Cannot play purchased Movies & TV anywhere

scarbear 0 Reputation points
2026-04-21T23:07:58.77+00:00

I bought the complete series of a TV show on January 1, 2023.

I can no longer access the purchase anywhere.

When I open Movies & TV, it says to go to the Media Player. When I go to the Media Player, I don't see my purchases anywhere. I can't access purchases in the Microsoft Store or online either. I understand the purchasing of Movies & TV was discontinued in 2025. However, the method of accessing Purchases that is listed in the article (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/watch-movies-and-tv-shows-on-the-microsoft-movies-tv-app-59328422-053f-30b3-843a-f8774567a85e) does not work for me.

I contacted Microsoft Support multiple times over this, without a solution. At one point, I was offered a refund, but I had to disconnect due to the time that was spent waiting and talking to multiple representatives.

I re-installed the Movies & TV app multiple times, and upgraded to Windows 11, at the suggestion of one representative, and I have done that, to no effect.

I think this might have to do with the fact that I am on an Education license. But this is such a big bug that I cannot access my previously purchased content anywhere, and we are approaching a year since the service was discontinued.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Microsoft Store
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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-21T23:08:15.3733333+00:00

    Previously purchased Movies & TV content remains accessible only through the Microsoft Movies & TV app on Windows and Xbox, not through the new Media Player or the Microsoft Store purchase pages.

    Key points from the current behavior and documentation:

    1. Movies & TV purchases are still supported for playback
      • Microsoft has stopped selling new Movies & TV content, but previously purchased movies and TV shows are still available for playback on Windows and Xbox devices via the Movies & TV app.
      • Downloads of purchased content continue to be available on Windows and play in up to HD resolution.
    2. Content cannot be moved to Media Player or other services
      • Purchased Movies & TV content cannot be transferred or moved to another service or app. The new Media Player app does not surface Movies & TV purchases.
      • Access remains tied to the Microsoft Movies & TV app only.
    3. How access is expected to work
      • On Windows, install/open the Movies & TV app from Microsoft Store:
        • Press the Windows logo key, type “Microsoft Store”, press Enter.
        • Search for “Movies & TV”, select it, then choose Get to install if needed.
        • Open Movies & TV (Windows key → type “Movies & TV” → Enter).
      • In the Movies & TV app, the Purchased section is where bought or rented movies and TV shows should appear when signed in with the same Microsoft account used for the purchase.
    4. If Movies & TV is missing or not working correctly
      • If the app is not visible in Microsoft Store or cannot be installed, first reset Microsoft Store:
        • Press Windows key + R, type wsreset.exe, select OK.
        • After the Store reopens, search again for “Movies & TV” and install/open it.
      • If the app is present but does not show the Purchased section or the series:
        • Confirm that the signed-in Microsoft account in the Movies & TV app is the same one used for the original purchase.
    5. Education license and account type
      • The entitlement to Movies & TV purchases is tied to the consumer Microsoft account used at purchase time, not to the Windows edition (Home/Pro/Education). Using Windows 11 Education should not, by itself, remove access, but if the device is managed by an organization, policies could affect Microsoft Store and app availability.
    6. When self-service steps fail
      • The documentation explicitly states that support is available for issues with previously purchased Movies & TV content and that refunds for movies/TV are normally ineligible under the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale.
      • Because the content is not appearing anywhere despite the expected support model, and a refund was already offered once, the next step is to work directly with Microsoft Support again and reference this as an issue with accessing previously purchased Movies & TV content that should still be playable in the Movies & TV app.

    In summary, the only supported way to access the purchased series is via the Movies & TV app on Windows or Xbox while signed in with the purchasing Microsoft account. If the app is installed and the correct account is used but the purchase still does not appear, the resolution must come from Microsoft Support, which can investigate the entitlement on the account and either restore access or handle it as an account/billing case.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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