VLC is capable of playing various video file formats without hiccups, There are multiple reasons why you may experience problems with VLC Media Player that prevent it from functioning properly, such as:
- Incorrect Settings
- Outdated Application
- Corrupt Video Files
- System Conflicts
- Conflicting Softwares
However, all the above conflicts can be addressed and resolved. The upcoming sections discuss them in detail.
Common VLC Media Player Issues and Their Solution
1: Videos not Playing on VLC
When you are unable to play MP4 videos, or any other video file formats on VLC media player, here is how you can fix it:
Update VLC Media Player: Check for the new updates and update the player if you are using an older version make sure it is updated to make it incompatible with the newer codecs and formats
Rollback the Driver Update: Occasionally, Newly updated graphics drivers can prevent videos from playing in the VLC Media player. Roll back the update and try playing the video
Always Fix: When the VLC Media player is unable to Play AVI files, You can use the “Always Fix” option to fix any minor issues preventing the video from playing:
Adjust Output Mode: The Output mode on your VLC Media player could be incompatible with the device or video,
Hence, try changing the Video output mode to fix the VLC Video not playing issue:
2: Playback Lags or Stutters in VLC
Watching skipping frames and choppy video playback while viewing videos on VLC can be frustrating, Try the solutions listed below to fix it:
Adjust File Caching Value:
- Open VLC Media Player > Tools > Preferences
- In the preferences Windows, select All from the bottom left.
- Navigate to Input/Codecs > Advanced and look for File caching (ms).
- Increase the value from 1000 ms to 1500 ms for smoother playback.
- Click on Save to apply the changes and restart the application.
Disable Hardware Acceleration: Hardware acceleration can cause playback issues on videos. You can disable it to fix them:
- Go to Tools > Preferences > Video
- Change the video output module (e.g., “DirectX” or “OpenGL“).
- Disable Hardware-Accelerated Decoding under Input/Codecs.
Configure FFmpeg Threads: To try to fix the VLC stuttering via the FFmpeg menu, follow these steps:
- Open the Preferences window, Click on All, and choose the Input/Codecs.
- Go to Video Codecs and choose FFmpeg.
- Open the Threads option and change the value to 2.
- Click on Save and check if the video is working.
3: VLC Not Playing Audio
When the VLC media player is playing the video but not the audio in it, Here is what you can do to fix it:
Check if the Audio Device is Selected: If the VLC Media Player is not playing audio, the issue might be due to an incorrect audio device being selected. Check and configure it:
Disable and Enable the Audio Track: Simply enabling and disabling the audio track can fix the no-sound issues in the VLC Media player.
Adjust VLC Audio Settings: Check the audio settings on your VLC Media Player and if it’s correct:
- Click Tool > Preferences and go to Audio Settings
- Make sure the “Enable audio” box is checked and also select “Directx audio output” on the output dropdown list.
4: Subtitle issues
When you are not able to see a subtitle while watching a movie or anime, Here are a few solutions to fix the issue in no time:
Check the Subtitle file: Check if the subtitle file is corrupted or empty by opening the subtitle file on Notepad, in case if the subtitle file doesn’t open download a new file and add it to the video.
Verify the Subtitle Settings in VLC:
- Open VLC media player > Tools > Preferences.
- Choose the Subtitles/OSD option.
- Check if the Enable subtitles option is selected and choose the Auto option on the Font size drop-down menu.
- Click on the Save button and restart VLC Media Player.
Advanced Solutions to Problematic Videos
The above solutions will fix the VLC Media player problems. if you are still unable to play videos or having playback issues then it’s a damaged video file you need to fix, Here are 2 solutions that can fix the broken videos.
Convert the video File Format: When the video is having minor header issues or corruption issues, simply convert the video file to a different file format using any online video converter or VLC Media player to fix the issue
- Open VLC Player, Select Media > Convert / Save
- Click Add and choose the file to convert
- Click Convert / Save
- Under Destination, click Browse select a location to save the file, and name it.
- Under Profile, choose a video format.
- Click Start
Repair the Corrupt Video: In case of severely corrupt videos opt for an effective video repair tool that can handle the video corruption effectively and repair the corrupt videos in a few simple clicks
We suggest you try SFWare Video Repair to fix videos that won’t play or have any playback issues on almost all commonly used video file formats such as MP4, MOV, etc on Windows and Mac devices
Step 1: Download and install the SFWare Video Repair tool and launch the software.
Step 2: Click on Add File to choose the corrupt video and click on Repair.
Step 3: The tool starts repairing the corrupt video file.
Step 4: Once the repair is completed, check the preview of the repaired video file.
You can click on Save to restore the file to your preferred location
Conclusion
To conclude, ensure that you have properly installed and set up VLC Media Player to avoid common issues. Additionally, choose video formats that are compatible with your device.
If you encounter any problems while playing videos, try the solutions listed in this article, ranging from adjusting VLC settings to repairing corrupt videos to enjoy your videos without any hiccups.
