This page describes how to make VLC the default media player. | Other 'how to' pages |
VLC media player is a media player which can play Vorbis and Theora files. Go to the VLC player macOS download page. Select an appropriate version of the software to download. Wait for the disk image file to download. Once downloading has finished, double click the disk image to mount it. This menu gives you access to non-operational types of commands. About VLC media player gives the usual version and creator information, Check for Update will tell you if there is a newer version released than the one you are using, Preferences gives you access to a very wide range of settings for the program, Extensions some text. VLC media player3.0.10 is a multimedia player which plays all media formats on all platforms.
- 1Windows
- 3Linux
- 3.1Fedora
- 3.1.1GNOME
- 3.1Fedora
Windows
The following comparison of video players compares general and technical information for notable software media player programs. For the purpose of this comparison, video players are defined as any media player which can play video, even if it can also play audio files. This menu gives you access to non-operational types of commands. About VLC media player gives the usual version and creator information,; Check for Update will tell you if there is a newer version released than the one you are using,; Preferences gives you access to a very wide range of settings for the program,; Extensions some text,; Add Interface enables other ways of getting.
- See also: How to associate media files with VLC.
XP
The simplest way to set VLC as the default media player for Windows is during installation of VLC. During set-up, VLC will ask you if you want to associate certain media file types (such as .mp3, .flv, .wav) with VLC; for each 'association' chosen opening that file type will launch it in VLC. By default, all are selected, though you might (or might not) want to un-check file types you'd like to open with another programme.
If you've missed this chance at making it the default media player during set-up, perhaps the easiest way is to un-install it and then install it again.
A word of caution regarding re-installation—be sure to un-check the box that deletes your preferences and cache, or all your customisations will be gone!
A word of caution regarding re-installation—be sure to un-check the box that deletes your preferences and cache, or all your customisations will be gone!
Vista, 7, 8
Open VLC player, click on Tools in the menu, and from there select Preferences.
Click on the Interface button on the left panel and then click on Set up associations... (it's close to the bottom).
Select types of files from the list that appears. Check any file types for which you want VLC to be the default player, or just check the select all option.
Mac
Right-click on the type of file you want to always open with VLC. Click 'Get Info'. In the 'Open With' section, select VLC from the drop-down menu. To apply this change to all files of this type, click the 'Change All' button.
For optical media, like CDs or DVDs, go to Apple -> System Preferences and choose 'CDs/DVDs' in the Hardware section. Choose 'Other Application' from the respective popup menu button. The list is alphabetical, so VLC should be near the bottom of the list.
Linux
Vlc Player Mac Wikipedia Download
Fedora
GNOME
Gnome uses two lists (located at /usr/share/applications/) – mimeinfo.cache and defaults.list – to register applications to file types.
You can either edit these manually or use the tools that GNOME has for this.
You can either edit these manually or use the tools that GNOME has for this.
Instructions on how to do it in GNOME
Changing the default application for videos using menus (the easy way):
Using Nautilus 2.30.1, from the top menu bar choose 'Places', then Home Folder -> Edit menu -> Preferences -> choose Media tab -> and in the drop-down list next to 'DVD Video' choose 'Open VLC media player'.
Voilà.
Voilà.
Alternatively, try: System -> Preferences -> Personal -> Preferred Applications -> Multimedia -> Custom -> Type this: vlc %U
(P.S.: this alternative hasn't been tested yet).
Changing the default application for videos using menus (the not-so-easy way):
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Changing the default application for videos manually (the hard way):
In Fedora 10 the path /usr/share/applications/ will take you to these 2 files that configure what application opens a type of file.
defaults.list
mimeinfo.cache
P.S.: Both files will point to a Desktop Entry file ([name of the file].desktop) that is inside the applications folder, and the 2 important things inside that file are the configurations for what MIME Types the application can handle, and how to launch the application.
defaults.list
mimeinfo.cache
P.S.: Both files will point to a Desktop Entry file ([name of the file].desktop) that is inside the applications folder, and the 2 important things inside that file are the configurations for what MIME Types the application can handle, and how to launch the application.
A Desktop Entry file is a data file that provides information about an item in a menu.The desktop entry specification describes desktop entries as files describing information about an application such as the name, MIME Types it handles, icon, and description. These files are used for application launchers and for creating menus of applications that can be launched.
If you don't have the VLC Desktop Entry file, or it disappears for some reason you will have to make one. Look here for some pointers.
If you don't have the VLC Desktop Entry file, or it disappears for some reason you will have to make one. Look here for some pointers.
You only need to modify mimeinfo.cache, I hope. It works for me. If it doesn't work for you, please edit this!
So what you have to do is:
- Open mimeinfo.cache as root.
- Search for the MIME Types for video.
- Change all of them to use VLC.
For example:
Registry of MIME Type (video/quicktime) in mimeinfo.cache to use VLC.
video/quicktime=livna-vlc.desktop;totem.desktop;miro.desktop;
The format is:
[MIME Type]=[Name of the Desktop Entry file]
Note: You can put more than one Desktop Entry, but they need to be separated by a semi-colon (;), see the example above.
Those extra entries will appear as options when you right-click on the video file and go to the Open With submenu.
Tip: Nautilus don't show the real names of the Desktop Entry files. Either drag and drop it on gedit so you see the name on the tab, or use ls to list the files on the command line.
Registry of MIME Type (video/quicktime) in mimeinfo.cache to use VLC.
video/quicktime=livna-vlc.desktop;totem.desktop;miro.desktop;
The format is:
[MIME Type]=[Name of the Desktop Entry file]
Note: You can put more than one Desktop Entry, but they need to be separated by a semi-colon (;), see the example above.
Those extra entries will appear as options when you right-click on the video file and go to the Open With submenu.
Tip: Nautilus don't show the real names of the Desktop Entry files. Either drag and drop it on gedit so you see the name on the tab, or use ls to list the files on the command line.
References
- Registering Applications for MIME Types (Editing defaults.list and mimeinfo.cache)
KDE
[TODO]
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Frequently Asked Questions
view this alone
The VLC menu
This menu gives you access to non-operational types of commands.
- About VLC media player gives the usual version and creator information,
- Check for Update will tell you if there is a newer version released than the one you are using,
- Preferences gives you access to a very wide range of settings for the program,
- Extensions some text,
- Add Interface enables other ways of getting access to VLC functionality other than the Graphical User Interface programme,
- Services some text,
- the others are standard OSX options which do not affect VLC functionality.
Preferences
Preferences are usually default settings that operate in the background to the operations you want to perform. These are therefore not part of the standard user interface because it is believed you will probably only want access to these occasionally if at all. Should you want to do something a little (or a lot) non-standard then these preferences are important. They allow you to choose non-default audio output channels (e.g. your headphones) or select sub-titles as well as more technical things that probably require some knowledge of video file structures or other in depth knowledge.
The preference sections available under VLC are:
- Interface - Choosing and configuring the alternate interfaces
- Audio - which audio to play through which channels
- Video - which video to play through which channels
- Subtitles & OSD - Some text
- Input & Codecs - How to interpret the video file
- Hotkeys - Some text
Add Interface
How To Download Vlc Player On Mac
If you are using VLC on your Mac to display video on the same Mac's screen(s) then this may be of little interest to you.
The alternate interfaces currently offered are:
- Mouse gestures where you can control VLC by simply moving the mouse
- Web interface for controlling VLC over a network using a browser
- Debug logging
- Console *nix-style non-graphical interfaces
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