Monday, December 26, 2016

Movie Maker and Photo Gallery went away on January 10, 2017

Update: This post has been updated to reflect the state of Windows Essentials 2012 now that the deadline has passed.

Microsoft announced it has stopped supporting Movie Maker and Photo Gallery (part of Windows Essentials 2012) as of January 10, 2017.

Here are a few questions and answers:

Are the programs still available for download? 
The web installers and offline installers that used to be available at download.live.com have all been removed. The following response to a question on Microsoft Answers might help:
Where to get a Safe Download of Movie Maker

Where are the Windows Essentials Offline Installers for other languages?
They have all been removed from the Microsoft website.

What happens to Movie Maker (and Photo Gallery) if it is already installed?
Already installed applications will continue to work as they do today but there will be no updates.

What are the recommended alternatives for Movie Maker and Photo Gallery from Microsoft?
As part of the Fall Creators Update to Windows 10, the Photos App now includes the ability to create a movie from your photos and videos. You can either let it start the process using the Create > Video remix option, or you can do it yourself using the Create > Video project.


What other options are there? 
ProVideoCoalition has posted their Free Video Editing Software Guide for 2017.

37 comments:

  1. Is there a way to download it now?

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    1. So far the links above still work. But I suggest you get the installer now, in case Microsoft drops it.

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    2. Microsoft has now removed the offline installers also, but I was able to archive the English installer at least. I've updated the link above.

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    3. Thanks for this... I was able to install and it works fine as far as I can tell so far. It's much appreciated.

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  2. Hey Blaine,

    I don't know if you'll see this or not, but just in case, I wanted to let you know that on my YouTube channel (youtube.com/Reetae27) I just finished up a MASSIVE 9-hour review of the show Lost, which I did entirely on Windows Movie Maker 6.0. I'm writing to you because your WMM upgrades, which I downloaded and used, were invaluable for it; I honestly would've run out of footage had I not been able to substantially slow down videos through one of your upgrades, which is why I thanked you at the end of my last video.

    Anyway, just wanted to let you know that your blog has been an enormous help, even after WMM has technically died off. Keep up the good work, no matter what it is, and thank you for all you've done!

    - Reetae

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  3. Thank you, I did not know we were not able to use online installer. I had 2011 version and 2012 version installed but may need to reinstall windows 10 creation update. This will help me keep it as I do not like new windows photo app. Movie maker only program ik of to.

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  4. I can't believe you would do this for those of us that got stuck with a new computer and no way to use Movie Maker. Thank You!

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  5. Blaine - thank you so much for the info. I am a wedding videographer and I recently bought a new Win 10 PC and things have been hectic with the transition. One of the unpleasant surprises has been not being able to find WMM preinstalled!

    The version you link to above didn't work for me for some reason. Do you know if www.winmoviemaker.com is a legitimate download?

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    1. That site does seem to link to the same archive.org links. And they appear to be for different languages besides just English, so that looks like a good resource.

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    2. K-Lites codec pack also makes mp4 possible
      for those that cannt mp4 in mm6, however 1280/720 has slow spawning o the preview window when frame stepping making it perfectly usable for someone more patient than i. (note that avi still turns funny tint) 854x480 produces an owl city green line bug on the side. or grey. so yeah im not sure why blain 'doesnt use dvd' when wmm doesnt seem to operate smoother above 480h and mm8 even has to convert a 1280x720 first. idk does yours work bettr than mine that i downloaded from you? lol

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  6. Under my desk, my old laptop with Windows 7 will still run Windows Live Movie Maker. My newer Windows 10 system of course doesn't have it. Is there a method by which I can get the application program from my old laptop into my newer one?
    I assume not, so...
    As to your link you linked to here...
    English (United States)
    http://web.archive.org/web/20170112124505/http://wl.dlservice.microsoft.com/download/C/1/B/C1BA42D6-6A50-4A4A-90E5-FA9347E9360C/en/wlsetup-all.exe
    The posting specified seeking a remedy for a Win7 computer, so must I avoid trying it in a Win10 computer?
    Thanks!

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  7. Hello, it's awesome that you have this site. One thing I have noticed is that auto-updates to win10 remove MMv6 installations so it has to be reinstalled. Last time, this worked for me, but after the most recent update and reinstall of MM, now when I run MM, it also launches media player. Moreover, the media player immediately errs out saying that it can't detect any windows media updates. It doesn't seem to be a showstopper but it is annoying.

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    1. It is annoying that the update process constantly wipes out the older Movie Maker each time. And yes, they are now attempting to get rid of links to the older Windows Media Player which is somehow part of the start up process of Movie Maker. I've been trying to figure out how to remove this nag screen. Obviously we can just dismiss it each time, but it would be better if it didn't show at all.

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  8. So often sites that appear to be 'helpful' end up being rubbish or a scam.

    I rarely say this but your site just saved me heaps of time. Simple and straight to what I wanted.

    Thank you for preserving WMM 6.0 for me. New laptop, Win 10, giving me the shits.

    Well done, buddy. Thanks.

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  9. just trying to load photos again on windows live photo gallery and Microsoft blocked it

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  10. I just purchased a windows 10 laptop....movie maker is non existent and the one on the app store is a bad joke. Is there a way that I can download the windows 7 movie make on my new laptop? If not, I'm thinking of returning this windows 10 laptop. Thank you.

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    1. See the link above (where to get a safe download)

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    2. BTW, the apps on the Microsoft App store are not made by Microsoft. Please check the developer name and also read the reviews (especially the negative ones, not the padded positive reviews). That developer is just try to use the name "Movie Maker" (e.g. HD Movie Maker - PRO) to make people think it's related to the original versions.

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  11. Thank you, thank you, THANK. YOU!!!!!

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  12. I have Movie Maker installed but the version I have doesn't give me the burn DVD option. If I remove Windows Essentials 2012 and reinstall it with a different installer, (I have already downloaded wlsetup-all.exe , and have tired to reinstall it but it says that it already installed. If I remove Windows Essentials 2012 and re install do you think I will get the burn DVD option? I have been using DVDFlick but have had problems with the sound and video syncing

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    1. The option only appears if you are running on Windows Vista or Windows 7 where Windows DVD Maker is installed. On Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 the program is no longer installed and hence the option isn't present. There is no way to install Windows DVD Maker on these later OSes, so you have to continue using 3rd party programs. Personally I don't use DVDs anymore since they are limited to 480p resolution.

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  13. Blaine, thanks very much for all your efforts. One thing I noticed that is missing from older versions of movie maker is the option to save as youtube video. Is there an addon from you or other to make this possible again?

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    1. There used to be a set of add-ons, but as services added additional security (like two-factor authentication) these started breaking. Honestly I always just saved to my PC and then used the upload in YouTube or Vimeo, etc. That still works obviously.

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  14. Great work! Been using this version for all of my videos. Still has best transitions compared to other softwares. Works on my Win 10 and Win 8.1.

    PS I'm sending you my 1600x900 HD profiles you can include in your site or to installer. They go to c:\program files\movie maker\shared\profiles

    It was quite an effort to discover what works, to make my videos play HD and at the standard framerate.

    720p 25/33fps doesn't work on Win10 nor Win 8.1, doesn't load. 1080p works on Win 10, loads on both, but on win 8.1 image gets stretched! 24fps works on any resolution. Probably restrictions from Microsoft.

    ...1600x900 works on both systems and at the standard 25/33 framerates, so here you go:

    https://www2.irb.hr/korisnici/hdagelic/HD-profiles1600x900.zip

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  15. Still works as of August 2020. Can't thank you enough.

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  16. hey blaine, mine unfortunately does not work, can you help?
    I have a 64 bit windows 10 but it does not start the download when i click the link...

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    1. Are you using the link above "Where to get a Safe Download of Movie Maker"? You can also try the www.winmoviemaker.com website. Both of those links end up pointing to an archived copy of the offline installers at archive.org.

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    2. Or if you are talking about other installers on this website (MSI files), you might have to right-click on them and choose "Open link in New Tab".

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  17. For anyone still looking for a stable version of Windows Movie Maker that runs on Windows 10, this link still works, as of Feb 2021. You're welcome.
    http://web.archive.org/web/20160423192125/http:/wl.dlservice.microsoft.com/download/1/9/4/194B1919-A211-441F-BC0E-34F6B533B876/en-gb/wlsetup-all.exe

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  18. Blaine. I desperately need your help. I know NOTHING about any of this, but I recently found my husbands proposal to me (2012) on a jump drive and desperately want to figure out how to open it. Please email me and help! Thank you!

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    1. Is it a movie (.wmv or .mp4)? Or is it just the project file (.wlmp)? The project file alone is not enough to view the video. The project file only contains the instructions on how to assemble the media (photos, video, music). Do you have all that in the jump drive too? Do you have Movie Maker 2012? What happens when you try to open the project file?

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  19. It just says it's a MSWMM file. I think he made the video on an old laptop that we have since gotten rid of. That is all that is on the jump drive. I do not have movie maker 2012. I downloaded the WMM you have on one of your blog posts and it only shows the first clip. The rest is just Red X's. I was wondering if I converted it to something else, could we watch it?

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    1. That's also a project file. The red Xs mean there is no associated media for that portion of the timeline. There is nothing to convert because there is no media on the jump drive, it's unfortunately on the laptop. I'm really sorry.

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