Search
ENRU
Sign in
ENRU
Sign in

How to download and install VLC on Mac

VLC media player is free and comes from the website of VideoLAN, the non-profit that makes it. Here is which of its three Mac builds to pick, how to install it and how to make it open your videos by default.

VLC

  • Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later
  • Apple Silicon and Intel
  • Free, open source
Official VLC websitevideolan.org ↗

Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:

For Apple Silicon.dmgFor Intel.dmg

The links go to the developer’s website (videolan.org, download.videolan.org). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.

Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:

brew install --cask vlc

Homebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.

No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.

Which version to download

VideoLAN offers VLC for Apple Silicon, for Intel and as a Universal build that runs on both. Universal is the safe choice if you are not sure. The build for your chip is smaller. To check your chip:

  1. Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
  2. If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the build for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.

VLC runs on any Mac with an Apple Silicon chip or a 64-bit Intel processor, from Mac OS X 10.7.5 on. Download it only from videolan.org: the download itself may come from one of VideoLAN’s mirrors, which is normal.

How to install VLC

  1. Open the downloaded VLC .dmg in your Downloads folder.
  2. In the window that opens, drag VLC to the Applications folder.
The VLC disk image window: VLC and the Applications folder to drag it to
  1. Eject the VLC disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
  2. Open VLC from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.

What to set up after the first launch

  • Default player. Select a video in Finder, choose File › Get Info, pick VLC under Open with and click Change All. Repeat for each file type you want VLC to open.
  • Folder access. When VLC first opens a file from Documents, Desktop, Downloads or an external drive, macOS asks for access. Click Allow.
  • Settings. Subtitles, audio and video options are in VLC › Preferences. The Reset All button there brings back the defaults.
  • The installer. Move the .dmg from Downloads to the Trash once VLC runs.

If VLC won’t install or open

  • «VLC is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from videolan.org.
  • macOS offers to install Rosetta. You took the Intel build on an Apple Silicon Mac. It works through Rosetta, but the Apple Silicon or Universal build runs better: delete it and download that one.
  • VLC crashes or plays strangely. Remove it with its settings and install it again: see how to uninstall VLC on Mac.

Alternatives to VLC

Keep your Mac tidy

MacWashing, System Junk: Xcode junk, user caches, installers and logs found, 22.83 GB ready to be cleaned

System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time, VLC’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove VLC, the Uninstaller takes its files with it.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Is VLC for Mac free?

Yes. VLC is free and open source, with no ads and no paid version. VideoLAN accepts donations on its website.

Do I need an account or extra codecs for VLC?

No. VLC needs no account, and it plays most video and audio formats without any codec packs.

Universal or the build for my chip: which is better?

Both run natively. The Universal build works on any Mac, which helps if you copy it to another Mac. The build for your chip is a smaller download.