by Christine Smith • 2020-12-03 21:01:54 • Proven solutions
Playing video and audio files for entertainment is like the most basic thing users will do on a computer. The most popular audio/video player for Mac is VLC Media Player. The VLC player for Macbook has stayed on top of the list for a long time. However, we also have many alternatives for it as more and more software has developed with more abundant functions than VLC. The Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) is a complete video and audio conversion solution which allows you to manipulate the media files according to your requirements. This article will introduce this tool and discuss how to download, install VLC, and make it as your default player on Mac.
Follow the instructions given below to download and install VLC on your Mac. Go to the official website for the recent version of VLC media player. Download the VLC.dmg file from the official website (Click the arrow on the orange button and choose the VLC app.dmg package). Now open the file you have downloaded to install on your computer.
Part 1. What is VLC Media Player
The VLC media player, commonly known as VLC, is a free and open-source player developed by VideoLAN. It is available for all the platforms, whether it is Computer or Mobile phones. VLC supports so many audio and video file formats and compression methods, which include DVD-Video, video CD, and multiple streaming protocols. It is compatible with all the formats supported by libav codec and libav format. To take advantage of this player, you can download VLC for Mac easily.
About VLC Player for Mac VLC (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, avi) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. VLC Media Player is an Open Source Multimedia Player licensed with GPL that allows you to view videos and listen to audios in practically any format. VLC Media Player can play any video or audio format, including MPEG, WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MKV, H.264/AVC, FLV, MP3 and OGG, along with many others. VLC Media Player. If you’re looking for free music apps for Mac, there are only a few that can compete with VLC Media Player. While predominantly a video player, VLC also offers a solid audio solution for music lovers. I wanted to use VLC as my default media player for all the video files on my mac. That said, let’s set VLC as the default app. I use VLC simply because it is more intuitive than Quick Time Player, supports file types such as MKV, and gives you total control of the video playback from the keyboard. Set VLC As Default App On Mac.
Part 2. How to Download and Install VLC on Mac OS X
The VLC media player is available for multiple platforms and is a very popular choice for Apple users. The software is also free for Mac OS X, and a list of versions are available for download on the official website. The complete guide on installing VLC on Mac OS X is given below along with the download process.
Step 1. Go to the official website of VideoLAN and download the dmg package from the download links available for Mac OS X.
Step 2. Once the package is downloaded, locate the file and execute it. The file will open after verifying the contents of the file.
Step 3. Please select the file and drag it to the Application folder. This will copy the file into the application folder.
Step 4. Now double-click on the file and allow all the permissions required by the VLC. Once the setup is complete, VLC will launch for the first time on your Mac.
Part 3. How to Make VLC as Default Player on Mac
Instead of going through the hassle of choosing the VLC player every time you try to open a video, it is better than making the VLC media player your default media player.
Steps on how to make VLC as the default player on Mac:
Step 1. Select any file that you want to open and right-click on it. When you click, certain options will appear, and you can select the Get Info option.
Step 2. Now, in the Open With section, choose the VLC from the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Then, make sure that you click on Change All option to apply the setting to all the files present on the Mac. And the VLC on your Mac would be the default player now.
Part 4. The Best VLC Alternative Mac to Play Video and Audio Files
If you are looking for the VLC alternative for Mac, then your search ends at Wondershare UniConverter. It is a complete toolbox that allows the users to convert, download, edit, burn video, and audio in more than 1000 formats. It is a tool that gives you the fastest speed of conversion with so many additional features that you will forget there is some other software available on the internet.
Wondershare UniConverter - Your Complete Video Toolbox
- Best VLC Alternative to convert any video/audio in any format, like AVI/MKV/MOV/MP4/MP3/WAV/M4A, etc.
- Convert video to optimized preset for almost all of the devices.
- Compress videos by cropping and trimming.
- Burn video to playable DVD with attractive free DVD templates.
- Download or record videos by pasting URLs from Internet video sites.
- Versatile toolbox includes fixing video metadata, GIF maker, Video Compressor, and screen recorder.
- Supported OS: macOS 11 Big Sur, 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6, Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista.
Main functions of the Wondershare UniConverter:
Video/Audio Converter: VLC Alternative to convert video and audio in any format
This is the most attractive function of the Wondershare UniConverter. It can convert any format of video to some other. The list supported by this software is unlimited, e.g. MP4, AVI, MKV, WMV, MPEG-2, MOV, 3GP, HEVC, and many others. The Wondershare UniConverter gives a wide array of conversion processes. It allows the user to convert videos for Social networks, iPhone, iPad, Android devices, and others. It also supports the conversion of DVDs, videos from camcorder, and especially videos to audio. With this software's help, you can also combine multiple videos by merging them and compressing them. The software is very easy to learn, and once you get familiar with the interface and process, you will be able to efficiently operate the software.
Video Editor: Edit video and audio with built-in tools before conversion
The software enables users to edit videos with ease. Editing is the process that allows the users to give a whole new look to the videos by applying multiple effects and filters. With Wondershare UniConverter, the users are free to experiment with their videos by choosing a variety of effects and filters. It allows the users to trim videos, crop videos, apply an effect, add watermark, and add subtitles to the videos. The software ensures that the users get an amazing video editing experience.
Files Download: Download video and audio files by pasting URLs
It usually happens that we wish to download videos that are present on different websites. The Wondershare UniConverter signifies its name and supports almost 10000 websites from which you can easily copy URL and download the video with the best quality. Not only can you download the videos, but also you can edit them right after download. Even if you want to download a whole playlist or convert a video to MP3 and then download it, the software can do it all. The software also provides some download process settings that can ensure that every video you download is of high quality. It has a download task scheduler and also provides priority settings for downloads.
DVD Burning: Burn videos to DVD and Blu-ray Discs Easily
A burn is a term used for the process of writing content to a CD/DVD or any other disc. Usually, the burning of the Videos is done to get them on some external space. The Wondershare UniConverter also provides a burning function for videos. The software makes it possible for the users to burn videos or other supported files to DVD, Blu-ray disc, or to ISO file. Whether you want to burn videos to DVD, Convert DVD to ISO, or Burn ISO to DVD, the software supports them all.
Toolbox: More additional functions related to media
It can help you to fix media metadata automatically and edit it with customization. You can also convert your videos to VR and enjoy on your VR devices. What's more, it has 2 assistant tools named Screen Recorder and GIF Maker.
There are a lot of strong arguments in favor of macOS, it is beautiful, robust, well designed, and just works. While it is true, I hate the fact that the default Media Player on macOS is a Quick Time Player. I wanted to use VLC as my default media player for all the video files on my mac. That said, let’s set VLC as the default app.
I use VLC simply because it is more intuitive than Quick Time Player, supports file types such as MKV, and gives you total control of the video playback from the keyboard.
Set VLC As Default App On Mac
1. Open With: The Easy Method
Vlc For Macbook Pro
There is an option built into the macOS that lets you set any application as a default. To set VLC as default for a video file, Right-click the file> Click ‘Get Info’.
Also Read: VLC For Apple TV: Fixing 3 Common Problem
Vlc Player For Mac Free Download
Under the ‘Open With‘ section, select VLC from the drop-down menu. Click the ‘Change All’ button. That’s all you need to do, the video file would open with VLC every time you double click it or press CMD+DOWN.
However, the problem with this method is that you would have to repeat the process of setting VLC as a default app for every video file type. If you want a set it and forget it type fix then let’s check out the next method.
2. Swift Default App: The effective Method
To set VLC as a default app for every video file type, we’d install a small utility app, Swift Default Apps. It’s a preference pane app that would let us set any app as default. Download the app from the Github page and install it on your system.
Once installed, you will find this app in System Preferences, Click SwiftDefaultApps icon.
Select Applications from the row of tabs, scroll down to find VLC and check all the media files that you want VLC to play. Now, simply close the System Preferences and that’s it. All of the video files have been set to VLC now.
Read: How to Play MKV Files on Mac
Set VLC as Default App on Mac
These were two simple ways to set VLC as your default media player. I don’t mind using the first method but I consume a lot of video content and setting every format to play with VLC isn’t something I’d want to do. SwiftDefaultApps can do so much more than just setting VLC as the default app. What do you think of these methods, let me know in the comments below or reach out to me on Twitter?
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