select the tab Images at the top of the page to access the album cover images.
- Depending on your browser configuration, you may need to choose where to save the image. If so, click the folder Desktop listed in the left sidebar of the dialog box that appeared.
Step 2. Access the "Start" menu by clicking the icon
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key on your keyboard.
Step 3. Type in the groove keyword
The Groove Music app will search within your computer.
Step 4. Click the Groove Music icon
It features a stylized CD and should have appeared at the top of the "Start" menu. This will launch the Groove Music app.
Step 5. Click on My Music
It is one of the tabs listed in the upper left of the application interface. A list of all the music in the Groove library will be displayed.
If the option indicated is not present, first click on the icon ☰ located in the upper left corner of the window.
Step 6. Click on the Albums tab
It is located at the top of the Groove window.
Step 7. Select an album
Click the name of the album you want to edit.
It is not possible to change the cover of individual songs
Step 8. Click the Edit Information option
It is one of the tabs listed at the top of the page for the selected album. The "Edit Album Information" dialog box will appear.
For songs that do not refer to any album or that have the words "Unknown album" in the "Album" field, the "Edit information" tab will not be available. In this case, select the song with the right mouse button and choose the option Edit information, then enter the album name in the "Album title" field and click the button Save.
Step 9. Click the album cover image
It is located in the upper left corner of the "Edit Album Information" window. The "File Explorer" system window will appear.
If there is currently no cover associated with the album in question, the box in which the preview image should be displayed will be empty and a small pencil will be visible in the lower left corner
Step 10. Select an image
Click on the photo icon you downloaded in the previous steps or click one of the images on your computer.
If the "File Explorer" window displays the contents of a folder other than the one in which you have stored the new cover, first click the correct directory name displayed in the left sidebar of the window
Step 11. Click the Open button
It is located in the lower right corner of the window. This way, the chosen image will be added to the album.
Step 12. Click the Save button
It is located at the bottom of the "Edit Album Information" window. At this point, when you play the songs of the album in question, the new cover image will be displayed.
Method 2 of 5: Automatically Add a Cover Image to Windows Media Player
Step 1. Make sure you have purchased the album
Window Media Player rarely supports automatic updating of information of music that was not purchased regularly.
If you haven't regularly purchased the album you want to edit, you will most likely have to add the cover image manually
Step 2. Make sure your computer is connected to the internet
For Windows Media Player to automatically search the web for album cover, your computer must be connected to the network. If you are able to view the content of any web page, Windows Media Player will be able to connect to its online database.
Step 3. Access the "Start" menu by clicking the icon
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key on your keyboard.
Step 4. Type in the keywords windows media player
If the text cursor is not automatically positioned within the field located at the bottom of the "Start" menu, you will first need to click it with the mouse.
Step 5. Click the Windows Media Player icon
It features a light blue square with a white and orange "Play" button inside. It should have appeared at the top of the "Start" menu.
Step 6. Click the Media Library entry
It is the tab located in the upper left corner of the window.
Step 7. Click on the Music tab
It is listed inside the left sidebar of Windows Media Player.
Step 8. Locate the album you want to edit
Scroll through the list of contents of your music library until you find the album whose cover you want to change.
Albums for which a cover image is not currently available will have a musical note on a gray background
Step 9. Select the album cover with the right mouse button
The cover image of an album is located on the left of the song list that composes it. A context menu will be displayed.
- If you are using a one-button mouse, press the right side of the device or press the single button using two fingers.
- If you're using a computer with a trackpad instead of a mouse, tap it using two fingers or press the lower right side.
Step 10. Click the Update Album Information option
It is located in the middle of the context menu that appeared. In this way, Windows Media Player will automatically search online for the cover image of the album in question. If it finds an available cover, it will be displayed as an album cover image.
- If no cover appears, it means you will need to add it manually.
- You may have to wait a few minutes or restart the program for the album cover to appear in Windows Media Player.
Method 3 of 5: Manually Add a Cover Image to Windows Media Player
Step 1. Locate and download the album cover image
Start your internet browser you usually use and search online using the album name followed by the keywords "album cover", for example "divide album cover" (you can also use the search string "album [album_name] cover"), select the image to download with the right mouse button and click on the option Save placed in the context menu that appeared.
- Using some browsers and search engines, you will need to select the tab Images at the top of the page to access the album cover images.
- Depending on your browser configuration, you may need to choose where to save the image. If so, click the folder Desktop listed in the left sidebar of the dialog box that appeared.
Step 2. Copy the cover image you just downloaded
Navigate to the folder where the file is stored (for example the folder Download), select the cover with a mouse click, then press the key combination Ctrl + C.
Alternatively, select the image with the right mouse button and click on the option Copy from the context menu that will appear.
Step 3. Access the "Start" menu by clicking the icon
It features the Windows logo and is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key on your keyboard.
Step 4. Type in the keywords windows media player
If the text cursor is not automatically positioned in the field at the bottom of the "Start" menu, you will need to click it with the mouse first.
Step 5. Click the Windows Media Player icon
It features a light blue square with a white and orange "Play" button inside. It should have appeared at the top of the "Start" menu.
Step 6. Click the Media Library entry
It is the tab located in the upper left corner of the window.
Step 7. Click on the Music tab
It is listed inside the left sidebar of Windows Media Player.
Step 8. Locate the album you want to edit
Scroll through the list of contents of your music library until you find the album whose cover you want to change.
Albums for which a cover image is not currently available will have a musical note on a gray background
Step 9. Select the album cover with the right mouse button
The cover image of an album is located on the left of the song list that composes it. A context menu will be displayed.
Step 10. Click on Paste Album Cover
It is located in the middle of the context menu that appeared. The image you copied should automatically appear as the album cover.
- It may take a few seconds for the album cover to update.
- If the option Paste album cover is not in the menu, try using a smaller version of the cover image.
Method 4 of 5: Edit Song Tags with MP3Tag
Step 1. Download and install the MP3Tag program
It is a free editor that allows you to edit information related to MP3 files, such as artist name, title, album and obviously the cover image. Follow these instructions to download and install MP3Tag:
- Access the website https://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html using your computer's internet browser;
- Click the link mp3tagv287asetup.exe displayed in the center of the page;
- At the end of the download, double click on the MP3Tag installation file;
- Follow the MP3Tag installation wizard steps until complete.
Step 2. Launch the MP3Tag program
Double-click the MP3Tag icon that appeared on the desktop. It features a diamond and an orange tick. The MP3Tag user interface will appear.
Step 3. Add your music to MP3Tag library
The program will automatically scan your computer for MP3 files, but you can manually load any file by dragging it into the program window.
Alternatively, select the MP3 file in question with the right mouse button, then click the option Mp3tag from the context menu that will appear.
Step 4. Select the song to edit
Click the corresponding name listed in the main pane of the program window.
You can also select multiple songs at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the corresponding icons with the mouse
Step 5. Click the cover of the song with the right mouse button
It is the small box at the bottom left of the program window. A context menu will be displayed.
- If no cover image is configured for the selected song, this box will be empty.
- If you are using a one-button mouse, press the right side of the device or press the single button using two fingers.
- If you're using a computer with a trackpad instead of a mouse, tap it using two fingers or press the lower right side.
Step 6. Click the Remove Cover option
It is located at the top of the context menu that appeared. The current song cover image will be deleted.
Step 7. Select the cover pane with the right mouse button
This is the empty box where the cover image you deleted was previously. The same context menu that appeared in the previous step will be displayed.
Step 8. Click on the Add Cover… item
It is located at the bottom of the menu that appeared. The "File Explorer" system window will appear.
Step 9. Select an image
Access the folder where you have stored the photo you want to use as the cover of the song in question and click it with the mouse.
Step 10. Click the Open button
It is located in the lower right corner of the window. The chosen image will be used as a cover for the selected song or songs.
Step 11. Click the "Save" icon
It features a small floppy disk and is located in the upper left corner of the program window. You will receive a confirmation message indicating that your chosen cover image has been applied to the selected MP3 file.
Method 5 of 5: Add Permanent Tags
Step 1. Understand how this method works
If you want to make sure a song retains the cover image you've chosen when played with a media player like VLC, you can use an online converter to add the cover to an MP3 file.
Some media players, such as VLC, are able to detect the tags of online converters rather than those of other programs, such as Groove or MP3Tag
Step 2. Log in to the TagMP3 website
Paste the URL https://tagmp3.net/change-album-art.php into the address bar of the browser. This web service allows you to insert an image into the metadata of an MP3 file. This means that this information will be read and used by practically all the media players available.
Be aware that if you have chosen to use TagMP3 to add a cover image to an MP3 song, subsequent tag editing using another program (for example MP3Tag) may not work
Step 3. Click the Browse Files button
It is purple in color and is placed in the center of the web page. The "File Explorer" system window will appear.
Step 4. Select a song
Navigate to the folder where the MP3 file you want to assign a new cover is stored, then click it with the mouse.
You can also select multiple songs at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the corresponding icons with the mouse
Step 5. Click the Open button
It is located in the lower right corner of the window. The selected song will be uploaded to the site server.
Step 6. Click the Choose file button
It is gray in color and is positioned under the current cover image of the song (if no cover is set, the corresponding box will be empty) located in the "Album Art" section.
You will need to repeat this step and the next two for each of the MP3 files you want to edit
Step 7. Select an image
Navigate to where the photo you want to use as a cover image is stored, then click it with the mouse to select it.
Step 8. Click the Open button
It is located in the lower right corner of the window. The chosen image will be uploaded to the TagMP3 website but will not appear in the box intended for the preview of the song cover.
Step 9. Embed the chosen image inside the MP3 file
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the button DONE! GENERATE NEW MP3, then wait for the process of creating the new MP3 file to finish.
Step 10. Download the MP3 file
Click on the option Download File 1 to download the new MP3 file directly to your computer.
- You will notice that the filename will consist of a random string of numbers and letters. However, when played with a media player, such as Windows Media Player, iTunes, Groove or VLC, the correct information will be shown.
- If you have uploaded multiple files to edit, you will need to use links Download File 2, Download File 3, Download File 4 and so on to download the rest of the songs.
