Best video players for windows

Since most computers come installed with a video player, why would anyone hassle with downloading a third-party software? Simple. These built-in video players/media players only support a limited range of formats, meaning that half of the time you can’t even open the files you need. 

Relying on the installed video player could cause you to need multiple players — one to play music, one to play DVDs, one to play videos, and one for streaming — because it can’t handle the files. You can install plug-ins and codecs to improve compatibility, but some videos might remain out of reach. All of this is time-consuming and takes up space on your computer, causing everything to run slowly.

When choosing a video player for Windows, your primary consideration should be the ability to play the widest range of video and audio files, without downloading any plug-ins. 

In this article, we’ve found the best free video players/media players that make it easy to play videos  — no codes or troubleshooting required.

• Top 3 Video Players/Media Players for Windows Snapshot
• How to Choose the Best Video Player/Media Player
• 17 Best Free Video Players/Media Players for Windows 11 in 2023
• Best Video Players/Media Players for Windows 11 Comparison Chart
• How to Use a Video Player/Media Player
• Download the Best Video Player/Media Player for Windows 11 for Free
• Video Player/Media Player FAQ

Top 3 Video Players/Media Players for Windows Snapshot

How to Choose the Best Video Player/Media Player

How can you decide which video player is right for you when there are so many options? Before you get overwhelmed, read our tips below for how to choose the best way to play videos on your PC.

Features

The biggest thing that separates the media players on our list is features. They will all allow you to play videos, but some can also play DVDs and Blu-rays, stream online radio, and play videos from YouTube. Are you planning to play videos on your laptop, or do you want to casting and upscaling features to watch on the big screen? Do you need a virtual remote? Do you need subtitle options or media organization? Write a list of your feature must-haves so you can easily compare products as you go through the list below. 

Format Support 

You should also make a list of the types of formats you tend to play on your media player. Some options below can play outdated or even broken files, while others just play video and audio formats that are the most popular. Do you need support for audiobooks or podcasts? If you plan to play DVD and Blu-ray discs, make sure your video player can play menus, including chapter support and BD-Live. 

Ease of Use

Are you the type of user who likes control over every aspect of video playback, or do you want to simply hit play and let your video player optimize playback for you? Do you need a beginner-friendly tool, or are you looking for advanced features? We’ve made it easy for you to narrow down your choice by stating how user-friendly each product is in the “Bottom Line” part of our reviews.

17 Best Free Video Players/Media Players for Windows 11 in 2023

1. PowerDVD — Best Overall

Price: Free
*Premium versions are available for $59.99 for Standard or $99.99 for Ultra. A subscription is also available for $54.99/year.

Compatibility: Windows

TopTenReviews Rating: 4.5/5

Format Support: 5/5

Key Features

• All major formats supported up to 8K
• 360-degree video support
• Watch YouTube videos offline and ad-free
• Share your media with a link

Who It’s For

PowerDVD for Windows 11 is the best way to play any media on this list, ideal for both first-time and tech-savvy users. It offers a wide range of format support for practically any video or audio file. It allows you to play, screencast, or easily share your entire library of photos, videos, and music. This media player can also play DVDs, Blu-rays, and VOB files. You can do all this and more with stellar sound and video quality. 

Why We Picked It

All media files are easily searchable and there are media organization tools such as poster walls and metadata to help manage your growing collection. With CyberLink’s Cloud, you can store 100s of videos and watch them on your desktop, tablet, or mobile device with the PowerPlayer app. 

This movie player has media casting capabilities with Chromecast, Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV, so you can play videos on the big screen. 

Enjoy a cinema-like experience with improved HDR, color, lighting, and audio with True Theater video and Dolby. PowerDVD video player gives you a choice of layouts to optimize your viewing experience whether on PC or TV. 

There is a manual option to change brightness, hue, and saturation, but PowerDVD automatically upscales the quality of any DVD or Blu-ray. You can even change regions in case you bought a DVD from another country.

Bottom Line

PowerDVD for Windows 11 is a fully-featured multimedia software. The interface is clean and user-friendly. We think it is the best choice to play videos because it is filled with features, offers high-quality playback, is beginner-friendly, and even has advanced media organizational tools. You would be hard-pressed to find another video player that checks all those boxes. 

Click the button below to download PowerDVD and start optimizing your viewing experience.

2. KMPlayer — Best for Advanced Users

Image from codecs.

Compatibility: Windows

Google Play Rating: 4.3/5

Format Support: 5/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Slideshow creator
• 3D and 360-degree VR playback
• Video to GIF creation
• 3D movie compatibility

Who It’s For

KMPlayer is another free and feature-rich video player for Windows 11. We think its sheer number of features makes it best for advanced users. With this media player, you can play videos,  control video and audio playback with buttons and hotkeys, and adjust the video screen and sound with noise reduction and super high-speed mode. KMPlayer uses Chromecast to cast videos from your PC to your TV with no lag. 

Why We Picked It

Watch up to 8K videos or play DVDs and Blu-ray content with this media player. KMPlayer also supports a variety of subtitle formats and built-in codecs. Play videos streamed from YouTube and other online platforms via URL, and then bookmark URL playback. It comes with excellent sorting functions and the ability to create video and audio playlists. 

Bottom Line

The downside to being so feature-rich is that KMPlayer is not for beginners, and it uses a lot of computer resources to function. PowerDVD is equally feature-rich, but is lighter on computer resources and is easy enough for first-time users. 

3. Zoom Player — Best Customizable UI

Image from apkmonk.

Compatibility: Windows

G2 Rating: 3.9/5

Format Support: 5/5

Price: Free
*Premium version available for $39.95/year or $109.95 for a lifetime license

Key Features

• 10-Band audio equalizer
• Playlist editor including YouTube playlists
• Password protection
• Bookmarks and Play History feature

Who It’s For

Advanced users who like total control over their software will love Zoom Player. This video player has hundreds of customization options for both the look of the user interface and the functionality. There’s a programmable keyboard editor and advanced mouse controls. You can even turn your Android device into a remote (for an extra charge) or use your Xbox 360 remote to control playback. 

Why We Picked It 

With Zoom Player you can stream audio and video and play DVDs and Blu-rays. There are also plenty of customizations for video and audio playback. One thing we loved about this media player was the built-in Media Scanner, which scans your PC for any media and adds it to your library automatically. Zoom Player’s Media Library stores an impressive amount of video metadata including cast, rating, run time, release date, and more. 

Bottom Line

Zoom Player is a great choice for type-A personalities who like total control over every aspect of their media libraries. It is not recommended for those on the opposite spectrum who just want to play videos without making a ton of decisions. Zoom Player is one of the most feature-rich options on our list, making it great for more advanced users, but overwhelming for beginners. The reason it is behind KMPlayer is that user reviews across the board mentioned the clunky download process and issues with glitches and lagging. It feels like Zoom Player bit off more than it could chew, offering a large number of features without the bandwidth to back it up. 

4. PotPlayer — Best for Customizing Video

Compatibility: Windows

AlternativeTo Rating: 4/5

Format Support: 4.8/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Side by Side, Top and Bottom, and Page Flipping supported
• 3D and 360-degree video support
• Supports various subtitle formats
• Converts HDR to SDR

Who It’s For

PotPlayer is a free and lightweight way to play videos on Windows 11. We like this media player for advanced users because of its many customization options. The video player itself is fully customizable, and you can also adjust your viewing experience with manual controls for brightness, contrast, and hue. 

Why We Picked It

With this video player, you can play a DVD, bookmark your favorite scene or chapter in a video, split audio tracks, and output to different devices. It supports OpenCodec, which means users can add whatever codecs they want without installing new ones all the time. From large files to broken files, PotPlayer can play them all with fast, seamless video playback and a rich sound you can fine-tune with the built-in graphic equalizer. 

Bottom Line

PotPlayer’s many customizations make it a good movie player for more advanced users, but not for beginners. It falls below our top 3 options because it lacks some key features, such as online video streaming and casting. We also found its user interface unappealing. But if you are just looking for a video player that will play videos with excellent quality, then PotPlayer is for you. 

5. Kodi — Best for Organization

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

Format Support: 4.5/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Parental Controls
• Stream internet radio
• Video game and game controller support
• Record and watch Live TV

Who It’s For

Kodi is a free and open-source movie player and entertainment hub. It’s a great tool for users with a large media library to store all their digital content in one place, including TV, movies, podcasts, music, photos, games, and more. Your movie collection is stored with artwork, cast, and genre, and the TV library shows episode and season views, posters or banners, watched tags, show descriptions, and actors. 

Why We Picked It

This video player has a catalog of over 900 add-ons to personalize your viewing experience. Since Kodi is open-source, some add-ons are added to the library that don’t exist, don’t work, or have copyright-infringement issues, so users should only use official Kodi add-ons. 

Some add-ons worth noting are: 

• PlayOn: add all your streaming accounts like Netflix and Hulu 
• Black and White Movies: free access to classic films with expired copyrights
• National Geographic: a large selection of free documentaries
• Sports Devil: live stream sports

Bottom Line

Kodi is a great place for movie and tv lovers to organize and store their digital files in one place. However, adding all that content as well as add-ons means it can run slow and glitchy at times. Also, adding add-ons can be complicated, making this video player difficult for first-time users. And while it can play DVDs, it has patchy support for Blu-ray. For a more beginner-friendly video player with organizational features, try PowerDVD.    

6. Leawo Blu-ray Player — Best for CPU

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

TopTenReviews Rating: 4/5

Format Support: 4.5/5

Price: Free
*Premium version available for $44.95/year

Key Features

• Support for Dolby, AAC, TrueHD, DTS-HD
• Virtual remote control
• Customizable skins and backgrounds
• Multi-Angle feature for multicamera movies

Who It’s For

Leawo Blu-ray Player is a lightweight video player with a Power Manager feature that conserves your PC’s battery life without sacrificing playback quality. We think this is an excellent video player for anyone who likes to play videos and work on their computer at the same time.  

Why We Picked It

There are many options to tweak playback when you play videos on Leawo Blu-ray Player. Watch full-screen, adjust subtitles, change video and audio settings, and more. Leawo will play DVDs, HD video, ISO files player, audio files, and Blu-ray including 4K UHD. You can also take screenshots during video playback and save the images in a variety of formats. 

Bottom Line

If you are looking for a media player to simply play videos on your computer without lag and with prolonged battery life (for a long road trip or flight for example), then Leawo Blu-ray Player is an excellent choice. Although it is light on system resources, it is also light on features. This video player lacks a lot of tools found in other options on our list, such as screencasting and organizational features. Although Leawo and PotPlayer are both lightweight with a similar feature set, we put PotPlayer above it on our list because it has slightly better format support.  

7. SMPlayer — Best for Playing YouTube Videos

Compatibility: Windows, Linux

SourceForge Rating: 4.4/5

Format Support: 4/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Video and audio filters
• Adjust playback speed
• Video equalizer
• Support for over 30 languages

Who It’s For

If you are looking for a media player to play videos from YouTube, check out SMPlayer. It is free and open-source with wide format support for most video and audio files, including YouTube and MPV. Best of all, you can do this without the added hassle of searching and downloading codec packs. There’s also an available plug-in that allows you to search for YouTube videos in the software.   

Why We Picked It

You can change the look of SMPlayer with the included skins and icon themes. And don’t worry if you need to quit playback for an extended period of time. This media player will remember where you left off and save your playback settings. And not only can you search and download subtitles, but you can also play videos with 2 subtitles on the screen at once, in different languages. 

Bottom Line

SMPlayer can play videos and audio of almost any file type without needing additional codecs to do so. However, it can’t play DVDs or Blu-rays, which is why it falls behind Leawo Blu-ray Player on our list of video/media players. 

8. GOM Player — Best for Subtitles

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

CNET Rating: 4.1/5

Format Support: 4/5

Price: Free
*GOM Player Plus is available for $25.

Key Features

• VOB file player
• Support for VR and 360-degree video
• Mini web feature to play videos from YouTube
• Pre-installed skins and logos for customization

Who It’s For

We found that GOM Player is a good movie player to use if you frequently play videos with the subtitles turned on. This video player for Windows 11 has a dedicated subtitle button in its control menu on the screen, and you can turn subtitles on/off with the click of a button. You can also adjust text size and placement. If you find a video without a subtitle option, GOM Player will automatically search the web and find and sync the subtitles for you. 

Why We Picked It

Play videos and tweak brightness, contrast, saturation, time jumps, playback speed, and audio. This video player comes loaded with built-in codecs, so if it doesn’t already support a file format, you can easily find and download the codec that does. It even works with corrupt media files and downloads any missing codecs to help them run properly.

Bottom Line

Although GOM Player doesn’t offer support for all file formats, the large codec library is available to fill in the gaps. However, downloading the appropriate codec every time you use an unsupported file can be time-consuming. Our number 1 video player, PowerDVD, has native support for any file type. 

9. Vidmore Player — Best for Large Files

Image from Vidmore.

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Softpedia Rating: 4/5

Format Support: 4/5

Price: Free trial, then $29.95/month or $59.95 for a lifetime license.

Key Features

• Play DVDs, Blu-ray discs, folders and ISO files
• Adjust screen size
• Snapshot icon for screenshots
• Quick chapter navigation

Who It’s For

If you have large files that your current media player can’t handle, give Vidmore Player a try. Vidmore Player is a quality-loss video player that allows you to play large files with no lag. This is due to Vidmore’s built-in converter, which reduces the file size of your media without sacrificing quality. This video player will playback any video format in 4K with high-quality audio. 

Why We Picked It

This movie player offers control over playback with the typical title, chapter, volume, and subtitle adjustments. It also provides some more advanced controls such as changing or disabling an audio track, changing the audio channel to Stereo, Reverse Stereo, Left, or Right, and adjusting the hue, brightness, contrast, saturation, and Gamma of your video.  

Bottom Line

In our test, Vidmore Player did exactly what it claimed to do — it could play DVDs, Blu-rays, and video files at high quality. However, it lacked many key features found in other video players, such as streaming, screencasting, media organization, and a virtual remote. And the free trial version has even fewer features. Some other video players on our list, such as Kodi, offer more features and are entirely free.

10. 5KPlayer — Best for Screencast

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Trustpilot Rating: 3/5

Format Support: 5/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Supports 360-degree and VR video
• Embedded video converter
• Screen recording capabilities
• Deinterlace option for progressive scanning videos

Who It’s For

5KPlayer is a free video player, MP3 downloader, converter, and radio player that streams online stations. This media player for Windows 11 will give you a night-at-the-movies experience with TrueTheater technology, DLNA Streaming, and Airplay mirroring for Apple users. This ensures there is never any quality loss or lagging when sharing or streaming content over wifi.

Why We Picked It

It supports all major video formats and will play DVDs from any region. 5KPlayer has built-in hardware acceleration for rendering 1080p, 4K, and 8K. You can set your preferred aspect ratio and rotate videos recorded in the wrong orientation. You can also download content from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Yahoo, Vine, and more than 300 other sites, then save and watch it later. 

Bottom Line

5KPlayer provides flawless video and audio streaming and supports a large number of formats. However, we found that many users have complained of frequent computer crashes and other problems. It is also very difficult to uninstall and makes it impossible to use any other video player while the software is installed. That’s why 5KPlayer sits at number 10 on our list, even though it has better format support and more features than some of the options above it. Check recent reviews before downloading this video player to make sure issues are resolved.  

11. AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player — Best for Playlists

Image from AnyMP4.

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Format Support: 3.5/5

Price: Free trial, then $31.20/month or $57.45 for a lifetime license

Key Features

• Switch to full-screen mode
• Take snapshots of playback
• Video control hotkeys
• Customize language

Who It’s For

If you love making playlists, then AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is for you. With this media player, you can create playlists for and play DVDs, Blu-rays, digital video files, and music. It automatically creates a playlist of your recent playback history, making it easy to find your current favorites. You can manage playlists by adding or deleting files and even play a DVD or Blu-ray playlist of specific chapters. 

Why We Picked It

Choose a particular audio track, device, or channel and adjust the volume accordingly. You can also adjust the video settings by tweaking hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, and gamma. AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player provides GPU acceleration, so files run quickly and smoothly on your desktop. 

Bottom Line

We liked AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player’s playlist options, but wish it offered more media management tools and included all digital media, like photos, podcasts, and audiobooks. The lack of a truly free version and limited feature set put this movie player near the bottom of our list.   

12. VLC Media Player — Best for Compatibility

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

TrustPilot Rating: 3.1/5

Format Support: 4.5/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Synchronous Subtitles
• 360-degree video support
• Play videos up to 8K resolution
• Video and audio filters

Who It’s For

VLC Media Player is a free and open-source way for advanced users to play videos on any device.  This video player is compatible with any type of operating system. Windows users can use it on their PC, Windows phone, or Android, while Apple users can get it on Mac, iPhone, and AppleTV. It’s also compatible with ChromeOS, Solaris, and every type of Linux or GNU such as Ubuntu and Mint. 

Why We Picked It

This video player can play videos from any media file or device, including VCDs, webcams, and streaming protocols. It can also play DVDs and CDs, but not Blu-ray. We liked that you can play videos while they are still downloading and play Zip files without individually unpacking them. You can also expand VLC’s offerings with downloadable plug-ins to optimize video and audio playback for each device. It plays almost all codecs with no codec packs needed.  

Bottom Line

VLC Media Player is completely free with no ads, spyware, or user tracking. It plays a wide range of file formats, making it a great movie player for people playing very old or unusual formats. It is filled with features, but there is a steep learning curve. Also, you cannot use tags on VLC Media Player, making organization difficult. Its learning curve and lack of Blu-ray support put this behind AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player. 

13. Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player — Best for Beginners

Image from Aiseesoft.

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

TopTenReviews Rating: 3.5/5

Format Support: 4/5

Price: 30-day free trial, then $31.20/month or $62.45 for a lifetime license

Key Features

• Create playlists
• Take screenshots during playback
• Support for Dolby TrueHD
• Customizable skins

Who It’s For

Aiseesoft is an AI-powered video player that can play DVDs, Blu-rays, popular video and audio formats, and ISO files. The automation makes it a good movie player for beginners who can play back a variety of formats with minimal effort. It even offers auto-updates whenever an update is available, without making the user sign into their account. This video player has a pared-down feature set, making it easy for non-tech-savvy individuals to navigate. 

Why We Picked It

You can play 1080p/720p HD Blu-ray losslessly from any region with this movie player. We were quite impressed with its Blu-ray playback capabilities and almost labeled Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player “Best for Blu-ray,” until we realized it doesn’t support BD-Live. 

Bottom Line

The best thing going for Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player is its ability to play DVDs, Blu-rays, and any digital file at high-quality. But aside from wide format support, we found it severely lacking in features, especially compared to the other video players on our list. It also eats up a ton of hard drive space — 10 times more than Leawo Blu-ray Player, which has a similar set of features. 

14. ALLPlayer — Best for Parental Controls

Image from ALLPlayer.

Compatibility: Windows

CNET Rating: 3.9/5

Format Support: 3.5/5

Price: Free

Key Features

• Dual monitor support
• Sound visualizations
• Change playback aspect ratio
• Dolby surround

Who It’s For

One of the only video players to offer parental controls, ALLPlayer is the best choice for kids. Parents can password-protect any videos they deem inappropriate. We also like it for anyone trying to play broken or obscure media formats, because ALLPlayer uses its AVI Doctor feature to repair broken files. 

Why We Picked It 

ALLPlayer has a plethora of playback controls. With this media player, you can take a snapshot of the screen, flip or rotate video, adjust color settings, and much more. You can also stream live radio and play DVDs and CDs. ALLPlayer is best known, however, for its automatic and customizable subtitles. 

Bottom Line

ALLPlayer can play broken media files, offers the unique feature of parental controls, and has excellent subtitle and playback options. However, it does not support Blu-ray or screencasting, and has a sketchy installation process.

15. BS.Player — Best Language Support

Image from DefKey.

Compatibility: Windows

CNET Rating: 3.3/5

Format Support: 4/5

Price: Free
*BS.Player Pro is available for $29.90

Key Features

• Playback for AVCHD movies
• Pan and scan feature for widescreen
• Programmable hotkeys
• Customizable skins

Who It’s For

If your native language is not often represented in media player software, then we recommend BS.Player. It labels itself as “a product for the world,” as it is available in 90 languages and includes excellent subtitle options. When you play a video, it will automatically download any missing subtitles and supports all the popular subtitle formats. You can customize subtitles and have dual subtitles on the screen during playback. 

Why We Picked It

BS.Player will play DVDs and HD DVDs with chapter ability as long as you have the proper codec installed. It also supports YouTube playback and the ability to save YouTube videos to a local disk. 

Bottom Line

BS.Player takes up very little CPU and is a good way to play DVDs and videos for non-English speakers. It’s so lightweight because it lacks features, such as Blu-ray support, screencasting, and media organization. We recommend Leawo as a better option for anyone with an older computer or little hard drive space.  

16. DivX Player — Best for Converting Files

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

CNET Rating: 3.6/5

Format Support: 3/5

Price: Free
*Pro version available for $19.99.

Key Features

• 4K support
• Chapter points
• Create, play, and loop playlists
• Transcode and stream without conversion

Who It’s For

When you download free software from DivX, you get a Player, Converter, and Media Server.  

The converter allows you to drag and drop popular video formats into DivX, MKV, HEVC, and MP4 files. There are also custom encoding settings to tweak resolution, bitrate, file size, video orientation, and more. These newly converted videos will play on more than 1 billion DivX video devices.

Why We Picked It

This video player allows you to add up to 8 audio tracks and subtitles, and you can change the order with a single click. You can also switch seamlessly between audio tracks without interrupting playback — in case you want to change languages or decide to turn on director commentary. Cast media files including videos, music, and photos to any DLNA-compatible device with this movie player.

Bottom Line

DivX Player came onto the scene years ago, back when DivX files were new, and there weren’t many ways to watch them. Nowadays, almost every video player has DivX support, plus support for many other formats. While DivX Player can play a wide range of formats, it has to convert them first into DivX. The movie player also lacks native support for Blu-ray playback and the installation process sneaks unwanted software on your computer. For an entirely worry-free installation process, try PowerDVD or Aiseesoft.

17. MediaMonkey — Best for Music

Image from MediaMonkey.

Compatibility: Windows

CNET Rating: 4/5

Format Support: 2.5/5

Price: Free
*Media Monkey Gold is available for $49.95.

Key Features

• Download and store metadata for digital files
• Remove duplicates
• Auto-Convert formats to play on any device
• Classify using multiple attributes

Who It’s For

MediaMonkey is a media management tool for serious collectors in need of organization. It offers media management and playback for videos, podcasts, and audiobooks, but is mostly geared toward music. With this media player, you can listen to online radio and sync Spotify playlists with your own. Manage your music by album, song, genre, or artist. There’s even an auto DJ that will keep playing similar tracks if your playlist runs dry. 

Why We Picked It

We like MediaMonkey’s unique feature that will create reports or generate statistics for your music collection. Perfect for users who often wonder what song gets played the most at any given time of life. It can also cast video and audio to any DLNA device. 

Bottom Line

Although MediaMonkey has excellent tools for audio playback, it does little to enhance video. We like this media player for its vast media organizational tools. Since it is free, it could work nicely alongside one of the free movie players above that can play DVDs and Blu-rays but may lack media management features. For an all-in-one solution, try PowerDVD. It has similar organizational tools, plus upscaled audio and video for a home-theater experience.  

Best Video Players/Media Players for Windows 11 Comparison Chart

How to Use a Video Player/Media Player

Here is a step-by-step guide for setting up a home theater using the PowerDVD video player. Click the button below to download it for free and follow along:

1. Launch PowerDVD from the Windows start menu.
2. Enter PC Mode.
3. Click the + icon, next to Media Library to import all of the movie files into your collection.



4. In the window that displays, select Add Movie Folder. Select the folder on your computer where your video files are stored and start the import.



5. After the importing is complete, connect your computer via HDMI or cast your content.

Plug an HDMI cable into the HDMI port of your computer and connect the other end to an available HDMI port on your TV. If your computer doesn’t have an HDMI port, you’ll need an adapter.

If you don’t want to connect your computer to your TV, you can cast your media from your PowerDVD to any Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or Chromecast device.

For a more in-depth look at setting up your Home Theater with PowerDVD video player, click here.

Download the Best Video Player/Media Player for Windows 11 for Free

The right video player will allow you to easily play videos and organize your multimedia collection in a searchable library. Ideally, you want software offering support for all media files and resolutions without the need for additional codecs or plug-ins. PowerDVD does all of the above and more, including cloud-streaming, casting to a TV or projector, offline viewing, and media sharing.

PowerDVD gives you the most cinema-like experience of all the video players in this article. True Theater technology and Dolby work together to upscale the quality of video and audio. 

This video player can play DVDs and can handle 8K resolution and Ultra HD Blu-ray. Use an HDMI cable to watch on the big screen, or simply cast from your PC using Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or Chromecast devices.

PowerDVD is the best all-around media player for Windows 11 on the market.

Click the button below to download PowerDVD for free and turn your living room into a home theater. 

Jitender Singh, the owner of this site, is a technical expert, SEO expert, YouTubber and a experienced blogger by profession. He basically belongs to a middle class family in Faridabad.

Are you looking for the best video player to get the most out of your Windows 11 PC? Whether watching a documentary on YouTube or simply enjoying personal videos and music, having access to quality media players makes all the difference.

The best media players don’t just provide crisp visuals and sound but also features like fast loading times, intuitive user interfaces, and smooth UI design. So, to help make life easier (and more entertaining!), we’ve rounded up our top ten list of the best video players for Windows 11 PCs.

1. CyberLink PowerDVD: Best Overall Player

Price: Free

• Patented TrueTheater technology
• Supports all major file formats
• Enhanced Blu-ray and DVD playback
• Ad-free YouTube you can watch offline
• Designed for PC, TV, and mobile devices

As the name suggests, PowerDVD is a powerful player that’ll not only play all major video file formats stored on your device, but it’ll also play content stored in the cloud. So if you need a player to support your home theater setup, look no further. This PowerDVD has high-quality audio playback and a remote app you can use to control it. The intuitive interface comes in TV and PC modes, which you can switch anytime.

With PowerDVD, you can play DVDs, Blu-ray 8k and 4k videos. Watch all your MP4, HDMI, MKV, AVI, AVCHD 2.0, and other files that you collected over the years. You can also use this player to browse viuTube, Facebook, or Vimeo videos without an internet connection. You can also wirelessly connect your PC to your TV through the PowerDVD player via Roku, AppleTV, Chromecast, or Fire TV.

But PowerDVD truly shines in its TrueTheater enhancement feature. This is a set of image-enhancing modes such as HDR Color, HD Upscaling, noise reduction, motion compensation, lighting, and video stabilization.

2. VLC Media Player: Best for Video Files

Price: Free

• Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Fast hardware decoding
• Supports 8k resolution
• Capable of increasing audio by 200%
• Has 360-Degree VR support

VLC Media Player is an open-source DVD player, and it’s free. It’s best for playing video files but can also stream online content. The best part is that you can play video files while still downloading them and play zip files without unpacking them.

Although VLC has wide format support, including WMV, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, it won’t play Blu-ray smoothly. However, it’ll support disc formats such as CD and DVD and video directly from the camera.

The interface of VLC Media Player is easy to navigate, ad-free, and comes with a video filtering feature. It has customizable skins, an album cover search function, and plug-in support. Packed with all these incredible features, it’s no wonder VLC is a widely used player.

3. POTPlayer: Best for 3D

Price: Free

• Supports different subtitle formats
• You can bookmark scenes
• Has 360-Degree VR support
• Adjustable brightness, hue, and contrast
• Supports various types of 3D glasses

PotPlayer is a multimedia player developed specifically for the Microsoft Windows OS. It has excellent video and audio playback quality while using minimum resources. This media player can play any file type. It supports OpenCodec, so the users can add to its already immense library. It has no problem opening large or even broken files. The only downside is that PotPlayer doesn’t support online video streaming.

The feature where PotPlayer really shines is the 3D experience. With it, you’ll have no problem watching 3D movies on your PC or TV. It supports various types of 3D glasses and devices such as DVD, HDTV, and 3DTV. It also has a screen and game capture function, so you can use PotPlayer to create videos and GIFs.

4. GOM Player: Best for Playing Subtitles

Price: Free basic version/premium version $25

• Supports 14 languages
• Plays VOB files
• Supports all major subtitle formats
• Has 360-Degree VR support
• Customizable skin

If you watch movies with subtitles regularly, you’ll want a media player that supports various subtitle files. GOM Player is just what you are looking for. It can play SMI, SRT, VTT, DVB, VobSub, TXT, PSB, and many more formats. It also has full support for macOS, and you can adjust the placement and size of the subtitles. You can also turn them off and on at any time during the video.

GOM Player doesn’t have an extensive codec library like PotPlayer, but you can easily add to it if needed. Also, you can change the looks of this media player as it comes with lots of skins and logo variations. Aside from that, you can adjust the video’s brightness, hue, and contrast directly from the player, as well as playback speed and time jumps. The only downside of GOM Player is that it can use lots of resources to run some of the newer file extensions, so if your Windows 11 device isn’t powerful enough, it might lag or even freeze.

5. Kodi: Best for Organizing Files

Price: Free

• Customizable skin
• Can sync with your SmartTV
• Integrated Parental Controls
• Open-Source
• Keeps all media in one place

Kodi is more than a simple video player. It’s an entertainment hub where you can keep all your media files, such as movies, photos, games, and podcasts, and organize them in any way you want. You can create playlists by genre, artists, cast list, show descriptions, and watched tags.

As previously said, Kodi is not just a video player. You can use it to record live TV and watch it later, stream online radio shows, or even play games. In addition, it has built-in game controller support and a vast library of add-ons that’ll allow you to personalize your gameplay and viewing experience.

6. DivX Player: Best for Advanced Codecs

Price: Basic version free/ Pro version $20

• High-quality video playback up to 4K
• Supports 360-Degree video
• Supports all major video file formats
• Media library for organizing your files
• Plays videos from the cloud

DivX Player is a well-known app, and it is considered one of the best choices when it comes to Windows 11. That’s because this software is good at playing some codecs that other players can’t recognize, such as AVI, HECV, or MKV. It can play video up to 4K resolution, allowing you to stream on Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).

If you want some of the advanced features of DivX Player, you’ll have to pay for the Pro version. The basic version is free, powerful, and simple to use. Although the interface seems simplistic, it’s beginner friendly and doesn’t miss any crucial features.

7. KMPlayer: Best Playback Support

Price: Free/donation appreciated

• Supports 24 languages
• Multi-media creator (video, GIF, Slideshows)
• Separate audio and video playlists
• Available for Windows, Android, and iOS
• Supports 360-degree VR

KMPlayer is filled with features despite costing absolutely nothing. It can play almost any video, including Blu-ray, DVD, 360-degree VR, 3D, and URL downloads. You can control the playback of both video and audio with dedicated hotkeys. But the best feature KMPlayer offers is Chromecast casting, super high-speed mode, and noise reduction.

KMPlayer has a very sleek and modern design. However, its functionality isn’t optimized for beginners. You’ll have to dedicate time to this player to discover its features and learn how to sort out your library. Aside from this, KMPlayer is also draining lots of system resources, which can cause lag on weaker machines.

8. 5KPlayer: Best for Radio Streaming

Price: Free

• Can rotate videos
• AirPlay and DLNA casting
• 360-degree video support
• Integrated video downloader
• Light on system resources

5KPlayer is more than just a simple video player. This software can also convert videos and stream satellite radio. If you are a radio person, you can just paste your favorite radio URL to play it or choose from the list of recommended preset radio stations. You can also play and download videos from websites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, or Facebook.

You can use 5KPlayer to download videos up to 4k Ultra HD resolution or play files such as MP4, MOV, AVI, Blu-ray, or DVD, stored on your Hard Drive. Although 5KPlayer is easy on your computer resources, it constantly runs in the background, slowing other Windows apps, so disable it when you’re not actively using it.

9. MediaMonkey: Best for Serious Collectors

Price: Free/ $29.95 Gold edition/ $59.95 Lifetime Gold edition

• Excellent file organizer
• Supports cloud files
• Syncs media across different devices
• Supports Windows, Android, and iOS
• Allows changing media formats

MediaMonkey is a video player software for Windows 11, Android, and iOS devices. But you can also use it to record your podcasts or make videos. You can add different plug-ins, increase this player’s functionality, and play high-quality videos on your PC, TV, home stereo, or smartphone.

MediaMonkey is popular among media collectors. It’ll help you manage over 100,000 media files stored on your hard drive, network, CDs, and cloud. MediaMonkey will also allow you to convert any file format to play your files on any device.

10. MPV Player: Best Open Source Player

Price: Free

• Clutter-free home screen
• Cross-platform media player
• High-quality video output
• GPU video decoding
• Supports user scripting

MPV Player is one of the best open-source media players for Windows 11. It’s not only free, but it also allows its tech-savvy users to script and change its functionality to their own liking. If you’re a power user, you can even share your script with others through a dedicated Wiki page.

Best of all, MPV Player is a portable application. That means you can use it without installing it on your Windows 11 OS. That way, it’ll use as few system resources as possible. You can still use some of the best features of MPV Player, such as video scaling, color management, interpolation, HDR, or frame timing. Although this software lacks an actual GUI, a small menu gives you the most basic controls over the video. All the rest of its features are controlled through a command line interface.

With so many great video players, it can be hard to decide which is best for your needs. We hope our rundown of the best video players for your Windows 11 PC gave you a good starting point.

Выводы

Если вы решили скачать удобный проигрыватель видео для всех форматов, то можете смело выбрать любой из ТОПа. Среди самых функциональных и современных выделяются VLC, KMPlayer и 5KPlayer. Они универсальные, часто обновляются и стильно выглядят.

А сохранить ролик на жесткий диск или внешнее устройство поможет программа Экранная Студия. Достаточно запустить видеоряд в любимом проигрывателе и включить режим записи через рекордер. В Экранной Студии также можно просмотреть полученные видеоролики, а также улучшить качество или смонтировать свой клип.

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