How to Make VLC the Default Media Player on Windows

We VLC fans want to use it as a media player on every device we are on. For a laptop powered by Windows, it is quite simple to make VLC Media Player the default software for playing video and audio files. VLC seems to be a perfect video/audio player on computers and laptops powered by Microsoft Windows. It’s a few steps to download and install, and then, change the settings to make it the default app for media.

VLC is good; especially for videos. If you want to do it then we can simply set it as the default video and music player app. The option available in the main Settings > System > Default apps allows us to change it back. You do not have to do it on an extension-by-extension basis while the option is still there. We can make it work for all video and audio files at once. Windows will set back the association to VLC for recognized video and audio files.

Here are the detailed steps to make VLC the default media (video as well as audio) player:

  • Click on the Windows Start button, search for and go to Settings. Windows 10 Settings
  • Click on Apps. Apps in Settings
  • Access the Default apps. Default Apps
  • Under Choose Default apps, for the Video player click on Movies & TV and switch to VLC Media Player. Choosing the Default Video Player
    • If you want to do it for music files as well, do the same thing for the choice present as a Music player.
The options are saved immediately after the settings are changed. The next time you open video files, VLC will be the program to open them. You will also see the famous traffic cone icon in the thumbnails of the media files.

Choosing Default Apps by File Type

If you want to assign video file types like .mp4 to open with VLC and other file types to open with the default media player then we use the option Choose default apps by file type. It is available in the same location Settings > System > Default apps, near the bottom of the page. Choosing by File Type

Once you click on it, different recognized extensions will be listed. Scroll through the list and once you find the desired extension like .3gp or .mp4 click on the default app. Choose VLC media player from the options listed. The changes will be saved immediately.

Choosing One by One

Changing the Default App while Opening a File

One more option that helps us to change the default app to VLC without visiting the settings section. The option is right there when you open a media file.
  • Right-click on a media file and select Open with > Choose another app. Changing the Default App
  • From the list, choose VLC Media Player.
  • Check the box that says Always use this app to open .mp4 files. Selecting Default App
The media file will open and from now on that extension or file type will be associated with the VLC media player. In this example, we chose an MP4 file but it can be done for any type of media file.

See Also: How to Make VLC the Default Media Player on a Mac

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