The VLC Media Player known for its flexibility and wide support of audio and video files, is free and open source. You can count on it for usual files such as MP3s and MP4s as well as the less common ones. Here’s a guide to download and set up VLC on a Windows computer. It’ll help you get things up and running for better media fun.
Picking VLC Media Player?
Before we jump into how to get VLC on your system, let’s look at why it’s a top choice when it comes to playing tunes and videos:
- Handles All the Formats: VLC deals with pretty much any kind of media file so you don’t have to stress about getting extra codecs.
- Works Everywhere: You can get it for Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems too.
- Sleek and Not Demanding: VLC’s good at what it does without hogging your computer’s resources.
- Keeps Getting Better: The team behind it keeps throwing in new stuff and fixing security with regular updates.
How to Get VLC Media Player on Your Windows PC
First thing’s first: Grab the Installer
- Launch the Main Site: Fire up the web browser you like best and scoot over to the official VLC download page.
- Start Getting VLC: Hit the “Download VLC” button. That nifty site will figure out what system you’re running and give you the right installer to use.
Step 2: Run the Installer Program
- Finding the Downloaded File: After your download finishes head over to the “Downloads” folder on your computer and look for the installer probably named like vlc-3.0.21-win32.exe.
- Starting the Installer: Just give that installer file a double-click to kick off the setup. If this User Account Control (UAC) pops up asking for permission, hit “Yes” so the installer can do its thing on your machine.
Step 3: Picking the Installation Language
- Selecting Your Language: You’ll get a little box asking you to choose the language you want for the install. Grab the one you like and smack “OK” to move forward.
Step 4: Going Through the Setup Wizard
- Welcome Screen: You’ll see a “Hello!” from the setup wizard. Smash that “Next” button to move on.
- License Agreement: Take a gaze at the GNU General Public License that gives out VLC. Hit “Next” once you’ve checked it to say “Yep, I’m good with this.”
Step 5: Choose Components
- Pick What You Want to Put In: The setup thingy will show you stuff it can put on your computer like: , it picks everything to start with. You get to mix it up and pick just what you like by ticking or not ticking boxes. When you’re all good, hit “Next”.
- Shortcut in Start Menu: This throws in a way to get to it super easy from the Start Menu.
- Icon on Your Desktop: Drops a clickable pic on your desktop so you can fire it up fast.
- Default Media Player: Ticks VLC to be the go-to player when you open up music and video files.
- Internet Browser Thingamajigs: Slaps in some extra bits for your internet browser so you can watch videos right in it.
- Right-Click Magic: Sticks in a “Play with VLC” when you right-click your media stuff.
Step 6: Picking Where to Put the Stuff
- Picking the Spot for the Program: So, the setup thingy will tell ya to stick VLC in like C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC. But hey, if you’re feeling like dumping it somewhere else just hit “Browse…” and pick a new place that works for ya. Once you’re sure about where you want it, smack that “Install” button to get the ball rolling.
Step 7: Wrapping It All Up
- Getting it Set Up: Your system will get new files from the installer. It won’t take long at all.
- Wrapping it Up: After everything’s installed, a screen will pop up to tell you it’s all done. Want to start watching stuff with VLC right away? Make sure you tick the box that says “Run VLC media player”. Hit “Finish” when you’re ready to close the setup.
After You Install: Making VLC Your Go-To for Tunes and Vids (If You Want)
If you’re aiming to make watching or listening to stuff smoother, you might wanna make VLC the main program for opening your media files.
- To open the Windows Settings app, smack Win + I.
- Head over to “Apps” then jump into “Default apps”.
- Click “Choose default apps by file type” after you scroll down a bit.
- Assign VLC as the go-to guy for each media file extension, like .mp4 and .mp3, by tapping the current default and picking “VLC media player”.
Poke around VLC to see what it can do now that it’s good to go.
- Playing Stuff: Just click and play your videos, CDs, or stuff from the web super easy.
- Subtitles? No Problem: Pop in subtitles from a file or hunt for them online right from VLC.
- Make It Prettier or Funkier: Mess with lots of cool effects to make your videos and tunes look or sound even more awesome.
- Make It Yours: Change how VLC looks with cool themes or add new tricks with plug-ins.
So Yeah
Getting VLC Media Player on your Windows machine is no biggie, and it levels up your game when it comes to playing all kinds of media. VLC’s easy to use and it plays pretty much anything, which is why it’s like, a must-have if you’re serious about your videos and music.
If you wanna see how it’s done, like, with your own eyes, check out this video guide that shows you how it’s done:
Check it out if you wanna grab VLC Media Player for your Windows 10 or 11 setup! It’s pretty straightforward, and I’m here to walk you through the download and installation steps. Just hit play and follow along – you’ll have your tunes and videos running in no time!