The synchronization partnership

In a partnership, content can be synchronized automatically or manually between one user's library on one computer with one device. Windows Media Player can support up to 16 synchronization partnerships, which means that you can synchronize content in your library with up to 16 different devices that you connect to your computer.

When you connect your device to your computer for the first time, Windows Media Player starts the Device Setup Wizard, which helps you create a partnership between the Player and your device. When you establish the partnership, you must specify whether content in your library will be synchronized with your device automatically or manually. Afterward, every time you connect your device to your computer, the Player and the device begin synchronizing the content you selected (if you specified automatic synchronization), or synchronization will not start until you select the content and specify the order in which it is synchronized (if you specified manual synchronization).

If you connect a device that already has a partnership with a user's library to a different user's library or a library on another computer, the Device Setup Wizard offers to use the device with that library just for the current session, or to switch the device’s partnership to the new library permanently. If you don't switch the partnership to the new library, certain features are disabled, such as synchronizing updated ratings and play counts between the device and the computer. Also, the content that was synchronized with the device during the current session cannot be managed by the Player that has a partnership with the device. If you need to delete this content to free space on the device, you must do so manually.

Note

• If you set up automatic synchronization with a user's library on another computer and your device, any synchronized content from the previous partnership remains on the device and can still be played. However, this content reduces the amount of space available for storing synchronized content under the new partnership. To delete content left on a device from a previous partnership, click the device in the Items on Device Pane (the right side of Sync), select the content on the device, and then click the Delete button.

 Caution

• If you delete a synchronized file, playlist, or category from your library, this information is communicated between the Player and the device during synchronization, and the corresponding file, playlist, or category is deleted from your device to maintain the synchronization partnership. For example, if you delete a playlist from your library that is part of a synchronization partnership, the corresponding playlist on your device is also deleted from your device the next time that you connect it to your computer. Therefore, we highly recommend that you do not use your device as a form of backup storage for your library.

Related topics

• Synchronizing content with devices