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This How.com.vn teaches you how to play an MP4 video on a Windows computer. MP4 stands for M-PEG 4, which is a type of video compression format that contains, video, audio, and subtitle data.[1] Most videos you can download from the internet are typically in MP4 format. In Windows 10, you can play MP4 files natively with the default video player, or you can use a third-party video, such as VLC.
Steps
Using The Default Media Player
Download the MP4 video to your computer. MP4 is one of the most common video formats you can download from the internet. Most smartphones shoot video in MP4 formats. Any video sent to you from a smartphone will most likely be in MP4 format.
Click. Click the Explorer icon which resembles a folder in a blue clip. File Explorer will allow you to browse the folders and files on your Windows computer.
Go to the MP4 video file. By default, most downloaded files can be found in your Downloads folder. You may have video files in your Videos or Documents folder, or even on your desktop. All of which can be access through the "Quick Access" sidebar to the left of the File Explorer.
Double-click the video to open it. By default, the video file will open in Movies & TV, or Windows Media Player. Both Movies & TV and Windows Media Player come pre-installed on most Windows computers. If you have a different default media player selected, right-click the file, click "Open With" and select "Windows Media Player".- If an MP4 video does not play, you may need to download the proper codec. A codec is a piece of software that allows Windows to read MP4 file formats. Download the codec.
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Using VLC
Get VLC Player. If you have an older version of Windows or are having trouble playing certain MP4 files, you can download and install VLC player for free to play MP4 videos. Go to http://www.videolan.org in your web browser and click "Download VLC" to download the VLC installer. Then double-click the installation file after it's finished downloading and follow the prompts to install.
Navigate to the MP4 video file. After you have the media player of your choice installed, navigate to the video file using the File Explorer. The File Explorer is the app that has an image that resembles a folder in a blue clip. It's located in the taskbar of your computer.
Right-click the video file. When you right-click a file, you will see a menu pop out on the right side of the file.
Hover the mouse over Open With. When you place the mouse cursor over "Open With", you will see another sub-menu pop out to the right.
Click VLC. It's the app with the icon of an orange traffic cone. The sub-menu that pops out the right of "Open With" will display a list of apps that can play an MP4 video. Select VLC, which has the icon of an orange traffic cone.Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Tips
- If you are unsure if a video file is in MP4 file format, right-click the video and click "Properties" at the bottom of the pop-out menu. It should say "MP4 (.mp4)" next to "File Type".Thanks
- Move any video files you want to keep to your Videos folder. This will help keep your files organized.Thanks
- You can change your default video player by going into Settings in the Windows Start Menu. It's the icon that resembles a gear. Click "Apps", and then click "Default Apps" in the sidebar menu to the left. Click the app below "Video Player" and select the app you want to use as your default movie player. Windows will automatically open this app when you click on a video file.Thanks
Warnings
- Be careful downloading third-party apps from the internet. Some may contain malware and viruses that can be harmful to your computer.Thanks
References
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