Overview
VLC is the answer to a file that will not play. It carries its own decoders for effectively every container and codec in normal use, plus a great many that are not, so it does not depend on what is installed on the system and it does not send you looking for a codec pack. Point it at a video, an audio file, a disc image, a partially downloaded file or a network stream and it will usually just start playing.
This is the standard installer with nothing added. No toolbar, no bundled second program, no opt out checkbox buried on the third page, and no telemetry. It is offered here because a lot of the copies floating around elsewhere are not clean, and because a working player is the first thing most people install on a fresh machine.
Playing files that other players refuse
The decoder set is the whole point. Old formats, obscure formats, files with a broken index, files that are still downloading, files with the wrong extension, discs with a damaged sector: VLC will make an attempt at all of them and usually succeed. A partially downloaded video plays up to wherever the data stops, which is the fastest way to check that a large transfer is worth finishing.
Subtitles are handled properly, including external files that sit alongside the video, embedded tracks, and the styled formats that carry positioning and typography. Timing can be nudged live with a keystroke while the video plays, which is the fix for a subtitle file that runs slightly ahead or behind.
Streams, discs and capture
It plays network streams as readily as local files. Paste a stream address in and it opens, with buffering that can be raised for an unreliable connection. It can also work in the other direction and send a stream out over the network, which is a quick way to get a video onto a second machine without copying it.
Discs play with menus where the disc supports them. Capture devices, including webcams and capture cards, appear as sources, and the same interface will record what it is playing to a file. None of this needs a plug-in.
Conversion, filters and the things people forget it does
The convert dialog will remux or transcode a file to another container or codec, which covers most of the small conversion jobs that people otherwise upload to a website to do. The audio side has a full equaliser, a compressor and a normaliser, and the volume can be pushed well past a hundred percent for a recording that was made too quietly.
Video filters cover rotation for a clip shot the wrong way up, deinterlacing for older material, cropping, and basic colour adjustment. Playback speed is adjustable in fine steps with pitch correction, which makes it usable for transcription work.
What you get
- Built in decoders for effectively every container and codec in use
- Plays incomplete, damaged and mis-extensioned files
- External, embedded and styled subtitle support with live timing offset
- Network stream playback and outbound streaming
- Disc playback with menus, plus webcam and capture card sources
- Recording of anything it can play, straight to a file
- Convert and remux dialog for quick format changes
- Full audio equaliser, compressor and volume boost past a hundred percent
- Video filters for rotation, deinterlacing, cropping and colour
Inside the archive
- VLC installer, 32 and 64 bit
- Interface skin selection
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
- Notes on raising the network buffer for unreliable streams
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer, 32 or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any current x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB, 2 GB for high resolution video |
| Storage | 200 MB |
| Graphics | Any, hardware decoding used where the driver exposes it |
| Network | Only needed for streaming |
Installing it
- Run the installer and take the 64-bit build unless the machine is 32-bit only.
- Leave the component list at the default. There is nothing bundled to decline.
- Decide during setup whether it should take over file associations. It can be changed later.
- Open it once and set the network buffer higher if you plan to use streams.
- Turn off the update check in preferences if you want the build to stay where it is.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Not needed at this size | Online |
Release history
- Hardware decoding path restored on the current graphics drivers
- Fixed a stall on files with a damaged index near the start
- Subtitle renderer updated for the styled format edge cases
- Improved seeking on very long single file recordings
- Fixed audio device switching while playback is running
- Added decoders for several newer camera formats
- Reduced startup time on machines with very large playlists
Questions about this release
Is anything bundled with the installer?
No. This is the clean installer with no toolbar, no second program and no opt out checkbox.
Do I need a codec pack alongside it?
No, and you should not install one. VLC carries its own decoders and a system wide codec pack usually causes more problems than it solves.
Can it play a file that is still downloading?
Yes, up to the point the data stops. It is the quickest way to check a large transfer is worth finishing.
Why is a network stream stuttering?
Raise the network caching value in the input preferences. The default is tuned for a reliable connection.
Comments
Subtitle offset with a keystroke while it plays has saved me more times than I can count.
Used the convert dialog to remux a batch of clips. Not fast but it worked without installing anything else.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Clean installer, checked it. No extras, no nag, plays the security camera files nothing else would open.