Microsoft has never offered a truly great media player for Windows users. If the file format is unusual or, worse yet, the file has DRM, then the pre-installed Movies & Television app won't play it. Don't even think about trying the aboriginal Windows Media Histrion, either.

With that in heed, y'all'll need to install a top-quality media player, capable of playing whatsoever type of file you throw at it. You lot don't need to pay for the privilege, either, because here are 7 of the all-time free media players for Windows you can install today.

Also, if yous'd rather watch a video, make sure to check out the short one we posted to our YouTube channel here.

VLC Media Histrion

When the Movies & Tv set app doesn't play your content, the commencement free media player most Windows users will download is VLC Media Role player. Information technology remains one of the most well known and arguably best media players bachelor for whatsoever platform, including Windows.

Information technology's rare that VLC won't exist able to play a media file, with exceptions for files that are encrypted or accept been corrupted. It can play local media files, too equally handle internet live streams and circulate content from other local sources like a digital TV receiver.

VLC tin can as well help you lot convert video files from one format to another, save YouTube videos for offline playback, and tape your own videos using your webcam. If you lot're a music fan, you can employ VLC to play your music with your own VLC music playlists.

Kodi

Kodi has a bit of a bad reputation in certain places, thanks to an active third-party addition scene, only it's one of the nearly functional and best complimentary media players for Windows x users.

From its apprehensive ancestry on the original Xbox, Kodi has grown into a large-screen entertainment platform, capable of playing music, videos, Telly alive streams, and more from a single interface. The UI is designed for TVs, but that doesn't mean it tin can't be used on PCs, too.

Like VLC, Kodi is capable of playing pretty much any media file you throw at information technology. It tin can handle network-attached storage devices with ease, allowing you to play your Telly and movie itemize over your local network.

Third-party add together-ons, every bit we've mentioned, aid to extend Kodi's functionality farther, assuasive you to play content from other sources online. Not all of these are piracy-related, with add-ons available for Netflix and YouTube playback.

MPC-HC

With a name like Media Role player Classic, you can assume this media player has been effectually for a while. In fact, MPC-HC (HC standing for Home Movie house) is a fork of the original, with added features and issues fixes.

Simple, quick and like shooting fish in a barrel to use, MPC-HC is a lightweight alternative to other gratis media players, especially on lower-resource Windows PCs.

Don't be put off past the dated interface, because MPC-HC is 1 of the most capable media players bachelor. Like VLC, information technology handles mutual and unusual media files, with playback for DVDs and live streams included.

It's also customizable, with interface skins and plugins able to extend functionality further.

The one downside to MPC-HC is that development has stalled, meaning in that location have been no new features or fixes since 2017. It nonetheless runs great on Windows 10, notwithstanding, and is still i of the best media players, especially for older PCs.

MPV

Nosotros're happy to report that VLC isn't the only active, open-source media player in evolution, thanks to MPV. MPV is another fork project, taking the best bits of the older MPlayer and mplayer2 projects, adding new features and interface along the style.

In fact, MPV doesn't have much of an interface at all. Media controls are subconscious during playback, although they'll announced if you hover over information technology. You tin't access whatever settings, either. To play files, you just drag them into the open window.

This might not appeal to all users, but it's certainly a different approach. MPV has other stand-out features, including a number of 3rd-party scripts that add additional functionality to the software, assuasive you to customize the mode MPV plays your content.

Every bit for playing your favorite media files, MPV just works—it tin can play pretty much every type of video format, including online and local streaming.

PotPlayer

Free, although not open-source, PotPlayer is a good alternative to other known media players for Windows. This entry from the Due south Korean company Kakao is a highly customizable player, with a couple of unusual features thrown in, likewise.

PotPlayer is lightweight, using hardware acceleration to improve playback performance, with the power to playback about all mutual video formats. It also supports local TV receivers, including DVB-T and DVB-S.

Different the basic MPV interface, PotPlayer is extremely customizable, with diverse interface skins and an enormous number of settings to let you adjust how PotPlayer plays your files. PotPlayer has besides been used to play some corrupted media files, although your own experiences may vary, depending on the file.

With and then many settings, PotPlayer might exist a lilliputian confusing for the casual user, simply it could be a good option for Windows ability users.

Plex

Plex isn't just a simple and free media player, and so don't expect it to be a like-for-similar VLC replacement. It's a media role player and server combined, allowing yous to host your media files and stream them to other Plex playback devices.

Information technology'southward ane of the most polished media systems available for Windows x. Plex features include discounted Tidal music playback, advert-supported movies, and diverse add-on apps to play media from online sources like YouTube.

Plex can handle playback of well-nigh mutual media files, but if you're streaming high-resolution content, you'll demand to host your Plex media server on a high-powered PC.

If you lot want to organize your movies and TV shows in a unmarried place, Plex allows you to exercise this, adding helpful thumbnails and descriptions to your content for better organization.

AllPlayer

AllPlayer might not be besides known as some of the other all-time media players, but it shouldn't be discounted. Information technology calls itself the best media player for subtitles, and that isn't as well far from the truth.

Non simply are subtitles well supported in AllPlayer, but the software will search for and automatically download subtitles for media content information technology recognizes. Information technology also supports common media formats, including loftier-resolution files in 4K.

If you lot're hearing-impaired, AllPlayer makes watching your video content a simple process. Visually-impaired users can take reward of AllPlayer'due south spoken communication synthesizer to read out subtitles, also, allowing yous to watch movies in a foreign language.

Development on AllPlayer is active, and includes remote control apps for mobile devices.

Media Playback on Windows Fabricated Like shooting fish in a barrel

Installing a good, costless media player should be one of your start tasks when setting upwards a new Windows PC. Players similar VLC and MPV will handle most file formats, but you tin go all-out with an entertainment suite like Plex or Kodi instead.

VLC users can besides use VLC with a Chromecast to relish their videos on the big screen instead.