Why AVI files do not play on Mac?
Although QuickTime has officially added support for AVI files, however, there are still many people complain that QuickTime on Mac does not work with AVI files. As a matter of fact, most of those issues arise with movies that have been compressed using CODECs (Compressor - Decompressor) that are unavailable for QuickTime in Mac OS X. In particular, the Indeo® CODEC, popular for video compression on PCs, has not been ported to Mac OS X. The same issue also happens on many Divx-encoded files carrying the .avi extension. QuickTime does not include native DivX support, even though QuickTime 6 and later support the ISO Standard MPEG-4 media compression format and DivX is based on the MPEG-4 standard.
KMPlayer is all in one media player, covering various formats including wmv; mp4; mkv; avi; mov; mp3; wav; wma; ogg; spx and many more. With this newest alpha version supports basic function such. VideoLAN, VLC, VLC media player and x264 are trademarks internationally registered by the VideoLAN non-profit organization. VideoLAN software is licensed under various open-source licenses: use and distribution are defined by each software license. Design by Made By Argon. Some icons are licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0+. Devices and Mac OS X version. VLC media player requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later. It runs on any 64bit Intel-based Mac. Previous devices are supported by older releases. This Flash file player for Mac is a cross-platform player that is compatible with macOS and iOS, as well as Windows operating devices. Thus, it works for PCs, tablets, and smartphones. The media player plays FLV and SWF videos on your computer and it also supports 3GP, MP4, and MPEG-4 files with its characteristic H.264 codec. Download Free WMV AVI Converter for macOS 10.7 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. This Free WMV AVI Converter helps you convert WMV and AVI video to any popular video file and then to play on your iPhone X/8/SE/7/6/6 plus/5s/5s/5/4s, or iPad Air 2/mini 3/mini 2/4, or iPod touch/nano.
3 free Methods to Play AVI files with QuickTime on Mac
To enable you play AVI files with QuickTime on Mac, we have listed 3 free methods, have a reference at them one by one.
Method one: Use VLC
The best and also the simplest way to play AVI files on Mac is to download and install the free and open source cross-platform multimedia player VLC media player for Mac OS X.
Method two: Install Perian
Perian is a free, open source, QuickTime component that supports many popular media types, including AVI, DivX, and XviD.
Method three: Divx for Mac Codec
Many Divx codec can be played with QuickTime on Mac with the help of installing a freeware codec called Divx for Mac. This plug-in has been improved continuously, the drawback when using this plug-in is the sound in some AVIs will sometimes be either missed or distorted.
Alternative method to play AVI files on Mac
Both the free methods listed can not ensure you a guarantee to play all AVI files with no failure, some AVI file still refuse to be played. In addition, if you have upgraded your Mac to the newest Mac OS X El Capitan, some freeware may not updated itself with support for this new Mac OS, you will definitely fail to play AVI files on them.
To eliminate your annoyance caused by all those issues, a more powerful AVI Converter for Mac OS X El Capitan - Pavtube Video Converter for Mac is recommended to you. The program has full range support for all AVI container formats compressed with various different codecs such as Divx, Xvid, etc. You can directly convert AVI to QuickTime native compatible MOV format for playback on your Mac computer, or transcode AVI to other popular formats, device preset file formats or FCP/iMovie/Avid MC/Premiere compatible professional editing codec.
Owing to minimal compression features to ensure the highest possible quality, AVI file are larger in size than other video formats such as MP4, AVI, FLV, etc. Fortunately, you can compress AVI files on Mac with our program with the following 3 different ways:
Trim: cut off unwanted parts from your AVI files to have only you wanted parts left, this method will not cause any quality loss.
File resolution: output avi file with a lower resolution for playing on smartphone or tablet, a medium resolution for streaming over the internet.
Bit rate: lower the bit rate 20-50% of the default to get small files.
How to convert and compress AVI files on Mac OS X El Capitan?
Step 1: Input avi files to the software.
Click 'Add Video' or 'Add from folder' icon to import source avi files to the program.
Step 2: Define output file format.
Click 'Format' bar, from its extended list, here, you can choose to play AVI files on Mac with QuickTime by selecting QuickTime compatible 'Common Video' > 'MOV - QuickTime(*.mov)' to output. You can also opt to select other file formats basing on your own needs.
Step 3: Compress AVI file size.
Trim video: Open 'Video Editor' window and switch to the 'Trim' tab, you can drag the slider bars to include the segment you want to remain, click the left square bracket to set start point, and click the right square bracket to set end point when previewing the video or directly input specific values to 'Start' and 'End' box.
Lower file resolution and bit rate: Click 'Settings' to open 'Profile Settings' drop-down window, from 'Size(pix)' drop-down list, select a small resolution to output, under 'Bit rate' drop-down option, choose a lower bit rate.
Step 4: Start to convert AVI files on Mac OS X El Capitan.
Go back to the main interface, press the right-bottom to start to convert AVI to QuickTime MOV for playing on Mac OS X El Capitan.
When the conversion is done, you will have no limitation to enjoy AVI files on Mac, iPhone, iPad or streaming to Apple TV for watching on TV.
by Christine Smith • 2020-09-21 16:04:41 • Proven solutions
Introduced by Microsoft Corporation in 1992, AVI (Audio-Video Interleaved) is a very popular format for playing video files nowadays. If you want to watch a movie on your computer or mobile devices, it's as easy as falling off a log. People can find all kinds of AVI players in the market, but they'll come up with video compatibility or quality issues while playing AVI on Mac. To save your time and give you a high-quality visual experience, we are going to share the top 11 popular AVI players Mac below.
1. Wondershare AVI Player and Converter
Now it’s time to discuss the 11 reliable AVI player for Mac computer, but before going for other players we will tell you about the best AVI player for Mac. Wondershare AVI Player and Converter. Equipped with a bundle of features, it's an all-round video player for Mac that plays AVI, MP4, MOV, and any other 1000+ video/audio formats. In addition, it can help you convert AVI to other 1,000+ video formats and vice versa, even download videos from YouTube or other 10,000+ video sharing sites by pasting URLs and convert to AVI formats.
Key Features of Wondershare AVI Player and Converter:
- It is the best AVI player for Mac computers and enables you to play AVI, MP4, and other 1,000+ video, audio format files in high quality.
- It allows you to play HD videos up to 4K.
- Convert AVI videos to over 1,000 video/audio formats and vice versa.
- Download and record videos from more than 10,000 video sharing sites like YouTube by pasting URLs.
- Stream AVI videos to your Apple TV, Samsung TV, and others for playback.
- Additional media-related functions like burning videos to DVD, transferring videos to devices, video compressor, etc.
- It's user-friendly and easy-to-use.
How to Play AVI Files on Mac with Wondershare .avi Player
Method 1: Play AVI videos on Mac directly with Wondershare AVI video player.
You're allowed to play AVI files via Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) directly. Just download and install this AVI player on your Mac first, and follow the simple steps below to play AVI videos.
Step 1 Add AVI Files to Wondershare AVI Player Mac
Launch the Wondershare AVI player for Mac, then directly drag and drop your target AVI videos to the best AVI video player for Mac.
Step 2 Play AVI Videos on Mac
Then the imported AVI file will be displayed in thumbnail as the screenshot shows. Move the mouse over the video, you'll see the Play icon in the middle.
Click the Play icon and the selected AVI video will be played immediately on Mac.
Method 2: Convert AVI files to other formats and play on any devices.
If you want to play AVI videos on your Mac without any AVI player limitation, then you can convert your AVI videos to MP4 or MOV formats which supported by Mac default. Convert AVI videos and play on Mac with 3 simple steps below.
Step 1 Add AVI Videos to Convert
Download, install and launch Wondershare AVI player on your Mac, then you'll come to an interface named Convert like Method 1. Click the + Add Files button or simply drag and drop to add AVI videos.
Step 2 Select Output Video Format
From the bottom Output Format option, choose output video formats like MP4 or MOV, or other formats you want from the Video tab.
Step 3 Convert AVI Videos on Mac
Finally, click the Convert All button to start converting your AVI videos to MP4 or MOV, and you can play the AVI files on Mac with the default player after the successful conversion.
2. VLC Media Player
This .avi player is a widely-used popular media player among the Mac users of the whole world, which is open-source and totally free to use. VLC streams AVI videos to other devices directly in the interface. VLC AVI player for Mac doesn't contain any ads or malware, with it you're free to play AVI files on Mac.
Key Features of VLC Media Player
- VLC is a perfect media player to play AVI files on Mac computers.
- VLC AVI Player for Mac is a cross-platform software and available for Windows, Mac, Android, etc.
- VLC is open-source and available for free of cost.
- VLC can play AVI, MP4, MP3, and most of the popular video and audio files.
- It supports to embed subtitles into the video file.
- You can stream videos to other devices using VLC.
3. Wondershare Free Video Converter
Wondershare Free Video Converter is a free version of the best Wondershare AVI player and converter. This free AVI player has a very similar interface and functions with its ultimate version, such as play AVI videos easily, convert AVI videos to any other format, etc. Just follow the same steps of Wondershare UniConverter to achieve these functions. The only difference is that the converted AVI video will get a watermark on it like most freeware on the market.
Key Features of Wondershare Free Video Converter
- Play AVI videos on Mac with simple steps.
- Convert AVI videos to any other format you want and play on more devices.
- Support 1,000+ video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, etc.
- Edit AVI videos with features of cropping, trimming, rotating, adding watermarks, and more.
- Download videos from YouTube and other video sites easily.
- Transfer AVI files to mobile devices via a USB cable.
4. MPlayerX
MPlayerX is also a nice and clean AVI player for Mac. MPlayerX opens AVI and other file formats smoothly without any loss of the video quality. You just need to drop the target .avi video file into the player, and then the program will start playing AVI files on Mac. This AVI Player for Mac has FFmpeg and Mplayer which makes it compatible with all types of media files for playback. With this AVI player for Mac, you can search for the video you want within this video player and then play it directly.
Key Features of MPlayerX
- This software supports FFmpeg and Mplayer which makes it a great AVI player for Mac computer.
- MPlayerX can play AVI files very smoothly in high quality.
- MPlayerX is a piece of multilingual software and supports up to 10 languages.
- MPlayerX is very helpful for you to handle the video playback process.
5. Elmedia
Elmedia Player is another good AVI player for Mac, which plays any file you import without any hassle. However, the Elmedia AVI player is not totally free that charges $19.99 and note that it's only available for the Mac system.
Key Features of Elmedia
- This AVI player for Mac enables you to play AVI files with multiple audio-track selections.
- This program allows you to manage the volume easily.
- This AVI player for Mac offers various kinds of adjusting settings.
- Elmedia allows you to import subtitles into the player to play along with the video file.
- This program is fully compatible with AirPlay.
6. Plex
Plex is a helpful Mac AVI player that solves the problem of AVI won't play on Mac and enables you to open AVI on Mac smoothly. This AVI player makes it easy to play AVI, MP4, and several other popular videos and audio formats on your Mac computers easily. Plex can easily manage your media files as well. If you have tons of photos on your Mac and stored in the different folders, Plex can select the photos easily and offer you an organized photo library.
Key Features of Plex
- It supports AVI video playback on Mac computers, and several other popular video and audio formats.
- This AVI player for Mac is fully compatible with other operating systems like Windows, Android, and so on.
- Plex can manage your media library with ease.
- This Mac AVI player allows you to search online videos for playback.
- Plex has a media server that enables you to save your videos into the service.
7. Macgo Mac Media Player
Macgo Mac Media Player is a totally free media player software for Mac and Windows users. This software allows you to watch all kinds of video files in high quality. With the support of AirPlay, This Mac AVI player streams the videos to your iOS devices easily. Playing Blu-ray discs on Mac computers is also easy to be done with the help of this player.
Key Features of Macgo Mac Media Player
- This AVI player for Mac program can help you to play videos on Mac computers without any quality loss.
- Macgo Mac Media Player is a totally free video player to use.
- This Mac AVI player fully supports to embed subtitles.
- Mac users can play HD videos up to 4K.
- This AVI player for Mac allows you to search for the videos and play directly.
8. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer is a completely new type of video player software which enables users to play AVI on Mac computer. As the name indicates, this video player plays high-quality media files, including MP4, MPEG, or other video and audio formats. This Mac AVI player program has to download features as well which enables you to download online videos for free directly using the player. If you are going to send or receive videos from iPhone using a streaming feature, then it's possible to get the work done with 5KPlayer.
Key Features of 5KPlayer
- 5KPlayer is a good AVI player for Mac and enables you to play AVI files on Mac computer and supports high-quality videos.
- 5KPlayer allows you to search for the videos you need and play the video within the player directly.
- This AVI player for Mac enables you to use the AirPlay feature to stream media files between iPhone and Mac computers.
- This software supports multiple online video sharing sites to watch streaming videos directly.
- This Mac AVI player has a built-in radio player.
9. Cisdem VideoPlayer
Cisdem VideoPlayer is also helpful for playing AVI files on Mac computers. This AVI player for Mac also supports to play high-quality video files without compromising quality. This program is compatible with various kinds of video and audio formats, such as MP4, MP3, MOV, etc. It comes without any ads or malware in the interface, and you can enjoy videos with ease.
Key Features of Cisdem VideoPlayer
- This software can play AVI format files on Mac and supports up to 50 audio video format files.
- It can play 4K/5K/1080p HD videos without any issue of buffering crashed while playing.
- When you play any video it will automatically load subtitles and if you want you can add subtitles later manually easily.
- This software is also completely free and without any ads or spyware.
- Play and pause your videos or take a snapshot of videos while playing.
10. QuickTime
Free Download Avi Player For Mac Os X
QuickTime is the official Apple media player for Mac and iOS devices users from Apple officially. This player is also an AVI player for Mac computers. Previously it was supporting only MOV format but nowadays it can handle so many other video formats as well. This software is good for basic operations related to players like playing videos but if we talk about the speed then it is still very slow in launching.
Key Features of QuickTime
- QuickTime plays videos on Mac devices and supports AVI format as well.
- QuickTime records or edit your videos.
- QuickTime enables you to share your own videos easily.
- This AVI player for Mac enables you to record online videos.
- This Mac AVI player enables you to trim videos.
11. Movist
Movist for Mac is an FFMPEG-based video player for Mac devices which enables Mac users to play AVI videos on Mac devices very easily. This AVI player for Mac supports the media keys of Mac, which means you can easily control your playing movie by using hard media keys of Mac. Mac users can operate this software in the single-mode and multiple-document modes as well. This AVI player for Mac supports subtitles of the videos as well so you can easily enjoy videos with your customized subtitles.
Key Features of Movist
Avi For Mac
- Movist is an AVI player for Mac computer and allows Mac users to play AVI files on Mac devices.
- This software supports some other video formats as well including MP4 and AVI.
- Movist is only available for Mac users.
- Single and multiple Windows mode is supported by the program.
- This AVI player for Mac supports high-quality subtitles and auto-detection of subtitle encoding.
Avi Player For Mac Os X 10.6.8
All the AVI video players for Mac mentioned above are of great help in playing AVI files on Mac (Mac OS 10.15 Catalina included). When speaking of what player plays AVI files on Mac, Wondershare AVI Player and Converter stands out as the best AVI player due to its powerful all-round features. To conclude, it is the only program that helps to convert, download, record, and burn any videos you like. We highly recommend Wondershare AVI Player and Converter to all the Mac users that are looking for an all-in-one AVI player for Mac devices.