AVI is a multimedia file format that can contain audio and video components. But sometimes, when you play an AVI file on a media player, you may face the issue where the file only plays audio without a video component. This means you are playing the audio part, but the video portion of the file is either missing or not playing correctly.
Why are my AVI files not playing video?
There are several causes for AVI only playing sound without video. Some of the common reasons are given below;
- Missing or Corrupt Codec: If your system doesn’t have the needed codec or is corrupt, you may come across these issues.
- Video Drivers are Outdated: Your video drivers may not be up to date or incompatible with the AVI file.
- The Media Player is Incompatible: Some media players may not be equipped to play some video formats.
- Corrupt AVI File: If an AVI file is corrupted or damaged, you may find the situation of sound without video.
Now that we know the reasons behind AVI files only playing audio but no video. Let us see how to repair the AVI files with issues using the solutions mentioned below:
How to Repair AVI File Only Play Audio?
The solution to repair the AVI file(s) that only play audio but no video depends on the reason. If the reason is due to missing or corrupt codecs, then try installing the necessary codecs or upgrading them. In case, of an incompatible media player, try a different media player. If the issue is due to drivers, then one can try updating them. But in this case, the issue is with the video file itself. You can either convert the video to a different file format (which works if the video file is slightly damaged) or use a video repair tool to fix it.
- Method 1: Repair the AVI File using a Repair Tool
- Method 2: Download and Install the Required Codecs
- Method 3: Try Different Media Player
- Method 4: Update Video Drivers
- Method 5: Convert the AVI file to a different format
Method 1: Repair the AVI File using a Repair Tool
Now that we’ve tried some methods to fix issues with the player, we can move on to explore the possibility of the file being corrupted. If that is the case, then the best solution is to use a repair tool to fix the file. You can use SFWare Video Repair software to fix corrupted AVI files. This is user-friendly software developed for dealing with many video issues on various video file formats.
Steps to Fix AVI File using SFWare Video Repair Tool
You can download and install the SFWare Video Repair software to start the repair process of AVI files.
- Launch the tool and click on Select File on the main screen.
- Select the corrupted AVI file from the window and click on Repair.
- Wait for the process to complete. When complete, you can preview the result by clicking on the play button.
- If you are satisfied, click on the Save button to complete the process.
Note: If you did not activate the software, you will get a prompt to activate it, once done, you can complete the saving process.
Method 2: Download and Install the Required Codecs
Codecs are the media player’s component that helps decode the file encryption and play the file. Different formats and encryption require different codecs. So, when a codec is missing or corrupted, it interrupts the process of playing the file. To fix the issue, download and install the required codec to play AVI files.
DivX, XviD, H.264, and H.265 are common codecs that keep audio and video synchronized. You can search for them and download and install them to your system. Once the procedure is complete, try and play the AVI file; if still AVI file is still not playing video but audio, you can check out the next solution.
Note: Downloading and installing supporting Codecs can also help play AVI files on Mac.
Why is my video playing with sound but no picture?
If you are facing audio audio-only issue with the AVI file, even after the codec is added, then your media player is not compatible with the AVI file format. A fair number of options are in the market for playing AVI files. You can download any media player, such as the VLC media player. After you install the player, try playing the AVI file again to verify that you’ve resolved the issue.
Method 4: Update Video Drivers
Video drivers are software that allows an operating system to communicate with the graphics card in the computer. Video drivers function as a guide to display images or videos on the screen. Hence keeping your video driver up to date is necessary to keep the communication intact. You can check and update the drivers by following the steps below,
- Open the Start menu, then type Device Manager in the search box and click on Device Manager.
- In the Device Manager window, expand Display adapters to see the integrated graphics chipsets and graphics cards.
- Right-click on the graphics card and click on the Update driver.
- Now Update Driver window opens. Select Search automatically for updated driver software; this will search for the latest update for the drive.
- If an update is available, the system will automatically download and install it. When the process is complete, restart the system.
Method 5: Convert the AVI File that was Showing AVI File only Plays Audio Error to a Different Video File Format
Although you are trying to fix the AVI file to play sound without video, you can convert the AVI file to a different file format like MP4 or MOV. When you convert a corrupted AVI file to another format, you can get a healthy file of that format, which you can play on your media player.
You can convert an AVI file to an MP4 file easily if you are using a VLC media player using the following steps,
- Open the VLC media player, and click on Media.
- Now select Convert/ Save to open the feature.
- In the Open Media window, click on Add and select the file.
- After selecting the file, click on Convert/ Save.
- In the Convert dialogue box, give the location to save the converted file.
Note: Here, you can also change the output file’s Profile.
- Click on Start to begin the conversion process.
Wait for the process to complete. When completed, go to the location and play the file to verify the success.
Tips to Avoid AVI File Corruption
- Use a dependable media player that can play various video formats.
- Avoid shutting down your computer or closing the media player while playing.
- Keep your operating system, video drivers, and media player updated.
- Avoid using converter software from untrusted sources; they may contain malware or viruses.
Also Learn: How to repair GoPro Videos?
Conclusion
When you need to play an AVI file, you can listen to audio, but the video is only a black screen. This can be due to many reasons. We have discussed the reasons why AVI file only plays audio but no video. Then we checked out solutions to repair the issues. Let us know how the solutions helped you when you faced the issues.
Why is my video only playing audio and not video?
Usually it is a codec problem, not a broken file. Your media player can decode the audio track fine because audio codecs are small and almost always already installed, but the video stream needs a separate codec that is missing, outdated, or was never installed with your player in the first place.
Graphics drivers cause this too. An outdated or corrupted GPU driver can leave the audio pipeline untouched while the video rendering path fails silently, so you get sound and a black or frozen frame. Hardware acceleration settings inside the player are a common trigger here, VLC in particular will sometimes show this behavior when hardware decoding is turned on for a format it does not fully support.
Then there is the file itself. If the video stream’s header or index is damaged but the audio stream is intact, the player reads what it can and plays only that. This happens a lot with files that were cut short during a download or transferred over a weak connection. A corrupted AVI file needs a different approach than a missing codec, and no amount of codec installing will fix a damaged video stream.
Why is my Windows Media Player only playing sound and not video?
Windows Media Player leans on codecs registered with Windows itself, not ones bundled into the player, so a missing DirectShow filter for your AVI’s video codec is the most common cause. Older AVI files encoded with DivX or XviD are frequent offenders since Windows 10 and 11 do not ship those codecs by default.
Check your render settings too. Open Windows Media Player, go to Tools (press Alt to reveal the menu bar if it is hidden), then Options, then the Performance tab, and look at the video acceleration slider. Set fully to None and try the file again. If the video appears, your graphics driver or hardware decoder was the problem, not the file.
If that does not help and other AVI files play normally, the file in front of you is likely the problem, not the player. At that point, installing more codecs will not do anything, since the player already has what it needs for everything else.
