How to Play AVI Files on Mac?
I'm trying to play some old AVI files on my Mac, but QuickTime Player doesn't seem to support them. Should I install some codec or just try another player?
MacBook Air (2018 – 2020)
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6 replies
You can try using Elmedia Player. It supports a wide range of formats, including AVI, without needing extra codecs: https://www.elmedia-video-player.com/avi-player-mac.html
There's also a way like converting the files to a QuickTime-compatible format, but I wouldn't recommend it, it's no longer relevant.
When I was using macOS 10.13 High Sierra, I could play the video directly with QuickTime by changing the .avi extension to .mp4.
But now on my macOS 14 Monterey, this method no longer works.
You could install either VLC or Cisdem Video Player. They are free and can play a variety of formats, including AVI.
Based on the poor compatibility of AVI, you can also convert it to MP4 format. VLC and Cisdem both support video conversion. It’s just that Cisdem’s conversion feature requires payment to activate.
When I was using macOS 10.13 High Sierra, I could play the video directly with QuickTime by changing the .avi extension to .mp4.
That kind-of worked because Finder associates .mp4 with QuickTime Player and QuickTime Player doesn’t look at the file extension for validation. On top of that, legacy QuickTime (v7 and earlier for macOS versions up to macOS Mojave 10.14) can work with very different codecs than QuickTime 10 can. With the right plugins, legacy QuickTime 7 can play (some) .avi files, but that is not supported in QuickTime 10 on modern macOS versions.
Thanks for your suggestions guys!
How to Play AVI Files on Mac?