The default video player on macOS is QuickTime Player, but it lacks some profound features. For various reasons like limited functionality, few codecs, or restrictions on formats such as MKV, users end up wondering "How to change default video player Mac?". Keep reading to find the answer.
Playing videos and movies is one of the main functions that people use computers and laptops for. So, it’s important to have the best video player for Mac that supports a wide range of formats, including WMV, MPEG, MKV and does not require codecs.
While the built-in QuickTime is quite a good media player, most users prefer to use other media playback software. If you don't want your videos to open in the QuickTime player, there are several ways to change default video player. The process is really simple and straightforward.
Pick the video file
On your Mac device, open "Finder" and search for the file you intend to play. Press right-click on the video and choose "Get Info". You will have displayed an international multi-tabbed.
Accessing "Open With"
If you switch to the "Open With" tab, a drop-down menu will appear with the current default video player and other video players between you can choose from.
Pick your preferred media player
Now you should be in the aforementioned menu, here you can choose the intended application which will change default media player Mac device uses to open clips.
Approve the ajustments
Once the player is selected you have to press the "Change All" button. From now on, all the videos of that format type will be opened in the selected video player. You will be asked to confirm the change and you are done.
Note:
Bear in mind that this procedure works for one file format at a time. You have to repeat the steps for several different formats.
Whether you want to change the default video player for only one file without changing other files, you need to follow these easy steps:
Now that you know how to change the default media player, all you have to do is choose the best media player. There are many players and it is very important to find the one to meet your needs.
We encounter several media formats each day, among them will be MP4, MOV, MKV. Every file type has its specification. In order to make this decision easier for you, we recommend using Elmedia Player. You will never have to wonder whether this format is compatible or not because it will be difficult to find one that this video player for Mac won’t be able to play.
How you make it work just follow three easy steps:
Open the media file and then double-click on it.
After that, you have to drag it onto the Elmedia window. Another alternative for that is to choose "Open With" found in the context menu.
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Top features
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VideoDuke
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Elmedia Player
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QuickTime
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JustPlay
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VLC
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5KPlayer
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Complete support for video formats
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Complete support for video formats
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yes (AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4, WMV, MOV, DAT, M4V, MPG, DivX, MKV)
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yes (MOV, MP4, M4V, M4A)
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yes (MP4, AVI, MOV, SWF, DAT, MKV, etc.)
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yes (MKV, MP4, VOB, WMV, MPG AVI, etc.)
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yes (MKV, M2TS, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, etc.)
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Supports many audio formats
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Supports many audio formats
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yes (MP3, WMA, AC2, MKA, OGG, FLAC, AAC)
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yes (MP3, WAV, AIFF, AAC)
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yes (FLAC, AAC, MP3, WMA, etc.)
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yes (AAC, AC-3, FLAC, MP3, ALAC)
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yes (MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, ALAC)
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Support for streaming to TVs
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Support for streaming to TVs
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yes (PRO)
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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Comes with a video tuner
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Comes with a video tuner
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yes (PRO)
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
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Subtitle support
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Subtitle support
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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yes
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Screen recording
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Screen recording
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no
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yes
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no
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yes
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no
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Create and manage playlists
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Create and manage playlists
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
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Free version
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Free option
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yes
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yes
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no
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yes
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yes
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Developed by Apple, QuickTime is a multimedia framework and the default video player built-in on all Macs. It is used to handle various formats of video, images, and sound. The video player is primarily aimed at playing its own formats: QT and MOV. The program also supports other video and audio formats, including MP3, AVI, MPEG. However, the list of supported audio and video formats is very limited and can’t compete with other media players.
Apple's audio and video platform was initially released in 1991. Starting in 2005, QuickTime became available for Windows, however, the support was discontinued years later. The last version for PCs is QuickTime 7.7.9. Users have also been recommended to remove outdated versions of QuickTime from Windows computers due to potential security vulnerabilities. In 2009, along with the Mac OS X 10.6, QuickTime X was released. It was upgraded to 64-bit.
There are also other player applications based on the QuickTime framework where you can find features not available in the basic QuickTime Player. For example, iTunes supports exporting audio in WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, and Apple Lossless formats.
If you want to change default media player Mac, you can rely on JustPlay. It is a simple and lightweight media player for Mac capable of playing almost any kind of video or audio. It handles MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, MP3, FLAC, M4V, and other common formats.
On top of that, JustPlay supports hardware-accelerated decoding, provides advanced control and comprehensive subtitles support. You can easily change the appearance of subtitles and move them if they cover the video.
JustPlay is highly customizable and offers many different aspect ratio options, deinterlacing feature, and a useful video tuner to change brightness, saturation, contrast, and other settings of a video in real-time.
VLC (formerly VideoLAN Client) is known as one of the best free media players, supporting almost all video and audio formats. It comes with a variety of playback options, letting you customize every aspect of video, audio, and subtitle playback and allows streaming as well. What’s more, functionality can be extended with various downloadable plugins.
With VLC, you can also play ZIP files without unpacking them individually. Aside from playing media content, VLC can convert videos, record screen. VLC player is available for all platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
5KPlayer is a free media player for Mac and Windows devices with support for all major video formats, including MKV, MP4 and FLV. When it comes to audio, 5KPlayer plays MP3, WMA, and others. Not only that, it also has a built-in hardware acceleration to display 1080p, 4K, 8K videos without glitches.
It should also be mentioned that 5KPlayer is integrated with a video downloader so that you can download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and other popular video platforms. 5KPlayer supports AirPlay mirroring, which means the content can be streamed to Apple products flawlessly and vice versa.
Windows uses Windows Media by default to open video files. It works fine, but sometimes you may need another program to get the job done, such as VLC Media Player. So, if you're a PC user and don't want your videos to open in Windows Media Player, here's how to make VLC your default player:
Alternatively, you can right-click the file you want to open and select "Open With". Then you’ll need to choose the media player you want and check the box next to "Always use this app". But note, using this way, you will set the media player only for the file format of a specific video you chose to open.
Although Android devices already have a built-in video player, it comes with basic functionality. For better viewing experience, most Android users install third-party apps and set them as the default media player.
Here’s how to change the default media player on Android:
Although Macs come with a video player pre-installed, it only has basic functionality. For this reason, most Mac users tend to look for alternative solutions to improve their viewing experience. The good news is that there is a large choice of players that you can refer to play files instead of the standard Mac player. Elmedia Player would be a great choice. It’s easy to use, offers wireless streaming, audio equalization and video tuning, and supports a wide range of formats.
To change default video player Mac should follow these easy steps:
When it comes to how to change default video player Mac, simply right-click on the audio or video you intend to open and choose "Get Info". On the next step, you have to click on "Open With". Once done, you shall see a bar showing you the players that can open the file. Switch the app to QuickTime.
To change the default media player in Windows 10, follow these steps:
