Software # How can I prevent AlbumArtSmall.jpg, Folder.jpg, and AlbumArt.jpg files?

Many users on the internet complain that their music collections are cluttered with AlbumArt.jpg and Folder.jpg files and wonder where these files come from. In short: These are the preview images used by Windows Media Player to display files in its library.

The Creation of Myths

These files have been increasingly created since Windows Media Player 9 Series also by retrieving media information from the internet – but not only because of this.

In Windows Media Player, the corresponding option is called "Retrieve media information from the Internet." This option allows the Media Player to download information such as album titles, artist names, and album images from the internet to complete the media library.

This option is usually found under the WMP settings:

Open Windows Media Player.
Click on “Tools” in the menu bar (if the menu bar is not visible, press the Alt key, which will temporarily display it).
Select "Options" from the dropdown menu.
Go to the "Library" tab.
Here you will find the option “Retrieve media information from the Internet.”

By the way, since Microsoft ended support for Windows 7, the database has been shut down server-side, so this checkbox is now ineffective.

The fact is that this setting in the past only led to an increase in the occurrence of JPG files. However, if you have a well-maintained MP3 collection with album cover images directly embedded in the MP3s, these files will also be extracted by the Media Player on offline devices and saved as AlbumArt.jpg and Folder.jpg. For MP3s that do not have an embedded album cover but have ID3 tags, the album cover was downloaded from the internet due to this setting and also saved as AlbumArt.jpg and Folder.jpg.

A Proper Solution

(Media Player and Art Cache folder) There is no option in Windows Media Player to disable the creation of the JPG files. However, there is a workaround that causes a silent error in Media Player, preventing it from creating more JPG files.
It should be noted in advance: The consequence of this workaround is that Media Player will no longer display previews in the library.

In the folder C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Media Player (Vista and newer) and C:\Documents and Settings\xxx\Application Data\Local Settings\Microsoft\Media Player (2000/XP), whereas xxx must be replaced with the Windows username, there is a hidden subfolder called Grafikcache in German and Art Cache in English.

If you close Windows Media Player, delete the mentioned hidden folders, and then create a new, empty file named Grafikcache and, to be safe, also Art Cache (both without file extensions), the Media Player will no longer be able to create a folder with the same name, and the preview image generation will be interrupted. From this cache, the Media Player would otherwise move the files as AlbumArtSmall.jpg, Folder.jpg, and AlbumArt.jpg into the respective folders where the MP3s are located.

"The rules of NTFS": In a folder, there cannot be both a file and a folder with the same name at the same time. Windows Media Player won't complain. It's that simple.

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