Play everything effortlessly with VLC

If you do not have VLC media player installed on your Windows computer yet, please read our download article ‘VLC media player’ first. If you work on Mac, please refer to the download article ‘VLC media player (Mac)’.

The standard window of the program is sober: a menu at the top, a black screen below (with an orange-white striped pylon) and below that the control buttons.

From left to right they are these control buttons:

• Play/Pause
• Rewind/Previous (in the playlist)
• Stop
• Fast Forward/Next (in the playlist)
• Full screen (only active with video)
• Show extended options
• Show/hide playlist
• Repeat (with the options, repeat all, repeat one or no repeat)
• Shuffle play (also known as shuffle)

The volume control can be found on the far right. Click on the speaker icon to mute/unmute the sound. Drag or click in the triangle next to it to increase or decrease the volume.

Opening a file with VLC works like this:

• Open VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Media > Open file.
• Select one or more files and click To open.
• VLC will start playing right away. Click in the menu on Display > playlist to open an overview of all files.

In much the same way you open an entire folder of files:

• Open VLC media payer.
• Click in the menu on Media > Open a folder.
• Now select the folder that contains the files and click Select folder.
• VLC will start playing right away. An overview of all files appears by clicking in the menu on Display > playlist.

You can also create playlists in VLC. Handy, because then you don’t have to manually click on every file to play it. For example, create a playlist of your favorite songs. They will then automatically play one after the other.

• Launch VLC media player via Start > VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Display > playlist.
• In the center is a white area with a gray arrow pointing downwards. Right click on it.
• click on Add a file.
• Select one or more files and click To open.
• It is also possible to add an entire folder to the playlist. In that case, right-click in the white area and select the option Add folder.
• Select the folder and click Select folder.
• All suitable files appear in the overview. click on Play to hear/see the first file.

Would you like to listen to a CD on the PC? Then do the following:

• Insert a music CD into the computer’s DVD player.
• Launch VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Media > Open disc.
• Click on the tab disk.

  

• Select the option Audio CD.
• Press the button Play.
• The CD starts. Click in the menu on Display > playlist to open the overview of all songs on the CD.
• Double click on the song you want to listen to.

Do you want to digitize your CD so that you have a copy of the tracks and can easily play them on the PC? Put a song on the PC (also known as ripping) in the following way:

• Insert a music CD into the computer.
• Open VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Media > Convert/Save.
• Click on the tab disk.
• Select the option Audio CD.
• Under ‘Start position’ you will see ‘Track’. This refers to the number of the CD. Specify here which song you want to rip. For example, if you want to save the third track, put the number 3 to the right of ‘Track’.
• Press the button Convert/Save.
• Next to ‘Profile’ in the drop-down menu, select Audio – mp3.
• click on To leaf through and indicate where you want to save the file on the PC. Give the music file a name (e.g. song title) and click Save.
• click on Start.

VLC will transfer the music file to the PC. This may take a while. You will see a blue progress bar, but you will not be notified when VLC is ready. If you want to transfer more tracks from the CD, start again with Convert/Save Media and follow all further steps again.

Pay attention: Storing media is allowed for personal use, but further distribution or sale is punishable.

The video below demonstrates how digitizing a song works.

Want to play a movie you have on DVD on your computer? Then do the following:

• Insert a DVD into the computer’s DVD player.
• Launch VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Media > Open disc.
• Click on the tab disk.

  

• Select the option DVD.
• Press the button Play.

The DVD will now start.

Digitizing a DVD works like this:

• Insert a DVD into the computer.
• Open VLC media player.
• Click in the menu on Media > Convert/Save.
• Click on the tab disk.
• Select the option DVD.
• Press the button Convert/Save.
• Next to ‘Profile’ in the drop-down menu, select Video for MPEG4 1080p TV/device.
• click on To leaf through and indicate where you want to save the file on the PC. Give the file a name (for example the title of the DVD) and click Save.
• click on Start.

VLC will transfer the DVD to the PC. This may take a while. You will see a blue progress bar, but you will not be notified when VLC is ready.

Pay attention: Storing media is allowed for personal use, but further distribution or sale is punishable.