VLC Media Player

About this release

VLC is on almost every machine that has ever had to open an unfamiliar file, and the reason is simple: the codecs are inside the player. There is no codec pack to install, no filter chain to configure and no format that needs a separate download. Point it at a container it has never seen and it will usually work out what is inside and play it, including partially downloaded files and discs with damaged sectors.

The playback engine is far more capable than the plain window suggests. Subtitle handling covers embedded tracks, sidecar files and multiple simultaneous tracks with adjustable delay, font, outline and position. Audio covers multichannel output, device selection, a graphic equaliser, compressor, spatialiser and per track normalisation. Video covers deinterlacing, aspect correction, crop, rotation, filters and frame by frame stepping.

It is also a converter and a streaming tool wearing a player's coat. The convert and save dialog transcodes between containers and codecs with a profile picker, the stream output can push a file or a capture device onto a network, and the network stream input opens a URL as readily as a local file. Screen capture and webcam capture are both available as sources.

Everything is free and open, there is nothing bundled with it, and the interface can be skinned or reduced to a bare window if the controls are in the way. Playlists, media library, extension scripts and a full keyboard shortcut map are all there for anyone who wants them, and entirely out of the way for anyone who does not.

What it does

Codecs built in

Plays effectively any container and codec without a separate codec pack or filter setup.

Damaged and partial files

Opens incomplete downloads and discs with read errors instead of refusing them.

Deep subtitle control

Embedded and sidecar tracks with delay, font, outline, position and multiple simultaneous tracks.

Audio processing chain

Equaliser, compressor, spatialiser, normalisation and multichannel device routing.

Convert and stream

Transcode between formats with a profile picker, or push a source onto a network.

Capture sources

Screen and camera capture available as inputs for recording or streaming.

Changed in this version

• Improved hardware decoding on current graphics hardware.
• Better handling of variable frame rate recordings from phones.
• Subtitle renderer gains sharper text at high display scaling.
• Fixed audio device switching when a device disappears mid playback.
• Faster startup on machines with very large media libraries.

System requirements

Install order

1. Unpack the archive to any folder.
2. Run the installer and choose which file associations you want it to take.
3. Launch once and set the preferred audio output device in preferences.
4. Turn on hardware decoding in the input settings if playback of high resolution files stutters.

Worth knowing before you start

File details