These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
7 more ways to get VLC media player
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by VideoLAN, a non-profit organisation. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install vlc - Homebrew
brew install --cask vlc - Flathub
flatpak install flathub org.videolan.VLC - Snap Store
snap install vlc
About VLC media player
VLC decodes the formats it supports itself instead of handing them to system codecs, so a file that will not open anywhere else usually opens here. It plays local files, DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, webcams and capture devices, and network streams, and it runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS from the same project.
The player uses hardware decoding where the platform offers it and falls back to software decoding when it does not. VideoLAN states plainly that there is no spyware, no advertising and no user tracking in it. The desktop releases are still on the 3.0 series while the 4.0 rewrite is in development.
Strengths
- Plays an unusually wide list of codecs and containers out of the box, including MPEG-1/2, H.264, H.265, VP8/VP9, Theora, FLAC, ALAC, Vorbis, Opus and DTS
- No spyware, no advertising and no user tracking, stated on the project feature page
- Hardware decoding on most platforms with an automatic fallback to software decoding
- Runs on Windows from XP SP3 through Windows 11, plus macOS, Linux, Android and iOS builds from the same project
Limitations
- The stable desktop line is still 3.0.23; the 4.0 interface rewrite has not shipped
- The interface is functional rather than modern, and advanced options are buried in preference dialogs
- Playing encrypted commercial Blu-rays needs keys VLC does not ship
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Developer
- VideoLAN, a non-profit organisation
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Opening any video file on any machine without thinking about codecs
- Categories
- Media players
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Media); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 5 sources on file.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
mpv
A minimal, scriptable media player with high quality video output and no real interface to get in the way.
MPC-HC
A small, fast Windows video player with a classic interface and DirectShow filter support.
RetroArch
One front end for dozens of emulators, with unified settings, shaders and a controller setup you only do once.
