VLC Media Player

About this release

VLC is the media player people install first on a fresh machine because it plays what everything else refuses. The codecs are built in, so an obscure container or an unusual audio track opens without the codec pack chase that used to come with playing downloaded media. Point it at a file, a disc, a capture device or a network stream and it just plays.

Under the plain playback window is a surprisingly deep toolset. It reads and writes a long list of formats, so it works as a quick converter when you need to turn one file into another without opening an editor. It can stream media out over a network, capture from a webcam or capture card, and record what it is playing, which is why it ends up doing a dozen small jobs on a set beyond simply showing a clip.

It is also endlessly adjustable without getting in your way. Playback speed, audio and subtitle track selection, frame stepping, a full set of video filters and adjustments, subtitle sync correction, and an equaliser are all a menu away. It stays light, launches instantly, runs on hardware far older than most current software supports, and asks for nothing in return.

What it does

• Built in codecs that open almost any file or container without extra packs
• Playback of local files, discs, capture devices and network streams
• Format conversion between a wide list of audio and video types
• Streaming output over a network and recording of the current source
• Frame by frame stepping and adjustable playback speed
• Audio, subtitle and video track selection with subtitle sync correction
• Video filters, deinterlacing, cropping and image adjustment controls
• Ten band equaliser with presets and audio normalisation
• Customisable interface with skins and a compact mode
• Runs on old hardware and older Windows versions that newer players drop

Changes in this version

• Updated codec support for current camera and phone formats
• Improved hardware decoding path on recent Intel and AMD GPUs
• Fixed a subtitle timing drift on some long files
• Better behaviour when opening damaged or partially downloaded media
• Smaller memory use during long playback sessions

What the package contains

• VLC Media Player full installer
• Both 32-bit and 64-bit packages
• All interface languages
• Default skin plus a small skin selection
• Readme with the install order written out step by step

Installation notes

Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.

1. Extract the archive to any folder.
2. Run the installer matching your architecture, 64-bit on a modern machine.
3. Accept the default component selection unless you want to trim it.
4. Finish the wizard and launch the player once.
5. Set it as the default handler for the file types you want if you like.
6. That is all, there is no activation step for this one.

System requirements

Things worth knowing

• This one is genuinely free and open source, there is no activation and nothing to bypass.
• Turn on hardware decoding in preferences if 4K playback stutters on a capable machine.
• It will happily become the default for every media type, pick the ones you actually want it to own.

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Listing information

This entry is catalogued under Video & Motion and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, over 50 interface languages, and the supported platform list is Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11. Version 3.0.23 is the current catalogued build, last checked 1 week ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 3 years ago.