How to Make VLC the Default Media Player

Ben Patterson Read more August 7, 2021

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The VLC Media Player allows you to play your favorite media from almost any source including various file formats, disk formats, and streaming. Its array of features and tools assist you in creating the best playback quality.

If you prefer your media to play using VLC Media Player as opposed to other built-in media players, in this article we’ll show you how to set VLC as default for various operating systems. Our FAQs section includes how to use VLC to stream your music and videos over the internet and how to connect to a stream.

How to Make VLC the Default Media Player

Making VLC your default media player can be done by:

Locating VLC in your app settings and set it as a default app, or
Launching a media file, choose to open it with VLC, then setting VLC as default.

How to Make VLC the Default Media Player in Windows

Click on the Start button.
Choose “Settings,” then “Apps.”
Navigate to the “Default apps.”
Go to the “Choose default apps” section for the video player.
Choose “Movies & TV” then switch to “VLC Media Player.”

How to Make VLC the Default Media Player on a Mac

Go to the video or audio file you wish to open then right-click it. To right-click on a Mac, press “Control,” then the mouse or trackpad.
Choose “Get Info.”
Select “Open with.” Your current default player and the other installed video players will display.
Change the current player to VLC.
Click on the “Change All…” option, then select “Continue” from the prompt that pops up.

How to Make VLC the Default Media Player on Android

Launch VLC.
Navigate to “Apps.”
From the top right, click on the three-dotted menu.
Navigate to “Default apps,” then select “Default App Selection.”
Click on “Ask Before Setting Default Apps.”
Launch “VLC.”
Complete the on-screen instructions to set VLC as the default player.

How to Make VLC the Default Media Player on Linux

Select the arrow at the top right of the screen.
Choose the “Settings” icon.
From the left menu, click on “Details” and “Default Applications.”
Change the “Video” option to “VLC Media Player.” (The same can be done for “Music” if you wish).
Save the changes.

VLC Media Player, I Choose You!

Powerful VLC Media Player is one of the best ways to listen to music and watch videos. It can play pretty much any format and has better sound amplifiers than any other media player available. The fact that it’s free software and typically more powerful than built-in media players makes it a great alternative default player.

Now that we’ve shown you how to set VLC as your default media player and how to stream content from your computer to another, what type of content do you enjoy the most? What do you think of VLC so far? Do you prefer it to other media players – if so, why? Let us know in the comments section below.