Windows Media player may have just been the default media player on many Windows versions but it was actually pretty decent. The most useful feature was the toolbar that appeared when the player was minimised but for some reason, MS omitted this feature in Windows 10.
Download the zip file below and extract the wmpband.dll from the appropriate folder according to your system architecture (typically the 64 folder).
Copy the file to the C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player folder.
Using Services.msc (CTRL+R and type it in), stop the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.
As administrator, run the following command in the command prompt (CTRL+R and type cmd):
regsvr32 “c:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmpband.dll”A success message should appear after a few seconds. Launch Windows Media Player and minimise it.
Right-click on the Taskbar, go to Toolbars, and then select Windows Media Player. Click Yes if you get the “The Windows Media Player toolbar isn’t compatible with this version of Windows” message.
The Windows Media Player toolbar will now be visible in the taskbar.