How We Tested? We evaluated each free video player software for video quality, codec support, features, performance, and ease of use on our test system running Windows 10. We then obtained data from trusted sources to come up with the top free video player applications for Windows to download.
OS Compatibility – Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.
1. PotPlayer
A great-looking, powerful video player that can play any file format you throw at it. Once you install PotPlayer, there is a high probability that you’ll get hooked to it.
The largest built-in codecs enable you to play almost any media format. It can even play damaged or incomplete video files.
Uses hardware acceleration through a variety of methods, including DXVA, CUDA, and QuickSync, to get you the best possible performance.
The video and audio playback quality of PotPlayer is nothing short of stunning.
It plays 3D videos giving you an immersive viewing experience as found in the movie theater.
You also get a variety of video controls. Meddle with picture properties, sharpen the quality of the video, apply filters, and more.
You can customize the look of the app to your liking. Bookmark your favorite scene or chapter.
PotPlayer works with various subtitle formats. Supports subtitles delay adjustment and other tweaks. It can also download subtitles from the Internet.
Preview scene on playback, live streaming, screen recording tool, built-in keyboard shortcuts, hotkeys, and more.
The overwhelming settings menu can be challenging for beginners. At times, the installer bundles unwanted software.
VLC Media Player is a name that pops up time and again when you talk about the best free video players for Windows PC, and for a good reason. It is free, open-source, and plays pretty much every single media format out there.
This impressively powerful program has a user-friendly interface and easy controls.
Rich built-in codecs can play everything from 8K formats to 360-degree videos. Also, it can play broken or half-downloaded files without trouble.
The sheer diversity of tools and customization elements it brings to the table are seemingly unrivaled.
VLC offers video and audio filters, graphic equalizer with multiple presets, special effects, subtitle synchronization & support, audio sync, and a bunch of other features.
Plugins/extensions can be used to expand the capabilities of VLC even further.
It is capable of playing Internet radio and a large number of both video & audio streaming protocols.
It further includes Google Chromecast support, a media converter, keyboard shortcuts, and screen recording tools.
The user interface feels very basic. Some performance quibbles while playing large-sized files.
Interestingly, with VLC, you can set a video as your desktop wallpaper.
It is a lightweight video player that supports most modern video file formats. Media Player Classic – Black Edition is based on the original ‘Media Player Classic’ project but contains additional features and bug fixes.
Well capable of playing most of the video formats, including Blu-ray, DVD, HEVC, and others.
MPC-BE has a modern design sense with an easy-to-use interface.
It offers lots of customization and personalization options. You can choose the preferred rendered settings, presentation, color management, GPU control, and more.
It comes with support for almost all types of subtitles. Also, it’s capable of moving subtitles during the playback.
The seek bar supports thumbnail preview and chapters marker.
MPC-BE can play YouTube videos by default, with no user required settings whatsoever.
Nearly all the functions in this video player have hotkey assignment support.
The player is light on your system resources and has a fast startup.
There are a few minor issues while playing large files.
It’s a great choice for anyone who loves high definition videos. The player looks fantastic, has a full set of easy-to-use controls, and provides a smooth playback.
Splash lives up to the expectations of users and provides an exceptional viewing experience.
Watch standard and high definition videos like never before. Enjoy smooth motion, crisp details, and vivid colors.
It takes advantage of the latest hardware acceleration technologies to provide superior performance.
The sleek, stylish, and innovative interface provides for the best user experience. You can change the interface color to match your preferences.
The video player has basic adjustable settings and a decent media converter.
It supports all popular subtitle formats. You can quickly adjust the subtitle font type, font size, color, and position.
Smart seek is designed to find specific movie scenes without interrupting video playback.
It doesn’t support certain video formats and not very customizable.
The EcoMode feature allows you to use Splash on a laptop by saving battery as much as possible.
1. Kodi – An award-winning media player and entertainment hub. It allows you to easily browse and play videos, podcasts, and music from a hard drive, optical disc, local network, and the Internet.
2. MPV – If almost endless customization excites you, the MPV is one piece of software to take a look at. It is a free, open-source, and cross-platform media player that can play any video file format available today.
3. KMPlayer – It has been around since the late 90s, making it one of the oldest and best free video players for Windows. It provides high-quality video playback with a minimal desktop footprint.
4. SMPlayer – It is a free media player for Windows PC with built-in codecs that can play virtually all video and audio formats. With SMPlayer, you will not need any additional external codecs. Also, it remembers the settings of all files you play.
5. CnX Media Player – A Microsoft Certified video player aided by Intel-based Hardware Acceleration technology. It supports all popular codecs like HEVC, VP9, H.264, and more. It has an impressive user interface with easy controls and gestures.
Binge-Watch…
Now that you have the best video player for Windows, what will you binge-watch?
Also, if you think that we may have missed some other great video players, feel free to drop us a comment, and we will check it out.
Author:Nik is an experienced author with 14 years in software and tech, holding an IT Engineering degree and a Data Science Master's from Liverpool University. Disclaimer: This website's content is created by humans and refined by AI for better grammar, flow, and clarity.
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