How to use VLC Media Player

To use VLC, open the app, drop a video or audio file onto the window, and it plays straight away. That is all most people ever need — but the same free player also adds subtitles, converts files, plays online streams and records your screen, and this guide walks through each of those tasks step by step. VLC works almost identically on Windows, macOS and Linux, so the instructions below apply wherever you run it.

If you have not installed VLC yet, the download page has the verified installer for every platform and takes about two minutes to set up. Once VLC is running, follow the section you need below. For anything that does not behave as expected, the troubleshooting guide covers the most common fixes.

Two shortcuts are worth remembering. The fastest way to play something is to drag the file directly onto the VLC window. And on most systems you can right-click any media file in your file manager and choose Open with VLC. If you would like VLC to open a certain file type every time, set it as the default app for that format in your operating system’s settings.

The transport bar along the bottom of the window holds the everyday controls: play and pause, a seek bar, volume, a full-screen toggle and buttons for subtitle and audio tracks. You can do everything with the mouse, but VLC’s keyboard shortcuts are far quicker once they become habit:

• Spacebar — play or pause.
• F — toggle full screen.
• M — mute or unmute the audio.
• Up / Down arrows — raise or lower the volume.
• Left / Right arrows — jump back or forward a few seconds.
• ] and [ — speed playback up or slow it down; = resets to normal speed.
• E — step forward one frame, useful for finding an exact moment.

Almost every shortcut can be reassigned. Open Tools → Preferences (VLC → Preferences on macOS) and select the Hotkeys section to set the keys that suit you. A full overview of these controls and more is on the VLC features page.

A shortcut: if the subtitle file has the same name as the video and sits in the same folder, VLC often loads it automatically. The Subtitle menu also lets you switch between tracks embedded in the video, and you can restyle subtitle font and size under Tools → Preferences → Subtitles / OSD. See the supported formats page for the full list of subtitle types VLC reads.

Conversion can take a while for long or high-resolution videos — the seek bar shows progress, and the file is ready when it returns to the start. You can edit a profile if you need a specific codec, resolution or bitrate, for instance to compress a large file. The features page explains VLC’s conversion tools in more detail.

Streaming playback uses the same controls as a local file, so you can pause, adjust the volume or go full screen as normal. If a stream stutters, it is usually a network issue rather than VLC — the troubleshooting guide has tips for smoother playback.

VLC can save a still frame from any video and can also record video, including from your screen or a webcam.

To take a snapshot, play the video, pause on the frame you want, then open the Video menu and choose Take Snapshot — or press Shift+S on Windows and Linux. VLC saves the still image to your Pictures folder by default, and you can change that location in the preferences.

To record your screen or webcam, open Media → Open Capture Device. Choose Desktop as the capture mode to record the screen, or select your webcam to record from the camera, then use the record control to start and stop. The captured footage is saved as a video file you can play back or convert like any other.

You can also record a short clip from a video that is already playing: open View → Advanced Controls to reveal the record button on the transport bar, then press it to start and stop recording. With these tools plus everything covered above, you now have a solid working knowledge of VLC — explore the full features list to go further.