VLC Media Player Features

Powerful Playback Engine

VLC handles files, discs, webcams, devices, and network streams. If it is media, VLC can play it.

VLC media player software box design showing the iconic orange cone and product branding

Play Any Format Without Extra Software

VLC includes a complete set of codecs and decoders built in. There is no need to download separate codec packs, plugins, or third-party tools. From the moment you install VLC, you can play virtually any media format.

Whether you have an old AVI file, a modern H.265/HEVC video, a lossless FLAC album, or a network stream, VLC handles it seamlessly.

DVD, Blu-ray, and Audio CD playback with menu support
Network streaming via HTTP, RTSP, RTP, MMS, and more
4K, 8K, HDR, and 10-bit video playback
360-degree video and 3D audio support

Supported Formats and Codecs

VLC supports a vast range of audio and video formats natively, without requiring additional downloads.

Video Codecs

MPEG-1/2, H.263, H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-4 ASP, DivX, XviD, VP8, VP9, AV1, Theora, WMV 1/2/3, VC-1, Cinepak, DV, MJPEG, Sorenson, Indeo, Real Video, Dirac.

Audio Codecs

MP3, AAC, Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, ALAC, AC3, E-AC-3, DTS, TrueHD, WMA, Musepack, Speex, Wavpack, TrueAudio, APE, Real Audio, AMR, MIDI, LPCM, ADPCM.

Container Formats

MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, FLV, OGG, OGM, WMV/ASF, MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, WebM, 3GP, MXF, Nut, Real Media, WAV, SMF, Creative Voice.

Subtitle Formats

SRT (SubRip), SSA/ASS, MicroDVD, SubViewer, SAMI, VPlayer, VobSub, USF, Closed Captions (CEA-608/708), Teletext, PGS, DVB.

MP4 MKV AVI MOV FLV MP3 FLAC AAC OGG WMV WEBM H.264 H.265 VP9 AV1 DTS AC3 SRT

Advanced Capabilities

Beyond basic playback, VLC offers a rich set of tools for streaming, conversion, and media management.

Hardware Decoding

GPU-accelerated decoding with zero-copy on supported hardware. Offload video processing to your graphics card for smooth, efficient playback.

Network Streaming

Open and play streams from HTTP, RTSP, RTP, UDP, MMS, and other protocols. VLC can also serve as a streaming server.

Media Conversion

Convert media files between formats using built-in transcoding. Change containers, codecs, resolution, and bitrate without extra software.

Video Effects and Filters

Apply color adjustments, cropping, rotation, deinterlacing, noise reduction, sharpening, and geometric transforms in real time.

Audio Equalizer

10-band graphic equalizer with presets for rock, pop, jazz, classical, and more. Fine-tune audio output with compressor and spatializer effects.

Subtitle Support

Load external subtitles in SRT, SSA, ASS, and other formats. Adjust timing, font, size, position, and encoding. Supports embedded subtitles too.

Skins and Extensions

Change the look of VLC with downloadable skins. Extend functionality with Lua-based extensions from the official VLC addon repository.

Screen Recording

Record your desktop screen or capture video from a webcam directly within VLC. Useful for quick recordings without third-party tools.

Privacy Focused

No telemetry, no user tracking, no advertisements. VLC is fully open-source under the GPL license. Your media habits stay private.

VLC media player full interface overview on Linux KDE showing playlist panel, media library, and About dialog

Stream from Anywhere

VLC can open and play media from local files, network locations, and streaming protocols. Browse your local network, connect to media servers, or open a direct stream URL.

HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and MMS streams
RTP and RTSP for live media streams
UDP unicast and multicast reception
UPnP/DLNA and SMB local network browsing
Chromecast output for casting to your TV