Author:
Louise Ward
Date Of Creation:
5 February 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
To play MP4 files on your computer, you must have a media player. If you are using Windows 12 or higher, Windows Media Player will play MP4 video, but if you have Windows 11 or below (including Windows 8.1 and 10) then you need to download a codec or media player from a third party. three like VLC or QuickTime.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Use the default media player
Find the video. You can download Mp4 files from reputable sites, copy them from a USB drive or just open them in your computer's hard drive. It's important to know the filename as well as where it is saved. Click “File”, click “Open”, and select the MP4 file from the File Browser file browser.
Double-click the file. After locating the video on the operating system, double-click the icon to open the MP4 file. When you double-click a video, the default media player starts and plays the video.- Usually the video will open in Windows Media Player. All Windows computers have this program built in. Computers running Windows 11 or below will not be able to open MP4 files without third-party codecs or decoders installed.
Install decoder or codec. Microsoft recommends DirectShow - a decoder that is compatible with the MPEG-4 standard. You can also download the codec at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/format/codecdownload.aspx.
Right click on the video icon. On Windows, instead of double-clicking an MP4 file, you can right-click the MP4 file to select the media player you want to use. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click "Open With". From the drop-down menu, another submenu will open with a list of video players. Typically, this list includes "Windows Media Player" and other third-party media players that are installed.
Click Windows Media Player. If you have downloaded a codec or decoder, the MP4 video will open in a window. advertisement
Part 2 of 2: Downloading third-party media players
Download media broadcasts from reputable sites. Installing more video player will be more convenient and comfortable for you instead of installing codec or decoder. The most popular third-party media players are VLC and XBMC. Make sure you remember the download location of the installation file.
- It's still best to use the media player that comes with the operating system; however, because they are freely integrated with the operating system, these programs cannot play all file formats efficiently.
- Free and paid software available. VLC Media Player and Media Player Classic are the best free, widely used media players and support almost all video / audio file formats.
Go to "Properties". To change the default media player, go to “Properties”, select the “General” tab, click “Change”, select the media player you want, then click “OK. "
Right click to select the media player. On Windows, instead of double-clicking an MP4 file, you can right-click the MP4 file to select the media player you want to use. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click "Open With.’ From the drop-down menu, another submenu will open with a list of video players. Typically, this list includes "Windows Media Player" and other third-party media players that are installed. Click on the media player you want, and your MP4 file will open
Use editing software to play MP4 files. More advanced users can use editing software like Camtasia to edit video or audio. Professional DJs can use autoplay software like Virtual DJ Pro to load a playlist of multiple videos and the software will play them one by one. advertisement
Advice
- You need to make sure that the file has the extension .mp4.
- On a Mac computer, the default player is QuickTime Player. You can also download VLC Player for OS X to your Mac computer.
- Choose a media player whose CPU has to process less data for the video to run smoothly.
Warning
- Windows Media Player basically does not support the standard 00:05:30.
- Installing additional media player is invalid and potentially harmful to the computer. Some programs contain malware and can steal information.
