Media Player Help

From Winamp Help

Current revision as of 15:23, 27 June 2013

The Winamp Preferences screen is accessible via the Bento or Modern skin by selecting 'Preferences' from the 'Options' menu.
It can also be accessed in all skins by hitting Ctrl+P on your keyboard, when Winamp is the focused application.

Winamp Pro

Registration Information

• Registered Name: Enter your Registered Name in the top field. This must be the exact same name you used on the registration form.
• Registration Key: Copy and paste the exact Registration Key into the bottom field.
• Submit Registration Key: Click to register. Say 'Yes' to any UAC Prompt (Windows Vista/7/8), if enabled. Note, turns into a 'Remove Registration Key' button after successful registration.
  

If it says "Invalid registration key", make sure you are using the exact correct Name & Key and there are no trailing spaces. In some cases, you might need to run Winamp in admin mode (e.g. by right-clicking the Winamp desktop icon and selecting 'Run as administrator') for the key to be accepted.

If the problem persists, please contact Winamp Pro Technical Support via one of the email addresses provided here or here.

General Preferences

General Preferences: Top Level

• Select your internet connection: Select whether you have a LAN/DSL/Cable (always-connected), dial-up modem, or no Internet connection.
• Specify HTTP Proxy address (optional): If you want or need to use a proxy, type the server name of an HTTP Proxy. Use the following format:
  • servername:port
  • username:password@servername:port (otherwise, leave blank)
• Use proxy only for port 80 URLs: Only use a proxy when opening streaming media and URLs that use port 80.
• Show splash screen: Display the splash screen for 2 seconds when Winamp starts.
• Allow multiple instances: Allow more than one instance of Winamp to be open at once.
• Check for new versions of Winamp at startup: When Winamp starts up, you are notified about new versions of Winamp as they become available.
• Allow Winamp to report basic, anonymous program usage statistics: Allow Nullsoft to receive anonymous information about how much Winamp is used. Nullsoft does not track what you are doing with Winamp and no personal or identifiable information is sent to Winamp if you select this check box.
• Recycle permanently deleted files: When using the "Remove -> Physically remove selected file(s)". menu command, sends deleted files to the Recycle Bin. Uncheck this option to bypass the Recycle Bin (not recommended).
• Show Winamp in:
  • Taskbar: Display Winamp in the Windows taskbar during use.
  • System tray: Display the Winamp icon in the Windows system tray during use.
• System Tray Icon: Use the slider to choose an icon to use in the system tray, if enabled.
• Scroll title in the Windows taskbar: Scroll the current track title in the Windows taskbar.
• Show the playlist number in the Windows taskbar: Uncheck this option to remove the playlist number for the currently playing track from the beginning of the Winamp icon's string in the Windows taskbar.
• Disable always on top while fullscreen applications are focused: When checkmarked, Winamp will lose its 'Always on top' status when other fullscreen apps are in focus (note that this also includes the 'Show Desktop' command).
• Priority Class: Use the slider to choose how much CPU priority is given to Winamp.

General Preferences: File Types

• Associated file types: Select the file extensions that you want to be opened by Winamp by default. When you double-click on files with the selected file extensions, they will be opened within Winamp.
  • Set selection:
    • All: Click this to associate all of the listed file extensions with Winamp by default.
    • Audio Only: Click this to associate only the audio-based file extensions with Winamp.
    • Video Only: Click this to associate only the video-based file extensions with Winamp.
    • None: Click this to have none of the listed file extensions opened with Winamp by default.
    • Restore file associations on Winamp start-up: Allow Winamp, during start-up, to re-associate selected file extensions that are taken by other programs.
  • File Icon: Use the slider to select an icon to use for files associated with Winamp.
  • Playlist Icon: Use the slider to select an icon to use for playlist files (eg. M3U and PLS) associated with Winamp.
• Winamp Agent
  • Enable Winamp agent: Select this to enable Winamp Agent, which starts with Windows and adds extra functionality.
  • Show system tray icon: If Winamp Agent is enabled, show the system tray icon (near the time).
  • Maintain file associations: If Winamp Agent is enabled, automatically re-associate selected file extensions that are taken by other programs.
• Explorer Settings:
  • Launch Winamp for audio CDs: When you insert an audio CD, automatically play it using Winamp.
  • Enqueue files on double click in Windows (default is Play): Select this if you want double-clicked files to be placed at the end of the current playlist instead of wiping the current playlist and being played immediately.
  • Show Winamp in folder context menus in Windows Explorer: Select this if you want "Play in Winamp" etc. added as an option in the Windows Explorer right-click context menu for folders.

• Shell Options - Note: This subpage is added by the Jump To File Extra plugin (gen_jumpex.dll).
• Windows Shell File Association Options:
  • Add 'Enqueue & Play' to Winamp's associated file types: Adds an extra 'Enqueue & Play' item into the Explorer context menus for filetypes associated with Winamp. The 'Enqueue & Play' option will add files from Windows Explorer to the end of the current Winamp Playlist, and will start playing them instantly (whereas the standard 'Enqueue' action just adds the files, but doesn't play them).
  • Set 'Enqueue & Play' as the default file action: Makes 'Enqueue & Play' the default action for all filetypes associated with Winamp via the File Types page in Winamp Preferences. This will also make 'Enqueue & Play' the default action in browsers such as Internet Explorer (other browser settings may vary).
  • Add files into the queue for delayed playback: If check marked, when using the 'Enqueue & Play' action in Explorer, files will be placed in the JTF Queue List. This means that if a song is already playing in Winamp, then it will finish playing fully before the newly added files begin to play. If not checkmarked, then the newly added file(s) will just play instantly.
    • Insert files at the start of the queue: Places songs at the start of the JTFE Queue List.
    • Insert files at the end of the queue: Places songs at the end of the current JTFE Queue List, if one already exists.
  • Insert enqueued files after the currently playing file: Inserts the newly added files into the playlist directly after the currently playing file, if one is playing at the time. If not checkmarked, then by default, songs are added to the end of the current playlist instead (as above).
    • Leave playback on the currently playing track: Inserts files after the currently playing track, but keeps playing the current track until the end instead of instantly switching to the first newly inserted track.
  • Start Winamp playing if it is not already: Starts playback if Winamp is not already playing a song (when using the 'Enqueue & Play' action only).
  • Windows Explorer Menu Control: Allows you to choose which Winamp-related entries appear in the right-click context menus for folders and for filetypes associated with Winamp. This option is useful for removing eg. 'Add To Winamp's Bookmark List' but keeping 'Play in Winamp', 'Enqueue in Winamp', etc. There are two separate lists in the selection box, one for Associated File Types (top list), and the other for Folders (bottom list). Note that you can remove all menu entries for folders by unchecking 'Show Winamp in folder context menus in Windows Explorer' via the File Types page in Winamp Preferences. But this extra option here allows you to remove/keep individual entries to suit your personal taste. Be careful if deselecting eg. 'Enqueue in Winamp' if Enqueue is set as the default action on the File Types page, because this could result in you having no default action set...

General Preferences: Playlist

• Show playlist item numbers in Playlist Editor: Show the track number before each track in the playlist editor.
• Zero pad item numbers: Automatically inserts leading zeros at the front of the Playlist item numbers, so if the last track in the list is e.g. 12505, the first will show as 00001.
• Playlist font size, in pixels: Type the font size for text in the playlist editor.
• Use skin or language pack font: When checked, uses the font specified in the current skin (or language pack, if one is installed/active). When unchecked, uses the font specified in the "Use font" drop-down menu underneath (can be useful if you need to display international/unicode characters, or if you need to select a monospace/fixed-width font for title formatting).
• Text Direction: Select one of: Automatic, based on locale settings (default); Left-to-right (e.g. for Latin, Cyrillic, Oriental based characters); or Right-to-left (e.g. for Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu characters).
• Scroll playlist using Page Up/Down by X lines: Specifies how many lines to move when using the Page Up/Down keys. Default value is 4.
• Mousewheel scrolls double the above number of lines (default): The default behaviour is for the mousewheel to scroll double the number of lines of the Page Up/Down keys, therefore the default value would be 8 lines. Uncheck this option if you would prefer the mousewheel to scroll the same number of lines as the Page Up/Down keys. For example, if the above value is set to "1" and this option is unchecked, then both the Page Up/Down keys and mousewheel will scroll 1 line (whereas with it checkmarked, the Page Up/Down keys will scroll 1 line and the mousewheel 2 lines).
• Manual playlist advance: Play the current track and stop without advancing to the next track in the playlist, or repeat the same song if playlist repeating is enabled.
• When loading multiple files, sort file by name: When loading more than one file, sort the list alphabetically.
• Assume file extension of unknown file to be: Type the extension to use for unknown files types. Some plugins require an extension to work properly.
• Shuffle morph rate: Use the slider to choose how large the variation in shuffling tracks in a playlist, when Playlist Shuffling is on.

General Preferences: Titles

• Metadata Reading:
  • Read metadata when file(s) are loaded into Winamp: Read extended metadata (file info tags) when loading a track.
  • Read metadata when file(s) are played or viewed in the playlist: Read extended metadata when displaying a track.
  • Read metadata only when files(s) are played: Read extended metadata when playing a track.
  • Read metadata in the background when file(s) are loaded into Winamp or are played or viewed in the playlist editor: Read extended metadata as a background process on load or view or play (whichever comes first). Note that this option is new as of v5.54 and is now probably the recommended setting...
• Use advanced title formatting when possible: Display track titles using advanced title display format.
• Advanced title display format: Type the syntax for advanced title formatting.
  • Default: Use the default advanced title display format.
  • Help: Show syntax help for advanced title displaying formatting.
  • Tip: A full comprehensive list of all ATF syntax can be found here.
• Show underscore in titles as spaces: Convert "_" (underscore) to a space in titles.
• Show '%20's" in titles as spaces: Convert "%20" (the HTML code for a space) to a space in titles.

General Preferences: Playback

• Playback
  • Playback thread priority: Set global priority class for mp3, mp4/m4a, wav, ogg, flac & wma playback. Choose between "Lowest" to "Highest (default)" settings.
  • Allow 24bit: Enables 24-bit playback for sound cards which support it. True 24bit soundcards output at 24bit, therefore the soundcard won't need to upsample 16bit to 24bit if Winamp is already sending it a 24bit audio stream.
  • Allow surround sound: Enables surround sound for files encoded in e.g. 5.1-channel format.
  • Use Dither: Enables dither for supporting formats (currently, .ogg and .flac only).
  • Force Mono: Disables stereo output.
• Equalizer
  • EQ Type: Specify whether to use the Winamp 4Front EQ or the Constant-Q EQ. 4Front is the original Winamp EQ, whereas Constant-Q is a new option as from Winamp 5.51 and higher.
  • Frequency Bands: Specify whether to use Winamp frequency bands or ISO Standard bands. The ISO bands are a new option as from Winamp 5.51 and higher.
    • ISO Standard Equalizer frequency table: 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 16000
    • Winamp EQ frequency table: 70, 180, 320, 600, 1000, 3000, 6000, 12000, 14000, 16000
    • Note: The skin says: 60, 170, 310, but is actually wrong.
  • Use Limiter: Specify whether or not to use clipping prevention. Default is "On".
• Replay Gain
  • Use Replay Gain: Enables Replay Gain (automatic volume levelling) for all files with RG values applied. The main purpose of Replay Gain is to attempt to playback all files at approximately the same volume. To apply Replay Gain to your music files, right-click items in the Media Library or Playlist and select 'Calculate Replay Gain' via the 'Send To' menu. The Replay Gain values are stored in the file tags. The actual audio data is unchanged. Supported formats are MP3, WMA, WMV, AAC, MP4, M4A, OGG & FLAC.
  • Amplification Mode: Default selection is 'Apply Gain / Prevent Clipping' (recommended). This will level out the volume and prevent distortion.
  • Preferred Source: Choose between 'Track' (default) or 'Album' modes.
  • Disable if preferred source not available: Disables RG if e.g. 'Album' mode is selected but only 'Track' info is available.
  • Adjustment for files without RG: Pre-amp selection applied to all files without ReplayGain info (default value is -6.0 dB).
  • Replay Gain Preamp: Pre-amp selection to adjust global gain for all files with or without RG info applied (default value is 0 dB).
  • Ask before writing Replay Gain to analyzed files: When checkmarked, the Replay Gain Analyzer results dialog will appear at the end of each scan. Our personally recommended preference is to use 'Save as Album', which also writes Track data. When unchecked, values will be saved automatically without prompting.
  • Ask after each album is scanned: Prompts to save values after each album is scanned.
  • Ask after all files are scanned: Prompts to save values after all files are scanned.

General Preferences: Video

• Video Playback
  • Display the video window when video playback begins: Open the video windows automatically when playing a video stream or file.
  • Close the video window after playback ends: Automatically close the video window when video playback stops.
  • Stop playback when video window is closed: Stop video playback when the video window is closed.
  • Resize video window to fit video: Automatically resize the video window to the size of the current video file or stream.
  • Disable Windows screensaver when playing video: Don't start the Windows screensaver when Winamp is playing a video.
• Fullscreen Video Playback
  • Remove fullscreen on stop: Resume the previous size when playback in fullscreen mode stops.
  • Enable On Screen Display when in fullscreen mode: Show information and controls while in fullscreen mode.
• Advanced Video Options
  • Vertically flip videos (for compatibility with old drivers): Can be useful if using an old system with onboard graphics where there's no updated drivers available and some videos appear inverted.
  • Lock video aspect ratio: Use a fixed ratio when viewing video even when the video window is resized.
    • My screen has an aspect ratio of: Type a horizontal and vertical ratio number that corresponds to the video aspect ratio of your display monitor. This ratio is usually 4:3 for older CRT monitors and 16:9 for newer widescreen LCD/TFT monitors.
  • Synchronize video to screen refresh rate: Match the Winamp refresh rate to that of the current screen refresh rate.

General Preferences: Localization

• Installed Language Packs: Lists all installed WLZ language files. Double-click or highlight item and click the 'Switch to' button to switch to a language pack. The default built-in language is "English (US)", which cannot be renamed or uninstalled.
• Language Pack Directory: Click this if you wish to change the default folder for storing your WLZ (Winamp Language Zip) files.

General Preferences: Global Hotkeys

• Enable default multimedia key support: Will attempt to process media keys by using WM_APPCOMMAND messages ('off' by default). Try checkmarking this option if your Play/Pause, Stop, Previous & Next keys aren't recognized by just using the 'Enable' Global Hotkeys setting below.
• Enabled: Checkmark this to enable Global Hotkeys. Global Hotkeys can be used to perform actions (Play, Stop, Next, Previous, Rate Items, Copy Title, etc) even when Winamp isn't the active application.
• Action: Select which extra hotkeys to enable via the drop-down menu.
• Hotkey: Use your keyboard to select a unique hotkey for the selected action (eg. hold down Ctrl + Shift + H) then click the 'Add' button.

General Preferences: Jump to File

These options are provided by DrO's Jump To File Extra plugin (gen_jumpex.dll), aka: JTFE. Not only does JTFE enhance the Jump To File search function when you press the 'J' keyboard hotkey in the Playlist window, but it also adds a host of other features and functions throughout the whole of Winamp.

Tabs:

• Queue Options
  • Use extended 'Jump to file' dialog: Enable or disable the use of JTFE. When unchecked, the basic built-in default Jump To File dialog will be used instead.
  • Defaults button: Restores all the default settings for Jump To File Extra.
  • About button: Click to go to the About tab...
  • Double-Click Mode: Select the desired behavior for when you double-click entries in the Jump To File dialog.
    • Play: Jumps to the selected entry in the Playlist window and plays it (default behaviour).
    • Move after current: Moves the selected item after the currently playing entry in the Playlist window.
    • Enqueue: Places the selected entry in the JTFE queue to be played next.
  • Enter Key Mode: Select the desired behavior for when you hit the 'Enter' key on your keyboard for selected entries in the Jump To File dialog.
    • Play: Jumps to the selected entry in the Playlist window and plays it (default behaviour).
    • Move after current: Moves the selected item after the currently playing entry in the Playlist window.
    • Enqueue: Places the selected entry in the JTFE queue to be played next.
  • Keep the 'Jump To File' Dialog Open When Using:
    • Buttons: When checkmarked, the JTF dialog will stay open when clicking the Play, Enqueue, etc, buttons. When unchecked, the JTF dialog will close after clicking said buttons.
    • 'Enter' key: When checkmarked, the JTF dialog will stay open when hitting the 'Enter' key. When unchecked, the JTF dialog will close after hitting the 'Enter' key.
    • Double-click: When checkmarked, the JTF dialog will stay open when double-clicking entries. When unchecked, the JTF dialog will close after double-clicking entries.
  • Enable Playlist Editor features and related menus: Enables or disables the extra 'Jump to file' menu added by JTFE to the playlist item right-click context menu.
  • Remove file from queue when it is already in the queue: When checkmarked, using Q or Alt+click for items in the Playlist, or the Enqueue button/action in the JTF dialog, will remove items from the queue if they are already in it. When unchecked, the same item(s) will be added to the queue multiple times (ie. as many times as you enqueue them).
  • Allow 'Move after current' to move files as a list: When using the 'Move After Current' action in the 'Jump to file' submenu of the Playlist Editor, will move the selected items in the correct numbered order (eg. album tracknumbers 1-8 will remain in the same order). When unchecked, the selected items will just be moved after the currently playing entry in the order selected.
  • Force shuffle off when using 'Move after current': Turns Winamp's shuffle feature off, if enabled, when using the 'Move after current' function.
  • Restore the queue list when Winamp starts: Remembers the Queue List (if any items are in it) between Winamp sessions. If unchecked, the Queue List will be cleared on Winamp exit.
  • Check for a new version of JTFE when Winamp starts: Checks DrO's site for a new version of gen_jumpex.dll each time you start Winamp.
• Display
  • Use text formatting in the 'Jump to file' dialog: Determines how to display the text and queue position number for queued items in the Jump To File dialog. If unchecked, then the queue position numbers will not be displayed in the JTF dialog. When checkmarked, the default string underneath should suffice in most cases, but if you wish to change it, then click the 'Help' button for further info.
  • Use text formatting in the playlist: Determines how to display the text and queue position number for queued items in the Playlist Editor window. When unchecked, the queued position will not be displayed at all in the Playlist window, but you can still view the Queue List in both the Manage Mode of the Jump To File dialog and in the Enqueue List tab of these preferences. When checkmarked, the default string underneath should suffice, but if you wish to change it, then click the 'Help' button above for further info.
  • Highlight background of queued items in playlist: Provides the option of changing the background color of queued items in the playlist window.
  • Options: Click the individual color selection boxes on the right to change the color for each of the respective options according to personal taste.
    • Highlight background of queued items in playlist: This is the exact same option as above, and enables/disables this feature accordingly.
    • Blend color with playlist background: Changes the highlight color to blend in more with the background color of the playlist (which greatly depends on the currently selected skin and/or color theme).
    • Span the highlight color across the full queued item: When checkmarked, the highlight color will span the entire line of the playlist entry. When unchecked, the highlight color will only span the queue number and track time on the right.
    • Use the exisitng color options (as above): When checkmarked, uses the same color as the one specified above. When unchecked, lets you specify a different color for the full span of the queued entry.
    • Use separate color for the main text: Lets you specify a different color for the text of the queued playlist titles (the queue number and track time will still use the same color text as specified above).
    • Use separate color for time entry text: Lets you specify a different color for the track time for queued items (the main text and queue number will still use the colors specified above).
  • Skin 'Jump to file' using the current Winamp style: When checkmarked, the Jump To File dialog will be skinned according to the current skin and/or color theme. When unchecked, the Jump To File dialog will be unskinned, and will therefore look the same as the built-in default JTF dialog instead.
  • Restore last position of the dialog on opening: Remembers the position on the desktop of the JTF dialog. When unchecked, the JTF dialog will always open in the default position. Note that this option only affects Classic skins, because Modern skin wasabi windows always remember their position.
  • Reload 'Jump to file' when Winamp starts: When checkmarked, the Jump To File dialog will always open when Winamp is opened.
  • Restore last search when opening the dialog: Remembers the last search filter you typed into the search field, if any, when you close and reopen the JTF dialog. If unchecked (default setting), then the search field is always empty on reopening the JTF dialog, thus showing the full contents of the current playlist.
  • Use Playlist Editor font for the 'Jump to file' dialog: Uses whatever same font is selected in Preferences > Playlist for the titles in the JTF dialog (Search and Manage Modes). If unchecked, uses the default skin/bitmap font instead.
  • Language: Use the selected language to display JTFE menus, buttons, preferences, etc. The default language is English, but more languages are available by installing the latest version of JTFE from DrO's site (refer to separate JTFE installer for additional language options).
• Queue List
  • Queued File(s): Displays the current Queue List, if any.
  • Remove file: Removes the selected file(s) from the Queue List.
  • Up: Moves the selected file(s) up the Queue List.
  • Down: Moves the selected file(s) down the Queue List.
  • Clear list: Clears the entire Queue List.
  • Resume playback at the file expected after the current track before the queue was created: After the current Queue List has been fully played, playback will resume at the entry immediately after the one which was playing before the Queue List was created. If unchecked, then playback will proceed to the next item in the playlist immediately after the last entry in the Queue List.
  • Reset the current queue when loading playlists: Clears the Queue List if you load a playlist file into the queue. When unchecked, retains the current Queue List and adds the contents of the newly loaded playlist file to the end of the current queue. Note that playlist files (m3u, pls, etc) can be loaded by right-clicking in the Enqueued Files list above (or in the Manage Mode of the JTF dialog) and selecting 'Load playlist into queue'.
  • Load playlist into the queue when Winamp starts: Lets you specify a playlist file to always load into the queue at every Winamp startup. When checkmarked, the Browse button on the right become clickable...
• Menus & Buttons
  • Function Button Organization: With these options you can control which function buttons are shown in the JTF dialog. Check/uncheck to taste. Note that the 'Close' button cannot be unchecked due to compatibility reasons with the default built-in JTF dialog. Click the 'Left' and 'Right' buttons to move the buttons to personal taste. Click the 'Help' button for more info.
  • Playlist Editor Menu Organization: Lets you specify which of JTFE's menu entries should be displayed in the right-click context menu for items in the Playlist Editor window. Select/Deselect the available menu items according to personal taste. Use the 'Up' and 'Down' buttons to rearrange the selected menu items according to taste. Click the 'Help' button for further info.
    • Queue selected: Queues up the selection to be played next.
    • Jump to file: Opens the 'Jump to File' window.
    • Move after current: Moves the selection after the currently playing track.
    • Jump to file options: Opens the Winamp Prefs at the JTF page (ie. here).
    • Manage queue: Opens the Winamp Prefs at the JTF -> Enqueue List tab.
    • Clear queue: Clears the queue list (if any).
    • Queue album from playlist: Lets you queue up an external playlist file.
    • Crop to queue: Removes all playlist entries except for those in the queue.
    • Queue selected and randomize: Same as 'Queue selected' but randomizes the order of the queued selection.
    • Random queue from current playlist: Randomly selects an item from the current playlist to be played next.
  • Put menu items in a submenu: When checkmarked, all of the selected menu items appear in a "Jump to file" submenu. When unchecked, the selected items all appear as individual entries in the main right-click context menu instead.
  • Add to the bottom of the menu: When checkmarked, the selected menu items (or single submenu item) appears at the bottom of the right-click context menu in the Playlist. When unchecked, the Jump To File menu/submenu stays in the default position, which is usually third from the top of the list.
  • Preview: Shows you a preview of how your selection will look in the Playlist menu.
  • Allow the Middle mouse button to add files to the queue: Lets you use the middle mouse button to enqueue items (in addition to the 'Alt+click' and 'Q' key methods). Note that this option will only work if the middle mouse button isn't already assigned to a double-click action in your mouse control panel.
• Misc.
  • Toggle 'Jump to file' window if visible and hotkey is pressed again: Makes the J hotkey toggle the JTF window on and off. If unchecked, then J just opens the JTF dialog, but doesn't close it.
  • Flash playlist entry when using 'Show entry in playlist': Flashes the playlist entry when selecting that option in the right-click context menu for items in the JTF dialog, and also in the right-click 'Send To' menu for items in Local Media views in the Media Library.
  • Use inverted selection color for the flashing: Inverts the flashing color selection when using the above option/feature. If not checkmarked, uses the same color as the one selected for queued items in the Display tab.
  • Disable the sorting of the 'Jump to file' search results: By default, the search results in the JTF dialog are sorted alphabetically. Checkmarking this option makes the search results to be listed in the exact same order as they are in the current playlist.
  • Prevent Winamp from scrolling the current file into view: When checkmarked, the playlist window will no longer automatically scroll the current file into view when the next song starts playing. Note that you can still use the Spacebar to manually scroll the currently playing file into view, if needs be.
  • Limit the number of search results to be displayed up to... __: Helps to provide a faster search response when searching through large playlists. Enter a number to limit the search results to (default limit is 7000, adjust to taste).
  • Filter search results: Semicolon-delimited Filter list for excluding certain entries from being displayed in the JTF search results, eg. to exclude streams and other protocols, use: http://;mms://;rtsp://;uvox://;linein://;x:\.
  • Delay from last typing action before the search is processed: When you type letters in the JTF search field, determines how long a delay to use before processing the search results. Adjust the slider underneath to taste, eg. a value of "500 ms" will cause a half-second delay.

Subpages: Double click "Jump To File" in the left pane to expand/collapse accordingly.

• Missing Files
  • Highlight the background of missing playlist entries: Highlights dead entries in the playlist (ie. an entry which points to a file that no longer exists in the specified folder or no longer has the specified filename). You can then either easily remove the missing entries, or you can use the "Playlist Entry" dialog (via the right-click context menu, or Ctrl+E) to fix them (use the 'browse' button in said dialog to search for the new location of the moved/renamed file).
  • Options: Click the 'Options' button to choose a highlight color for missing files.
  • Exclude shared folders when checking: Option to exclude shared/network folders from the above check for missing files.
  • External File Modification Tracking – Enable the updater: Option to make Winamp check for missing files in the playlist at the specified interval. This setting is useful for updating the current playlist to highlight any files that have been externally moved/renamed within the current Winamp session. Adjust the slider underneath to specify the frequency of the check, eg. every 4 seconds. The default setting is 'disabled' (all the way to the left). The lowest available 'enabled' setting is every 1 second, which is one notch up from 'disabled', and is as close to real-time as you can get. Note that this option may use a small amount of extra cpu/memory.
• ML Options- Media Library Integration Options:
  • Enable Media Library 'JTFE Queue Manager' view: Inserts a 'JTFE Queue Manager' node into the left pane of the Media Library. When said node is selected, a JTFE-style Queue Manager view appears in the right pane, where you can view and manage the Queue List (instead of doing so via the Queue Manager mode in the JTFE dialog or the 'Enqueue List' page in the Preferences).
  • Enable Favorite Queue playlist features (for managing and using of predefined queues): Inserts 'Add to Favorite Queue' (only when the Queue List is populated) and 'Load favorite into queue' options into all instances of the JTFE Queue Manager's right-click menu. Lets you add favorite playlists to be listed under the JTFE Queue Manager node in the Media Library, thus making it easy to load full playlists into the JTFE Queue.
  • Enable 'Add to queue' entry on the 'Send to' menu: Inserts an 'Add to queue' entry in the 'Send to' menu when you right-click items in the Local Media views of the Media Library. Basically, this option makes it so you can add songs from the Media Library into the JTFE Queue List.
  • Enable 'Add to queue and play' entry on the 'Send to' menu: Inserts an 'Add to queue and play' entry in the 'Send to' menu when you right-click items in the Local Media views of the Media Library. This acts the same as 'Enqueue & Play' (see 'Shell Options' above), but for media library entries.
  • Insert files at the start of the queue: When using the above 'Send to' menu options, adds the queued files to the start of the current queue, if one already exists.
  • Insert files at the end of the queue: When using the above 'Send to' menu options, adds the queued files to the end of the current queue, if one already exists.
  • Query the Media Library if no valid playlist files are found when using 'Queue album from playlist': Does exactly as it says on the tin...
  • Add playlists from 'Save current search' into the Media Library playlists: When checkmarked, playlists created when using the 'Save current search' feature in the JTFE dialog will also be added to the Playlists section in the Media Library.
  • Add playlists from 'Save current queue' into the Media Library playlists: When checkmarked, playlists created when using the 'Save current queue' feature in the JTFE dialog will also be added to the Playlists section in the Media Library.
  • Add files to the playlist editor when using the 'Add to Winamp's Media Library' action in Windows Explorer: When checkmarked, also adds files to the end of the current playlist as well as adding the files to the Media Library database. When unchecked, just adds the files to the ML database only.
• Extras
  • Queue Manager Window
    • Enable 'Queue Manager' window: Enables the separate/external Queue manager window and adds a "Queue Manager (Alt+Q)" item to Winamp's main menu.
    • When selecting the 'Manage Queue' action open: Queue Manager -or- Plugin Preferences: Either opens the separate 'Queue Manager' window or the 'Enqueue List' preferences page when selecting the "Manage Queue" action in the 'Jump to File' submenu of the Playlist Editor's right-click menu.
  • Winamp File Types Addition
    • Enable 'File Types' preferences page additions: When enabled, will display the current filetype icon next to the file extensions in the list on the main 'File Types' page above.
  • Miscellaneous Features
    • Enable windowshade mode for classic skin frame windows: Enables windowshade mode for general plugin frame windows such as the Media Library. Note that this option is for Classic skins only, not Modern skins.
    • Attempt to fix compatibility issues with nView: This option is for users with nVidia graphics cards who have enabled nView, and then find that the keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) no longer work in Winamp. Checkmarking this option should hopefully fix this issue.

General Preferences: Orgler Preferences

Refer to the full comprehensive Orgler Preferences guide below.

Media Library Preferences

Following are options within Media Library Preferences

Media Library (top-level)

• Library Options:
  • Double click or Enter Options: Select whether to Play or Enqueue selected items.
  • Play all items on double click in playlists: Places all entries in the Media Library playlist into the Playlist Window and starts playing the selected/double-clicked item first. If unchecked, then just the selected playlist item(s) will be played or enqueued (depending on the setting above).
  • Play search results on double click in media views: Places all entries in the Local Media view into the Playlist Window and starts playing the selected/double-clicked item first. If unchecked, then just the selected item(s) in the Local Media view will be either played or enqueued.
  • Column Resizing Behaviour:
    • Resize only the selected column: Resize columns in the normal way.
    • Resize column and adjust adjacent column: Resize the column and adjust other columns.
    • Resize column and adjust all columns proportionately: Resize one column, but adjust other columns proportionally.
  • Main Window lightning bolt opens Media Library instead of About Box: Self-explanatory...
  • Save ratings to file for compatible formats (default: off): Checkmark this option to save 1-5 star ratings to the file tags for mp3, ogg, flac & wma files. When unchecked, ratings are saved to the Media Library database instead.
  • Show all playlists on Send To menu: When checkmarked, shows all playlists in one big list in the Send To menu. When unchecked, places a single Media Library Playlist entry in the Send To menu which opens a separate Playlists dialog when clicked.
• Online Media:
  • Internet Media Rating Preferences: Specify Ratings: Allows you to specify what content ratings are made available in the Online listings (Shoutcast Radio, TV & Wire, Winamp/AOL Videos, etc). Useful for filtering out Adult/X-Rated material. Also has a security option for password-protecting this dialog.
• Tree Options: Here you can specify the visual style of the Media Library's tree.
  • Show icons next to the tree items: Enables or disables the tree icons in the Media Library.
  • Highlight full tree item: Specify whether to highlight the full row or just the text (for the active view item).
  • Allow right-click to make tree item the active view: When unchecked, just pops up the context menu when right-clicking a tree item. When checkmarked, also makes it the active view.
  • Tree item height (default is 18): Specify the height of the spacing inbetween each tree item (accepted values of 1-60).
  • Show eject icons next to the CD/DVD drives: Shows or hides the Eject icon on the right-side of the CD drive items.
  • Group CD/DVD drives under the 'Rip & Burn' parent: When checkmarked, groups all CD drives under the 'Rip & Burn' parent node. When unchecked, each CD drive becomes a separate tree item (can especially be useful if user only has one CD drive).
• Appearance:
  • Media Library uses same font as Playlist Editor: Makes the Media Library use whichever font is selected in General Preferences > Playlist (useful for providing Unicode character support).
  • Use freeform scrollbars when available: Specify whether or not to use skinned scrollbars in the Media Library for Modern skins which support them.
  • Use alternating row colors in list views when available: Specify whether or not to use a slightly different shade for alternating rows in lists such as the Local Media "Tracks" pane (with supporting skins only).
  • Use skinned menus: Specify whether or not to use skinned menus (Library button, right-click menus, etc) in the Media Library. Uses standard old-skool Windows style menus if unchecked.
    • Rating Column Appearance: Various options which affect how the Rating column is displayed in the Local Media views...

Local Library

Media Library: Local Library

• Options:
  • Display "Show Info" in media and album views: While viewing local media, display related information in a pane.
  • Remember search filters in media and album views: Keep media and album search terms in the search field until they are cleared or changed.
  • Enable 'Recently Played' in the Library: When enabled, Winamp will keep track of when and how many times Local Library items are played. This setting needs to be checkmarked for Last Played dates/times and Play Counts to increment. Note that this setting is not associated with (and does not affect) the 'History' view in the Media Library, which is controlled separately via the History settings.
    • Wait x seconds before tracking items: Waits the specified length of time before incrementing the playcount.
    • Wait x percent of playback before tracking items: Waits until the specified percentage of a song has played before incrementing the playcount. Both options (time / percentage) can be enabled, and Winamp will use whichever of the two values is reached first.
  • Use library title information for Playlist Item Formatting: Use library data for titles instead of ID3 tags (or equivalent).
  • Display 'Refine' search field in album views: Add an additional field that allows you to further refine search results.
  • Do not load the Library database at Winamp start-up: Dictates whether or not to load the media library database in the background when Winamp starts. Checkmarking this option can save memory.
  • Use Artist as Album Artist if not available: Makes the Local Library database automatically store the Album Artist field the same as the Artist field, if the Album Artist field is empty on import.
  • Search query delay: Adjustment for how long it takes the Search in Local Library views to start showing results (default 250 ms).
  • Clear Library: Click the 'Clear Library' button to remove all items from your local library database. Note that this action will not physically remove your media files from disk. On clicking, you are presented with a simple Yes/No confirmation dialog.
• Watch Folders:
  • Media found in the following folders will be automatically added to the Library: A list of directories used for creating the Local Library database.
  • Add folder: Add folders to scan for supported media files.
  • Edit selected: Edit the properties of a selected folder.
  • Remove selected: Remove selected folders.
  • Rescan now: Rescan the listed folders for media.
  • Automatically add played files: Automatically add all played files to the local library database.
  • Rescan folders at startup: Rescan the listed folders for new media when Winamp is loaded.
  • Automatically remove missing files from library: On rescan, automatically remove files that are no longer present in the listed folders.
  • Rescan folders every __ minutes: Rescan the listed folders for new media at minute intervals specified by the number you type.
  • Metadata Reading Settings: Click 'Configure' to modify how title information is read when importing media files.
    • Configure:
    • Read file metadata tags on import if available: Read track metadata (artist, album, genre, etc) if available.
    • Use the following detection logic when 'Any/All' information is missing: Determines whether to guess missing information if 'Any' or 'All' of the metadata is missing in the file tags.
    • Smart: Detect the way metadata is included automatically.
    • Simple: Detect metadata using the Artist\Album\Title format.
    • No guessing: Disables guessing. If any metadata is missing, then all empty fields will remain empty, except for the Title field which (if empty) will be populated by the filename.

Online Services

• Allow sections to auto-resize: Uncheck to disable auto-resizing of Online Services sections.
• Cache Prederences: Click 'Modify Preferences' to specify the media cache preferences.
  • Keep pages cached for: Select for how long you want pages to be cached (default is 'One Hour').
  • Maximum bandwidth for media in Kbytes __: Specify the maximum quality for video streams made available in the Winamp Music and AOL Videos section. This setting greatly depends on your internet connection speed.
  • Minimum bandwidth for media in Kbytes __: Specify the minimum quality for video streams. Note that this setting is not used by some sections.

Podcast Directory Settings

• Subscription Updates / Update Every: Specify how often to automatically update any podcast subscriptions. If 'Never' is selected, then you will need to manually update your subscriptions via the Podcasts interface in the Media Library.
• Update on Launch: When checkmarked, updates your podcast subscriptions on Winamp launch.
• Download New Media Automatically: Select between: None, Most Recent, Last Two, Last Three or Last Five Episodes. When anything other than 'None' is selected, episodes for subscribed podcasts will be auto-downloaded accordingly.
• Download Location: Specify a folder for storing your downloaded podcasts. If manually typing a location (as opposed to clicking the 'Browse' button), note that this folder must already exist.

Media Library: CD Ripping

• Encoder:
  • Encoding format: Choose an encoding format to use when ripping CDs.
  • Encoder options: Choose quality and encoding options such as bitrate and stereo vs. mono.
• Ripping:
  • Maximum speed at which Winamp should rip CD's: Choose a speed at which to rip CDs. Note: To rip CDs at speeds greater than 4x, you must purchase Winamp Pro.
  • Read audio data from CDs using bundled Sonic extraction engine: Use the Sonic extraction engine included with Winamp. If unchecked, Winamp will attempt to use the system's ASPI driver or, if not available, the native NT SCSI API (Windows 2000/XP or later)
• Output File Settings:
  • Specify the destination folder for ripped tracks: Click 'Browse' and select a folder in which to store your ripped CD tracks, or type the location in the field provided (note, if typing manually, the specified folder must already exist).
  • Specify the naming convention for ripped tracks: Type the file naming format to use with ripped CD tracks. Click 'Format Help' to learn more about the formatting strings.
  • Use uppercase file extensions: Use uppercase characters for file extensions. For example, Winamp would use ".AAC" instead of ".aac".
  • Automatically add ripped files to media library database: Add files created when ripping CDs to the Media Library.
  • Automatically add tags with metadata to ripped files: Add metadata to files created when ripping CDs, if possible.
  • Automatically calculate Replay Gain: Automatically calculates and applies ReplayGain values to ripped files. This is a hidden process which occurs at the end of each individual track. The default behaviour is to apply Album Gain (which also applies Track Gain). Note that enabling this option may considerably slow down the overall ripping process.
  • Write track numbers as track/total (eg. 12/15): If unchecked, just writes track numbers as single integers.
  • When tagging ripped CDs, make track numbers start with: Type a number at which track numbering should start. The default value is "1".
  • Add the following to the comment field of ripped files: Type a comment to use in the comment section of metadata, eg. Ripped by Winamp.
• Playlist Generation:
  • Create the following playlists: Select the types of playlists you want to create when ripping CDs.
  • Specify the naming convention for M3U and PLS playlists: Type the playlist format to use with ripped CD tracks. Click Format Help to learn more about the formatting strings.

History

• Enable 'History' view in the Media Library: Enables or Disables the History view. The History view will keep track of when and how many times any items are played through Winamp.
  • Track when and how many times all files are played: Keeps a track of local files.
  • Track when and how many times all streams are played: Keeps a track of internet streams.
  • Limit tracking to items played in the last __ days: If checkmarked, you can specify for how many days you want to limit the tracking.
  • Tracking Control
    • Wait X seconds: Waits X amount of seconds before tracking begins.
    • Wait X percent: Waits until the specified percentage of file playback has elapsed before tracking begins.
    • Wait until the end of complete playback: Waits until playback has finished before tracking items.

Media Library: Portables

• Copy to Local Media Filenames: Specify where to save files when using the 'Copy to Local Media' feature to copy files from portable devices to your hard drive (note, this feature also automatically adds the copied files to your Media Library database).
  • Use CD Rip Settings: Checkmarked by default. Uses the same Destination Folder and Naming Convention as specified in the 'Output File Settings' tab of the CD Ripping settings. When unchecked, the following two options become available:
  • Specify the destination folder for copied tracks: Click 'Browse' and select a folder in which to store the copied tracks, or type the location in the field provided (note, if typing manually, the specified folder must already exist).
  • Specify the naming convention for copied tracks: Specify the naming convention for ripped tracks: Type the file naming format to use with ripped CD tracks. Click 'Format Help' to learn more about the formatting strings.
• Note: The following sections are only populated when devices are connected to the system. Select each individually detected device/player listed underneath the Portables root menu to access the configuration for said portable device.
• Sync: These options affect what happens when you click the 'Sync' button for your listed device in the Portables section of the Media Library.
  • Playlist Sync: Select whether to 'Update selected playlists only' or to 'Update all playlists except those selected'. The list underneath will be populated by whatever playlists are stored in the Playlists section of the Media Library.
  • Library Sync: Update all songs from my Local Media Library: Checkmark this option to sync all songs listed in the Local Media section of the Media Library. Note that this option is limited to the amount of space available on your portable player.
  • Use the following query to specify media types to be included: Use the 'Edit Query' button to specify the types of files you want to sync. This is useful for specifying audio filetypes only, and not video filetypes, or for specifying certain artists, filetypes, genres, ratings, etc.
  • Auto Sync: Automatically sync my device upon connection: Checkmark this option if you would like to auto sync your device when it is connected and/or when Winamp loads.
  • If I haven't done a Sync in __ hours: Specify the number of hours to elapse before Auto Sync can occur. If set to "0" then Auto Sync will always occur on every connect and/or Winamp load.
• Podcast Sync: Sync __ most recent episodes of: Select how many podcast episodes per podcast channel to sync (default value is '3' most recent) and whether to sync 'All podcasts' or 'Selected podcasts' only. When 'Selected podcasts' is checkmarked, the list of podcasts (if any) becomes active for you to specify individual items. This list is populated by any podcasts you've subscribed to via the "Podcasts > Subscriptions" view in the Media Library.
• Autofill: These options affect what happens when you click the 'Autofill' button for your listed device in the Portables section of the Media Library. Autofill will select songs to fit on your device based on ratings and playcounts. Unlike Sync, it will select a different set of songs each time.
  • Make higher rated songs more likely to be included in the Autofill: Checkmark this option to give priority to songs with a higher rating. This will make sure that as many songs as possible with a rating of eg. 4 or 5 will be sent to the device first.
  • Aim to Autofill the device __% full: Move the slider accordingly. If you don't want your device to ever become 100% full, then reduce the slider setting to taste.
  • Use this query to fine-tune what songs shoul be included in the Autofill: Click the 'Edit Query' button to fine-tune the Autofill criteria. You can use this to limit the minimum length of songs, eg. using a query of "length > 30" will ensure that files less than 30 seconds long will not be sent to the device. Clear the query field if you would prefer to set no limits, or modify the query string accordingly to suit your personal taste.
  • Autofill full albums only: Checkmark this option if you want Autofill to only send full albums to your device, as opposed to individual tracks.
  • Autofill my device immediately on connection: Checkmark this option if you want Autofill to occur every time the device is connected and/or when Winamp loads.
  • If I haven't done an Autofill in __ hours: Specify the number of hours to elapse before Autofill should occur. If set to "0" then Autofill will always occur on every connect and/or Winamp load.
• Transcoding: These options affect what happens when you try to sync or copy over songs to your device which are not compatible, ie. files which are in a format which is not supported by your device (eg. if you try to copy ogg, flac or wma files to your iPod).
  • Enable Transcoding of incompatible tracks: Checkmark this option to enable Transcoding. When enabled, file formats in an incompatible format will be automatically converted to a format which is compatible for your device.
  • Advanced Settings:
    • Force transcoding of compatible tracks if bitrate is over __ kbps: Checkmark this option if you want transcoding to occur even for compatible formats, when the bitrate is higher than the specified value. For example, if you type in "250" then all compatible formats (eg. mp3, m4a, aac for iPod) above this bitrate will be transcoded. This option is useful if your device is short on free space, or if you want to be able to fit more songs on the device, by force transcoding to a smaller bitrate.
  • Format: Select a compatible format from the drop-down menu. In most cases, the default "MP3 Encoder" will suffice, as MP3 is supported by all devices. But note that MP3 Encoding is only available with Winamp Pro, therefore non-Pro users will need to select a different Encoder. The encoder-specific options appear underneath and can be fine-tuned to personal taste, if required.
  • Highly Preferred: When set to 'Highly Preferred', then this encoder will be given precedence over others. To disable an individual encoder so it won't be used for transcoding, select 'Do not use' from the drop-down menu.
• View: Media Display Settings:
  • Two Filters: Default setting. When checked, two panes appear in the top section of the Media Library View for this portable device. Note, the Tracks pane along the bottom is always there, and is not included in the total Pane count.
  • Three Filters: Changes the Media Library View for this device to three panes along the top section.
  • Filters: Specify which Filters to display for the two or three panes. Choose between any of the following combinations: Artist, Album, Genre, Year, Artist Index (A-Z) (supported by all devices); Album Artist, Publisher, Composer, Album Artist Index (A-Z) (supported by: iPod, USB, P4S devices only).
  • Show Video files in a separate view: Checkmark this option to show video files in a separate 'Video' view for your Portable device.
• Advanced: Extra options for supported devices only. Note: This tab only appears for USB drives/players managed by pmp_usb.dll and Android devices managed by pmp_android.dll, but not for P4S, Creative, or ActiveSync devices. An Advanced tab also appears for iPods, but only includes options for gapless playback.
  • File Name Format: Specify the destination folder on your usb device where you want the files to be copied to, and also specify the file naming format. For example, to copy to a folder named MP3, and to retain the original filenames, use: X:\mp3\<filename> (where X: is the correct drive letter). Click the "Format Help" button for further info & instructions.
  • Playlist Directory: Click the "Browse" button to specify a folder on your device where to save playlists. Note that this folder must already exist on the usb drive.
  • Supported Formats: Type in a list of formats supported by your usb device. For example, standard usb mp3 players might only support MP3. Whereas standard usb thumbdrives and flash drives support the storage of all file formats. Click the "Syntax Help" button for further instructions.
  • Delete Empty Folders: Checkmark this option if you want winamp to delete empty folders on your usb device/drive.
  • Save and Rescan: Click this button to save settings and rescan the device. Note that changes to settings on this page are automatically saved regardless.
  • Refresh Cache: Click this button to clear the internal cache on the usb drive.
  • Playlist Writing Options: Some devices require a backslash or dot or neither at the start of each playlist entry. Select the method that is compatible with your device. In most cases, the default option will suffice.

Skins Preferences

These are the options within the Winamp Skins preferences:

• Skins (top-level)
• Classic Skins
• Modern Skins

Skins (top-level):

• Installed skins: A list of the available skins.
• Set skins directory: Click this to change the folder where skins are located.
• Random skin on play: Automatically and randomly use a new skin every time a new track is played.
• Rename current skin: Click this to rename the selected skin.
• Uninstall current skin: Click this to uninstall the selected skin.
• Current skin information: Lists information about the selected skin, if available.
• Get skins: Click this to get new skins online.

Classic Skins: These preferences apply only to Classic Winamp2.x skins.

• Classic Skins Options:
  • Dim window titlebar when not in focus: Dim the title bar unselected Winamp windows.
  • Dock skinned windows at __ pixels: Type the numbers of pixels at which to dock Winamp windows to the nearest window.
  • Enable smooth window resizing for resizeable skinned windows: Allow resizable Classic windows to be resized smoothly.
  • Always show Winamp "Clutterbar" in main window: Always show the "Clutterbar," which gives quick access to frequently used options. The Clutterbar is not available in all Classic skins.
  • Display tooltips in Winamp's main window: Show small pop-up tips when the mouse pointer is over buttons and interface elements
  • Use doublesize setting on equalizer as well as main window: When the main window is doublesize, make the equalizer doublesize too.
  • Oldschool playlist button behavior: Use the classic, single-click behavior with play list buttons.
  • Use skinned mouse cursors: Use Winamp (or skin-specific) mouse cursors instead of the system mouse cursors.
  • Use skinned font for main window title display: Use a Winamp font for the main window title display instead of the system font.
  • Litestep VWM compatible mode (no screen snap): Allow Winamp to take advantage of the Litestep Virtual Window Manager, if available.
  • Always on Litestep Virtual Desktops: Make Winamp always appear on Litestep Virtual Desktops, if available.
  • Display playlist position in the song scroller: Shows or hides the playlist item number in the Classic songticker title.
• Classic Visualization:
  • Classic visualization settings: Choose Spectrum analyzer, Oscilloscope, or No visualization.
  • Visualization refresh rate: Use the slider to choose how fast you want visualization to be refreshed.
  • Analyzer coloring style: Choose Normal style, Fire style, or Line style. Each still will make the spectrum analyzer look different.
  • Show peaks on analyzer: Show peaks to indicate how high the spectrum analyzer has reached.
  • Analyzer band width: Choose Thin for narrow bands or choose Thick for broader bands.
  • Analyzer falloff speed: Use the slider to choose how fast you want spectrum analyzer bands to drop back down.
  • Analyzer peak falloff speed: Use the slider to choose how fast you want spectrum analyzer peaks to drop back down.
  • Oscilloscope: Choose Dots, Lines, or Solid to determine the oscilloscope style.

Modern Skins: These options only apply to Modern Winamp 3.x and higher skins.

• General:
  • Timers Resolution: Use the slider to choose the timers resolution. This affects the speed and performance of the built-in spectrum and beat visuals. Higher values (slider towards the left) use more CPU.
  • Text Scroll Speed: Use the slider to choose how fast you want text to scroll in the main window songticker.
  • Move text __ pixels: Specifies how many pixels to move the text (default value is 1).
  • Enable Tooltips: Show small pop-up tips when the mouse pointer is over buttons and interface elements.
  • Dock windows at __ pixels: Type the numbers of pixels at which to dock Winamp windows to the nearest window.
  • Dock toolbars at __ pixels: Type the numbers of pixels at which to dock Winamp toolbars to the edge of the screen or nearest window.
  • Scaling: Link all windows in all skins: When checkmarked, uses the same scaling as the main window for all Winamp windows.
  • WindowShade scale follows Normal Window Scale: When checkmarked, uses the same scaling for WindowShade (stick) mode as in Normal mode.
  • On Window Close/Reopen: Select either "Reset window scale" or "All windows remember their scale" (recommended).
• Alpha Blending:
  • Enable Desktop Alpha Blending: Use alpha blending to make the skin smooth blend in with the desktop (Windows 2000 or later only). Note that alpha blending uses more CPU, but not all modern skins make use of it (eg. the default Winamp Modern skin doesn't use alpha blending at all).
  • Opacity: Link all windows in all skins: Use the same opacity as the main window for all other Winamp windows. Select underneath between: Auto Opaque on Focus or Hover, or No Auto Opacity.
  • WindowShade opacity follows Normal Window opacity: When checkmarked, uses the same opacity settings for WindowShade mode as in Normal mode.
  • Auto Opaque: Adjust the 'Fade In', 'Hold' and 'Fade Out' sliders to taste.
• Font Rendering:
  • Use FreeType internal TTF rendering for older skins: Specifies whether to use Winamp's internal truetype font renderer (uses more CPU and memory) or the Windows OS font renderer instead. This setting affects the text in the titlebar for individual windows, and also the text in the main window songticker (depending on whether some of the other options below are also enabled/disabled). You may get better results for displaying unicode characters if you uncheck this option under non-English/Latin based OS'es. Also note that as from Winamp 5.5, Modern skins which a version of v1.3 or higher (such as Bento or Winamp Modern) no longer use this option, regardless of whether it is checkmarked or not.
  • Charmap Encoding: Select a character set from the drop-down list, if required (the default 'Auto' setting should suffice in most cases). Note that this setting is mainly used for rendering non-standard fonts.
  • Use the alternate fonts if the skin defines them: If checkmarked, uses the font defined in the current skin (if any). This setting is not recommended if you require support for unicode characters.
  • Keep primary font in strings that contain only 7-bit chars: Uses the specified skin font for English characters only.
  • Use skin font mapper: Allows you to set specific fonts for specific skins and/or components.
  • Allow use of bitmap fonts that have not been mapped: Uncheck this option if you require support for Unicode (non-Latin) characters.
  • TrueType Replacement for Winamp Charset bitmap fonts (Replace with): Specify a font to replace the internal bitmap font, eg. if you require support for multiple character sets (Latin, Cyrillic, Oriental, etc) then select a suitable font such as 'Arial Unicode MS'.
  • Increase/Decrease size: Increases or decreases the font size in the main window songticker accordingly.
  • Keep bitmap font in strings that contain only 7-bit chars: Retains the default bitmap font for English characters only.
  • Default / Fallback: If the current skin doesn't specify a font, or specifies a font that cannot be found on the system, then use this font instead.
  • Increase/Decrease size: Increases or decreases the size of the above-specified font in the main window songticker accordingly.
• Color Themes: Choose on the listed color schemes available for the current skin.
  • Set Theme: Click this to apply a selected color theme.

Plug-ins Preferences

These are the options within the Winamp Plug-ins preferences:

• Plug-ins (top-level)
• Input
• Output
• Visualization
• DSP/Effect
• General Purpose
• Media Library
• Portables

Plug-ins (top-level):

• Visualization plug-in directory: Click this to choose a new plug-in visualization folder.
• DSP/Effect plug-in directory: Click this to choose a new DSP/Effect folder DSP/Effect plug-in directory.
• Visualization plug-in priority: Use the slider to choose how much priority should be given to visualizations.
• Auto execute visualization plug-in on playback: Automatically start visualizations when a track is played.
• Disable built-in visualization when visualization plug-in active: Don't display the main window visualization if a visualization plug-in is active.
• Disable SEH for vis/dsp/general plugins: Disables Structured Exception Handling. Useful for plugin developers, not recommended for everyday users.
• Flush plug-in name cache: Clears the plug-in name cache.

Input: Input Plugins, also known as Decoders, determine what file types are supported by Winamp. For example, Nullosft MPEG Audio Decoder (in_mp3.dll) is required for Winamp to support mp3 files, Nullsoft Vorbis Decoder (in_vorbis.dll) is required for Ogg Vorbis support, etc. If in_vorbis.dll is not present in the Winamp\Plugins folder, then Winamp will not be able to play files with the .ogg extension. Each individual Input plugin has its own respective configuration. This could include options such as priority class, streaming buffer sizes, file extensions handled by the plugin, and other options specific to the filetypes handled by each respective Input plugin.

• Input plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp input plug-ins.
• Configure: Configure the selected plug-in.
• About: List information about the author(s) of the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

Ouput: Output Plugins determine the method of playback used by Winamp. Only one Output plugin can be active at once, and the highlighted Output Plugin is the active one. The recommended Output Plugin for normal playback is 'DirectSound Output' (out_ds.dll). 'DirectSound Output' provides extra features such as multi-speaker output, gapless playback, and crossfading. The old Win9x 'WaveOut Output' method is outdated and not recommended for usage under Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista, although Windows 2000 users will need to make sure DirectX v8 or higher is installed first. Other Output plugins can be used for converting file formats. For example, when Diskwriter is active (highlighted) then Winamp will convert the played files into WAV files. Diskwriter config contains options for the quality of WAV to produce and what folder to save the created WAV files in. When Diskwriter is active, playback will be much faster and you will hear no sound. Note that the Diskwriter method is now considered to be outdated, and newer versions of Winamp now come with a built-in Transcoding Tool (Format Converter) which can be accessed via the "Send To" menu when you right-click items in the Playlist and Media Library windows. Therefore, in most cases, you should never need to change the active Output plugin from the default 'DirectSound Output' selection.

• Output plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp output plug-ins.
• Configure: Configure the selected plug-in.
• About: List information about the author(s) of the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

Visualization: The highlighted Visualization plugin is the active one.

• Visualization plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp visualization plug-ins.
• Plug-in module: Select a module included with this plug-in.
• Start: Start the selected plug-in and module.
• Stop: Stop the selected plug-in and module.
• Configure: Configure the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

DSP/Effect: The highlighted DSP/Effect plugin is the active one. Select 'None' to disable.

• DSP plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp DSP/Effect plug-ins.
• Plug-in module: Select a module included with this plug-in.
• Configure active plug-in: Configure the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

General Purpose: General Purpose plugins add extra functionality and features to Winamp.

• General Purpose plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp General Purpose plug-ins.
• Configure selected plug-in: Configure the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall selected plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

Media Library: Media Library plugins enhance and add extra features to the Media Library

• Media Library plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp Media Library plug-ins.
• Configure selected plug-in: Configure the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall selected plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.

Portables: Portable plugins generally have little or no configuration. Most options for connected Devices can be found via the Portables section of the Media Library Preferences.

• Portables plug-ins: Lists the currently installed Winamp Portables plug-ins.
• Configure selected plug-in: Configure the selected plug-in.
• Uninstall selected plug-in: Uninstall the selected plug-in.
• Get plug-ins: Click this to get more plug-ins online.