Summary: Although VLC is one of the best media players available for any platform, a few common problems the user might come across when playing videos on it. These problems can vary from audio syncing issues to video stuttering issues, and if you’re facing any such of them, you shouldn’t worry. There are usually very simple solutions available to fix them, and we’re going to familiarize you with a few in this article.
The VLC media player is a go-to application to open and play any format of video files, including MKV, MP4, MOV, etc. VLC offers a simple and user-friendly interface that gives a seamless video- watching experience to users. It is supported on all major platforms ranging from Windows and macOS to Android and iOS. Most app stores also recommend VLC as a perfect media player for video and audio files.
To watch movies or listen to music with VLC, you must download the media player and install it on your system first. But even after performing the correct download and installation, you might face video stutters and audio syncing problems with a few videos. Have you ever wondered why this happens? There could be many reasons for it, but what’s great is that you can overcome such problems through a few easy-to-follow steps.
Allow us to share the most common causes for unexpected visual and auditory problems in VLC media player, and introduce you to a few easy fixes.
Here’s a quick look at some of the most common issues you may encounter when using VLC media player. The solutions are also given with each issue.
If your video file is stuttering constantly or lagging (audio is running, but video is stuck), then you can do the following to fix this issue.
Fix 1: Changing cache values
Incorrect cache values can cause stuttering/lagging issues in VLC media player. To overcome them, follow these steps:
We recommend that you restart the VLC media player now and reload the video file to see if the stuttering or the lagging is fixed. If not, head on to try the next fix.
Fix 2: Changing video output module
If you’re facing severe video lagging issues in VLC, changing the video output module setting may fix it. Here are the steps to do this:
Fix 3: Disabling Hardware-Accelerated Decoding
Among the users who were facing this issue, those who disabled the Hardware Decoding option have reported that it fixes the stuttering issues. Here’s how you can do this:
This must fix any stutters or lags in the video file. If it doesn’t, you can be sure that there is a problem with the video file itself.
If your VLC player is crashing every time you load a particular video, then there are several reasons for this issue. Some issues include corrupted files, pre-loaded MKV files, and outdated VLC media player. Let us take a look at how to fix these issues.
Fix 1 – Repair corrupt files
Suppose VLC keeps crashing or causing massive stutters and lags for a particular video file. In such a case, you should know that most probably the video file is corrupted.
You can use the free software Stellar Repair for Video to repair your corrupted video files of any format, including MP4, MKV, MOV, etc. This software can repair video files of any size with just a few clicks on Windows as well as macOS. It is free to download to test demo version and offers advanced features in the paid version.
Let’s see how you can install it and fix your corrupted video files:
After repairing the video file, try opening it on VLC. If it runs without any issues, then you have successfully repaired the corrupted video file.
Fix 2 – Disable Pre-loading MKV files option
Some users have reported that disabling this option has helped with the VLC crashing issue. Follow these steps:
If this doesn’t work, move to the next fix.
Fix 3 – Reinstalling VLC media player
If your VLC player is crashing or stuttering even after trying all the solutions listed above, maybe the problem lies in the application itself. Follow these steps to uninstall and reinstall VLC on Windows:
If you encounter issues even after trying all these solutions, double-check your compatibility with VLC and the current OS that is running on your computer.
So these were some of the most common issues you could encounter when using VLC and how you can fix them. In most situations, VLC is not set up properly, due to which it has such trivial issues. We hope these fixes were effective in getting rid of the problems posed by the player and the video file itself. In case of corrupted files Stellar Repair for Video can be a very useful tool as it is simple to use and highly effective. Stellar also offers other great software to help you with data recovery, video, and photo repair.
Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.
I bought Lenovo ThinkPad but installed vcl but it does not show or display video only play audio what can I do
Hi Muga,
I would request you to try fixing the issue using the information provided from the above methods. If still, you are facing the same issue then try using another media player to check if there is an issue with the videos that you are trying to play with VLC.
If the videos are still not being played on another media player then I am afraid they are corrupt and you may need to repair them using Stellar Repair for Video. In any case, you may contact our support team to guide you better.
Hope it helps!