Winamp - Music Player
Winamp is a music player that has been around since 1997. It was the MP3 player of the late 90s and early 2000s, then AOL bought it and let it rot, and it got shut down in 2013. Radionomy picked it up in 2014, rebranded as Winamp Group SA, and has been slowly rebuilding it since. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile.
What it does
The core is still the same: drag in MP3s, FLACs, or whatever audio format you have, and it plays them. The media library organizes your collection by artist, album, and genre. There is an equalizer, gapless playback for live albums, playlist management, and built-in SHOUTcast radio for streaming internet stations.
The skin system is what made Winamp famous. There are over 80,000 skins available, from the classic brushed metal look to completely custom interfaces. The plugin architecture supports visualizations (Milkdrop is still one of the best music visualizers around), input/output plugins for extra formats, and DSP effects.
Advantages
- Lightweight and fast for local music playback
- 80,000+ skins and extensive plugin ecosystem
- Milkdrop visualizer
- Gapless playback and good format support (MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, OGG)
- SHOUTcast internet radio built in
Drawbacks
- Development has been slow since the revival - updates are infrequent
- Open source promise in 2024 was walked back (repo deleted, restrictive license)
- Most people stream music now rather than managing local files
- foobar2000 is more customizable for power users, AIMP is a lighter modern alternative
Who it is for
If you still have a local music collection and want a player with skins and plugins, Winamp is the nostalgic choice that still works fine. If you do not care about skins and want something leaner, foobar2000 or AIMP are more actively developed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Winamp still available?
Is Winamp free?
Does Winamp still support skins?
What happened to Winamp?
What are alternatives to Winamp?
Features & How-To Guide
| # | Feature | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music playback 5 | File › Play file or drag an MP3/FLAC/AAC/WAV onto the window. |
| 2 | Music library management 2 | Media Library › Add music folders. Browse by artist/album/genre. |
| 3 | 10-band equalizer | Equalizer window › Adjust 10 frequency bands. Save and load presets. |
| 4 | Installing skins | Download a .wsz file › Double-click or Options › Skin › Select from skins. Over 80,000 skins available. |
| 5 | Internet radio listening 2 | Media Library › Online Services › SHOUTcast. Browse radio stations by genre. |
| 6 | Playlist creation 6 | Playlist window › Add tracks › File › Save playlist as M3U/PLS. |
| 7 | Installing plugins | Download a plugin › Place it in the Plugins folder. Types: Input/Output/Visualization/Effects/DSP. |
| 8 | Audio format conversion 4 | Right-click on a file in the library › Send to › Format converter. Convert between MP3/AAC/WAV/FLAC. |
| 9 | Gapless playback | Preferences › Playback › Enable gapless playback. Eliminates gaps between tracks. |
| 10 | Music visualizations | Right-click on the visualization window › Select plugin (Milkdrop, AVS). Reacts to music in real time. |
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