I installed .NET 3.5 but Album Art Downloader still won't start. What now?

Make sure the feature is actually enabled (reopen Turn Windows features on or off and confirm the box is ticked). A restart is sometimes required. If it still fails, the problem is likely something else — see the site FAQ.

Troubleshooting – Album Art Downloader

Wrong Album Art Showing? How to Fix Mismatched Covers

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:44:36 +0000

Wrong Album Art Showing? How to Fix Mismatched Covers

You open an album and see the wrong cover — a greatest-hits compilation wearing the artwork of a different record, or every track showing a random image. Mismatched artwork is almost never a problem with the image file itself. It is a tagging or caching problem: the player is guessing which cover belongs to which album, and guessing wrong.

Work through the four causes below in order. In most cases the fix takes less than ten minutes.

The 4 Real Causes (and Fixes)

Cause 1 · WMP users

Windows Media Player cached the wrong cover

WMP keeps its own artwork cache and sometimes attaches the wrong image to an album — then keeps showing it forever. Fix: close WMP, delete its cache under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player, and let it rebuild the library. Then embed the correct cover with a tag editor so no player has to guess again.

Cause 2 · Compilations

The tags are wrong, so the art is wrong

“Various Artists” compilations are the classic case: if the album artist tag says “Various” on some tracks and “VA” on others, tools fetch different covers per track. Fix: normalize the tags first with Mp3tag or MusicBrainz Picard, then fetch and embed one correct cover for the whole album.

Cause 3 · Folder images

folder.jpg is in the wrong folder (or duplicated)

Many players fall back to a folder.jpg sitting next to the tracks. One misplaced or stale folder.jpg — or two competing images in the same folder — and the player shows the wrong one. Fix: check each album folder for stray images, keep exactly one correct cover per folder, and prefer embedding the art into the files themselves.

Cause 4 · Dead service

WMP’s “Find Album Info” can’t be trusted anymore

Windows Media Player’s online metadata lookup is effectively discontinued — “Find Album Info” frequently fails or returns mismatched data. Fix: stop relying on it. Fetch the correct cover with Album Art Downloader (which queries many sources at once) and embed it with Mp3tag.

Fix It Step by Step

Fix the tags first. Open the album in Mp3tag and make sure Artist, Album Artist, and Album are consistent across every track — especially for compilations.
Clear the player’s cache. In WMP, delete the cache folder and rebuild the library; in other players, use their “rescan / rebuild library” option.
Remove competing images. Delete stray or duplicate cover files from the album folder so there is exactly one correct image.
Fetch and embed the right cover. Find the correct artwork with Album Art Downloader, then embed it into every track of the album with Mp3tag. Embedded art beats folder.jpg every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does one album show different covers on different tracks?

The tracks have inconsistent tags (often the Album Artist field differs, e.g. “Various” vs “VA”), so the player fetched a different cover per track. Normalize the tags across the album, then embed one correct cover into all tracks.

How do I clear the Windows Media Player artwork cache?

Close Windows Media Player, open %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player in Explorer, delete its contents, and reopen WMP to rebuild the library. Back up anything important first.

Is folder.jpg or embedded art better?

Embedded art is better: it travels with the file to phones, USB sticks, and car stereos, and it can’t be confused by a misplaced folder.jpg. Use folder.jpg only as a fallback for players that need it.

Why does “Find Album Info” in WMP keep failing?

Microsoft’s online metadata service for WMP is effectively discontinued, so the lookup frequently fails or returns wrong matches. Fetch covers with a dedicated tool like Album Art Downloader instead, and embed them with Mp3tag.

Related guides

Mp3tag integration guide — fix tags and embed covers
Scripts guide — when a cover source stops working
Download Album Art Downloader — find the correct cover

Album Art Not Showing in Car? Fix It (Bluetooth / USB / CarPlay)

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:44:34 +0000

Album Art Not Showing in Car? Fix It (Bluetooth / USB / CarPlay)

Your songs show perfect cover art on your PC, but the moment you plug a USB stick into the car — or connect over Bluetooth — the screen goes blank or shows a grey music note. Here is the uncomfortable truth most guides skip: Windows Media Player and iTunes don’t save cover art inside your music files. They keep it in their own databases. Your PC looks fine because the player reads its database; your car only reads the file — and the file has no picture in it.

The real fix is to embed the artwork into each file (the ID3v2 APIC frame for MP3), so the cover travels with the music everywhere. Below are the four real causes and the exact fix for each.

The 4 Real Causes (and Fixes)

Cause 1 · Most common

Artwork was never embedded in the file

WMP and iTunes store covers in their own libraries. Copy the MP3 to USB and the picture stays behind on your PC. Fix: embed the cover into the file with Mp3tag (right-click the file → Extended Tags → add cover → save). Verify by playing the file in a different player, like VLC.

Cause 2 · Older head units

The image is too big for your car stereo

Many older car stereos only display small artwork (often around 500×500 px or less). A 1400px cover from iTunes can make the unit show nothing at all. Fix: resize the cover to 600×600 px before embedding — big enough to look sharp, small enough for picky head units.

Cause 3 · Bluetooth limits

Bluetooth AVRCP doesn’t carry the picture

Over Bluetooth, cover art depends on the AVRCP profile version: 1.3 sends text only, 1.4 and later can send artwork — and some car systems simply never forward the image. Fix: if Bluetooth shows no art, switch to USB or CarPlay / Android Auto, which read the embedded picture directly from the file.

Cause 4 · Stale index

The car cached the old (art-less) library

Car stereos index USB drives once and remember the result. If you fixed the files but the car still shows blanks, it is reading its stale index. Fix: delete the stick’s index if your unit allows it, or rename the USB volume / reformat and copy the fixed files fresh so the car rebuilds its library.

The 4-Step Fix That Works Everywhere

Find a high-resolution cover. Use Album Art Downloader to grab the best available artwork for each album — or our free online tool if you’re on another device.
Resize to a car-friendly size. 600×600 px JPEG is the sweet spot: sharp on modern screens, accepted by older head units, and it keeps file sizes small.
Embed it into the file. Open Mp3tag, select the album’s tracks, add the cover in Extended Tags, and save. Now the art lives inside the MP3.
Re-copy to USB fresh. Copy the fixed files to a freshly formatted stick (FAT32 or exFAT, as your car requires) so the head unit builds a clean index.

Cover Art Support by Connection

Connection	Shows embedded art?	Notes
USB stick	Yes	Most reliable. Keep images ≤600×600 for older units.
Apple CarPlay / Android Auto	Yes	Reads the file’s embedded art or the phone app’s art.
Bluetooth (AVRCP 1.4+)	Sometimes	Depends on phone + car combo; many units show nothing.
Bluetooth (AVRCP 1.3)	No	Text metadata only — no artwork by design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does album art show on my PC but not in my car?

Because players like Windows Media Player and iTunes store artwork in their own databases instead of inside the music file. Your PC reads the database; your car only reads the file. Embedding the cover into the file with a tag editor fixes it permanently.

What size should album art be for a car stereo?

600×600 px JPEG is a safe universal choice. Many older head units refuse images much larger than about 500×500 px, while 600×600 still looks sharp on modern displays.

Why is there no cover art over Bluetooth?

Bluetooth artwork depends on the AVRCP profile: version 1.3 transmits text only, while 1.4 and later can transmit images — and some car systems never forward artwork at all. USB or CarPlay / Android Auto are far more reliable for cover art.

I embedded the art but the car still shows nothing. Now what?

Your head unit is probably showing a cached index. Reformat the USB stick (or rename its volume) and copy the fixed files over fresh so the car rebuilds its media library from scratch.

Does CarPlay show album art?

Yes — CarPlay and Android Auto display the artwork embedded in the file (or provided by the phone’s music app), so embedding covers with Mp3tag is the most reliable way to see art in the car.

Related guides

Download Album Art Downloader — grab high-resolution covers first
Mp3tag integration guide — embed covers into your files
Free online album art tool — no install needed

How to Install .NET Framework 3.5 for Album Art Downloader (Windows 10/11)

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:23:09 +0000

How to Install .NET Framework 3.5 for Album Art Downloader (Windows 10/11)

If Album Art Downloader won’t start on Windows 10 or 11 — or Windows shows a message asking you to install the .NET Framework — this page walks you through the fix in about five minutes.

Why does Album Art Downloader need .NET Framework 3.5?

Album Art Downloader XUI (v1.05) was built on Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. Windows 10 and 11 ship with newer .NET versions but do not include 3.5 out of the box, so the program can’t run until you enable it. This is a standard Windows component — not something the program bundles — and enabling it is safe and reversible.

Method 1: Enable it in Windows Features (recommended)

Open the Control Panel (press Win + R, type control, press Enter).
Go to Programs → Turn Windows features on or off.
In the list, tick the box for .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0).
Click OK. Windows will download the needed files through Windows Update — this requires an internet connection and may take a few minutes.
Restart your PC if prompted, then launch Album Art Downloader again.

Method 2: Enable it with a command (alternative)

If the graphical method fails, you can enable the same feature from an elevated command prompt:

Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
Run this command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All
Wait for the operation to complete (it downloads files from Windows Update), then restart if asked.

Note: both methods need administrator rights on your PC. On a work or school computer, you may need your IT administrator to do this for you.

What if you have no internet connection?

The two methods above download .NET Framework 3.5 files from Windows Update. If the PC is offline, you can point the installer at a Windows installation disc or ISO instead (Microsoft documents a /Source option for the DISM command that accepts install media as the file source). Once .NET 3.5 is enabled from any source, Album Art Downloader will start normally.

Frequently asked questions

Is .NET Framework 3.5 safe to install?

Yes. It’s an official Microsoft Windows component, and installing it only adds the older framework libraries — it doesn’t remove or replace the newer .NET versions already on your system.

I installed .NET 3.5 but the program still won’t start. What now?

Make sure the feature is actually enabled (reopen “Turn Windows features on or off” and confirm the box is ticked and not half-filled). A restart is sometimes required. If it still fails, the problem is likely something else — see our FAQ.

Does this apply to Windows 7 or 8?

Windows 7 already includes .NET Framework 3.5, so you generally don’t need this fix there. Windows 8/8.1 also require enabling it the same way as Windows 10/11.

Will enabling .NET 3.5 slow down my PC?

No. The framework libraries just sit on disk until a program that needs them runs. There is no background service or performance cost.

Haven’t installed the program yet? Grab it from our download page first, then come back here if Windows asks for the framework.

Album Art Downloader Scripts Not Working? Fix It (2026)

Admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:23:07 +0000

Album Art Downloader Scripts Not Working? Fix It (2026)

Album Art Downloader finds covers through small search scripts (files ending in .boo) — one script per source site. When a script stops returning results, the program itself is usually fine. Here are the three real causes and how to fix each one.

Quick rule of thumb: if every source fails, suspect your setup or network. If only one or two sources fail while others work, those sources’ scripts are broken — skip to Cause 1.

Cause 1: The source site changed its website (most common)

This is the number-one reason scripts break, and it is completely normal. Scripts work by reading a source site’s pages; when that site redesigns its layout or changes its search URLs, the old script can no longer find anything. The program’s own update history is full of exactly these fixes — scripts for Amazon, Discogs, LastFM, Juno and others have been repaired many times over the years after their sites changed. More recently, the Qobuz script has broken and been fixed repeatedly.

What to do:

Update your scripts. Open Album Art Downloader and check for script updates (there is an option to check automatically and even download new scripts as they appear — a small notification appears under the sources list when new ones arrive). Outdated scripts are the single most common cause.
Disable the broken source for now. You can enable or disable individual sources; just uncheck the one that stopped working and keep using the rest.
Try a different source. With 20+ community script sources available, one site’s redesign should never leave you empty-handed.
Check the SourceForge discussion forum. When a popular script breaks, users usually report it there first, and fixed scripts appear there before anywhere else.

⚠️ The biggest misconception: reinstalling Album Art Downloader does not fix broken scripts. Scripts live separately from the program — a fresh install of v1.05 ships the same scripts you already had. If a source site changed, you need an updated script, not a reinstalled program. See our scripts guide for how script updates work.

Cause 2: Scripts are missing or in the wrong place

If no sources appear at all, or the program complains it cannot find scripts, the .boo script files may be missing from the Scripts folder (for example after moving the portable version to a new PC).

What to do:

Reinstall from our download page (the installer includes the full script set) — this is the one case where reinstalling helps.
Use the built-in “Get more scripts” function to browse and install any scripts you are missing.
If you write or download scripts manually, make sure the .boo files land in the program’s Scripts folder, not in a random subfolder.

Cause 3: Network, DNS or proxy problems

If scripts were working yesterday and suddenly all of them return nothing, the program may not be reaching the internet at all.

What to do:

Check that your browser can open the source sites — if the browser can’t reach them either, it’s your connection, not the program.
Temporarily disable VPNs or proxies; some source sites block datacenter and VPN IP ranges.
If you are on a school or office network, a firewall may be blocking the program’s requests.

Frequently asked questions

Why did a script that worked last month stop working?

Almost always because the source website changed something — a redesign, new search URLs, or new anti-bot measures. This happens regularly with every script-based downloader. Update your scripts and check the SourceForge forum for a fixed version.

Will reinstalling Album Art Downloader fix my scripts?

No — unless your script files are actually missing. Reinstalling replaces the program but ships the same scripts. Broken scripts need updated scripts, not a fresh copy of the program.

One source returns nothing but others work fine. Is that normal?

Yes. Disable that source for now and use the others. Check back after updating your scripts — broken sources are usually repaired within days or weeks by the community.

Where can I get help with a specific broken script?

The project’s SourceForge discussion forum is where script breakages are reported and fixed scripts are shared. Search there for the source name before posting.

New to scripts? Start with our scripts installation and update guide, or download the latest version to make sure you have the full script set.