FonePaw - Solution - Converter - Play WMV Videos on Mac
No doubt Elmedia Player is on top of the list. It is very popular among Mac users and regarded as one of the best free WMV players for Mac. In its arsenal of features include smooth video playback, high visual quality, support for other formats other than WMV, vast language options, encoding setup option and adjustment of subtitles as in size, font color, etc.
Windows Media Video (.wmv) is one of the popular video file formats on Windows, but when trying to play WMV files on Mac, you may get a compatibility issue. If you have trouble in opening or playing WMV files on Mac. Here are the solutions.
1. Will QuickTime Play WMV Files?
QuickTime might be your first choice when it comes to play videos on your Mac. However, if you play .wmv video on Mac with QuickTime Player, you will get an error message 'The document (filename) .wmv could not be opened'. QuickTime can't play WMV videos, which are encoded with Microsoft propriety codec.
Unfortunately, you cannot use Windows Media Player to watch .wmv files on mac as well, for Microsoft has already stopped supporting and updating Windows Media Player for Mac OS X.
So how on earth can you play .wmv files on Mac? There are 2 options. One is to convert WMV to other formats, such as MP4, MOV, which can be supported by media players on Mac; the other is to install a WMV player on Mac.
2. Convert WMV to MP4 on Mac
With the help of FonePaw Video Converter Ultimate, you can easily and quickly convert WMV to QuickTime understandable formats like MOV and MP4. Moreover, besides WMV, this software can convert between almost all popular video formats. MP4, AVI, FLV, MTS, MKV, M4V, 3GP can all be converted to QuickTime supported formats. Once the files are converted, you can watch them with your Mac (QuickTime), iPhone, iPad or edit the MWV files with iMovie, Final Cut Pro, etc.
Free download the trial version of the program and follow the steps below to convert WMV to MP4 on Mac.
DownloadDownload
Step 1: Add WMV filesAfter launching the program, click 'Add File' to add WMV files to the converter. Batch conversion is supported.
After the .wmv file is added to the app, you can play this .wmv video on the Preview window on the right side.
Step 2: Set the output formatTo play WMV files on Mac successfully, you can just choose MOV as the format from Profile > QuickTime Movie Format. Or choose MP4, the most widely-used video format.
Note: The application includes a group of presets that simplify the process of choosing output settings. If you want to convert WMV files exclusively for any of the devices listed in the preset list, simply click on that device.
Step 3: Start the conversionWhen all the settings are done, press the 'Convert' button to convert WMV videos on Mac for playing.
3. WMV Player for Mac
VLC
VLC is a free media player which supports almost every video format (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, MP3...). Besides, it is a cross-platform media player, compatible with many different operating systems including Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, etc. As a completely free app, it guarantees good user experience by making sure that there is not spyware, ads or user tracking. So if want to open .wmv files on Mac, VLC is a good choice.
Flip4Mac
Flip4Mac is not a media player but actually a set of component designed for OS X. If you download Flip4Mac component and install it to your Mac, although you will not find the component on your desktop or somewhere else, but indeed it works and enables your QuickTime to play .wmv files automatically without launching extra programs. But the limitation is that it only applies to WMV and WMA formats, so maybe it's less useful than apps like VLC which can support all many different video formats.Note: Flip4Mac now supports only Mac OS X 10.6.8 thru 10.11.6, so this method doesn't apply to macOS with higher version.
MPlayerX
Another useful tool for you to play .wmv files on Mac is MPlayerX. Similar to VLC mentioned above, MPlayerX basically can handle any media format in the world; besides, it doesn't require extra plug-ins or codec packages. MPlayerX also allows you to use pinch, tap or swipe to control the playback, so you don't need to remember so many hotkeys and MPlayerX will follow your gestures. What's more, MPlayerX will convert the encoding method of subtitle file automatically, including Latins, Eastern Asian languages, Arabic, etc. So try using MPlayerX to play .wmv files and it will not disappoint you.
You are able to convert, edit, create, download and play videos with this all in one video manager tool at hand.
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Microsoft developed WMV (Windows Media Video) as a digital video format that works natively with Windows Media Player and other Microsoft applications. But if you have obtained a WMV file from a client or business partner and you use a Mac, you can still play it. QuickTime, the native media player in Mac OS X, can stream WMV files once it is supplemented with the free Flip4Mac plug-in. In addition, VLC and MPlayerX are Mac-compatible third-party options that can also handle WMV files.
QuickTime with Flip4Mac
1.Download and install the Flip4Mac component (see Resources).
2.Launch QuickTime. Click the “File” tab on the application menu and select “Open File…”
3.Locate the WMV file in the file browser window. Select the item and click “Open” to load the video into QuickTime. The WMV file streams.
4.Manage playback of the WMV file with the buttons on the QuickTime control bar. Click the “Play” button to start streaming and click it again to suspend streaming. Press down on the “Fast Forward” button to advance the footage; press down on the “Rewind” button to reverse the footage. Click the “Skip Back” button to jump to the first frame of footage and click the “Skip Forward” button to jump to the last frame of footage. Drag the playhead on the timeline to access a specific frame in the clip. Move the levels on the speaker slidebar to adjust the soundtrack’s volume.
5.Click the “File” tab and select “Exit” to shut down QuickTime when you are done streaming the WMV file.
VLC
2.Launch VLC. Click the “Media” tab on the application menu and select “Open File...”
3.Locate the WMV file in the file browser window. Select the item and click “Open” to load the video into VLC. The WMV file streams.
4.Manage playback of the WMV file with the buttons on the VLC control bar. Click the “Pause” button to suspend streaming and click the “Stop” button to cease streaming completely. Click the “Skip Back” button to jump to the first frame of footage and click the “Skip Forward” button to jump to the last frame of footage. Drag the playhead on the timeline to access a specific frame in the clip. Click the “Full-Screen” button to expand VLC’s viewing dimensions. Move the levels on the speaker slidebar to adjust the soundtrack’s volume.
5.Click the “Media” tab and select “Quit” to shut down VLC when you are done streaming the WMV file.
MPlayerX
2.Launch MPlayerX. Click the “File” tab on the application menu and select “Open…”
3.Locate the WMV file in the file browser window. Select the item and click “Open” to load the video into MPlayerX. The WMV file streams.
4.Manage playback of the WMV file with the buttons on the MPlayerX control bar. Click the “Pause” button to suspend streaming and click the “Play” button to resume streaming. Click the “Skip Back” button to jump to the first frame of footage and click the “Skip Forward” button to jump to the last frame of footage. Click the “Full-Screen” button to expand MPlayerX’s viewing dimensions. Move the levels on the speaker slidebar to adjust the soundtrack’s volume.
5.Click the “File” tab and select “Close” to shut down MPlayerX when you are done streaming the WMV file.
Resources (3)
About the Author
Based in New York City, I am an online video producer who has more than five years of experience working in digital media. I specialize in video compression and distribution, video software, online video sharing and portable device use. I received my B.A. in Film Studies in 2005 from Vassar College.
Photo Credits
- Chris McGrath/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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Pennypacker, Theodora. 'How to Open WMV Files on an Apple.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-wmv-files-apple-53224.html. Accessed 14 January 2020.
Pennypacker, Theodora. (n.d.). How to Open WMV Files on an Apple. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-wmv-files-apple-53224.html
Pennypacker, Theodora. 'How to Open WMV Files on an Apple' accessed January 14, 2020. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/open-wmv-files-apple-53224.html
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