VLC Media Player
Version 3.0.23 · VideoLAN · Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (32-bit and 64-bit) · ranked #64 in the library
The player that opens whatever you throw at it because it carries its own decoders instead of leaning on the ones the system happens to have installed, which is why a file that plays nowhere else plays here.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
VLC plays almost every media file, disc, stream and capture device without needing a codec pack installed alongside it. That is the whole reason it is on so many machines: it ships with its own decoders for practically every container and codec in circulation, so a file that the system player refuses to touch usually just opens. There is no separate download to make an unusual format work, and nothing it installs interferes with anything else on the machine.
Underneath the plain window is a genuinely deep toolkit. It streams over a network, transcodes from one format to another, records from a capture card or webcam, plays incomplete or damaged files that other players give up on, and handles subtitle tracks, multiple audio tracks and chapter navigation cleanly. The equaliser, the video filters, the playback speed control and the frame by frame stepping are all there for anyone who needs more than play and pause.
It is free and open source with no advertising, no account and nothing bundled into the installer. This build is the standard release with both architectures available, and it runs equally happily as a full installation or unpacked as a portable copy on a stick. Nothing about it phones anywhere, and the only network use is the optional check for cover art and subtitles, which can be turned off.
What it does
Feature breakdown
Plays almost anything
Carries its own decoders for practically every container and codec, so no separate codec pack is ever needed.
Network streaming
Open a stream by URL, or broadcast one out, with support for the common streaming protocols built in.
Transcoding and recording
Convert a file from one format to another, or record from a capture device or a stream, from the same application.
Robust playback
Opens incomplete downloads and damaged files that other players refuse, and steps frame by frame when you need it.
Subtitles and multiple tracks
Handles external and embedded subtitles, multiple audio tracks and chapter navigation without fuss.
Filters and audio tuning
Equaliser, compressor, video filters, deinterlacing and adjustable playback speed for anyone who wants more than defaults.
Changed in this build
Version 3.0.23
- Updated decoders for several newer streaming container variants.
- Improved hardware accelerated decoding on recent GPUs.
- Fixed audio drift on certain variable frame rate recordings.
- Subtitle rendering refined for complex scripts.
- Several interface translations refreshed.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Extract the archive.
- Run the installer and choose the file associations you want it to handle.
- Pick a typical install unless you want to exclude components.
- Let it finish and launch the player.
- Turn off the network features in preferences if you want it fully offline.
- Nothing else. It does not run a background service.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Both architectures are in the archive. Use the 64-bit build unless the machine is genuinely 32-bit.
- A portable build is included for running from a stick with no installation.
- The only outbound use is optional cover art and subtitle lookup, which can be disabled.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Operating system | Windows 7 through Windows 11, 32-bit or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any modern x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB, more helps with high resolution playback |
| Graphics | Any GPU with a current driver for hardware accelerated decoding |
| Storage | 150 MB for the application |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- Do I need a codec pack?
- No. It carries its own decoders and installing a separate codec pack can actually cause conflicts.
- Can it convert files?
- Yes, the convert and save dialog transcodes between the common formats.
- Is there a portable version?
- Yes, included in the archive, keeping its settings next to the executable.
Download
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