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by Brian Fisher • Dec 08,2018 • Proven solutions

It is not possible simply to play WMV with any player. In order to play WMV files on Windows computers it normally requires the appropriate CODEC or software application such as Windows Media Player. For use on non-Windows computers, WMV files normally need to be converted to another format such as MP4 or MOV or any other Mac-compatible formats first.

Part 1. Best Solution to Help Play WMV Videos on Any Player

Since WMV cannot be played by Apple products, the easy solution would be to convert all these WMV files to MP4, MOV or M4V, which are natively supported on Mac. There are many third-party tools out there to convert media files on Mac, but i will recommend iSkysoft Video Converter Ultimate for its ease of use and reliability. It is a full-featured media video converter, complete with editor and other handy tools. You will be able to convert to not only Apple-friendly formats but also other formats that are suitable for other devices. And it can be perfectly compatible with macOS 10.7 Lion to 10.15 Catalina.

The iSkysoft all-in-one video converting tool also allows you to convert any file format in 3 easy steps: Load files, choose output format and click the Convert button to begin transform the files to any player compatible format. Check here to get detailed guide on how to play WMV videos on Mac.

Part 2. TOP 8 WMV Player for Mac

#1. VLC Media Player

VLC supports a number of audio and video compression methods and file formats, including DVD-Video, video CD and streaming protocols. The user can stream over a computer network and transcode multimedia files. Transcoding is the process of converting a media file or object from one format to another, for example converting video formats like Beta to VHS, VHS to QuickTime, or QuickTime to MPEG, among others. It was the first player to support playback of encrypted DVDs on Linux and macOS by using the libdvdcss DVD decryption library.

Pros:
It is a cross-platform media player compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
It can cater for any type of multimedia files including DVD, Audio CD, VCD, among others.
It supports multiple codecs like MPEG-2, DivX, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, and MP3.
It is a lightweight media player that uses relatively few system resources. It uses very little memory or processor power, and the program files themselves use very little space on the hard drive. This means that VLC can be run simultaneously with other programs without worrying about the system freezing or crashing.
Cons:
It cannot play a few less common file formats.
It offers limited support, for example, for some formats, e.g. the RealMedia format.
It does not support certain versions of the Indeo Video codec.

#2. MPlayerX

MPlayerX is a free, open source, simple-to-use media player for almost any format. This is one of the most widely used WMV players for Mac users. It supports most of the MPEG/VOB, ASF/WMA/WMV, VIVO, QT/MOV/MP4, AVI, Ogg/OGM, RealMedia, Matroska, NUT, NuppelVideo among many others. A valuable adjunct is MPlayer's capacity to output audio files in wav format.

Pros:
Good online support;
Allows for decoding of almost any format of files on your computer;
Smooth playback;
Plays every video format using the best codecs;
No additional plug-ins needed to get the software up and running.
Cons:
Really only suitable for advanced users.

#3. DIVX

DivX Plus Software is a desktop media player, and a video conversion application. DivX is a brand name of products created by DivX, Inc., including the DivX Codec which became popular due to its ability to compress long video segments into small sizes while retaining relatively high visual quality.

Pros:
High-quality movies, TV shows and web video clips;
Smooth video playback experience;
Accommodates different formats, such as WMV, AVI, DIVX, MKV, MP4 among others.
Cons:
Quite complicated for novices;
It's a big program, and quite memory intensive which slows the computer down;
It takes a long time to install;
Codecs are not free.

#4. QuickTime + Flip4Mac

Flip4Mac Player is a free multi-format video player available from software developer, Telestream. No plug in is needed if you are running QuickTime Player 7 which has better supports for codecs. Even though there are newer updates, Flip4Mac player works best on QuickTime Player 7.

Pros:
Supports a wide range of audio, video and streaming formats;
Simple user interface;
Not memory-intensive;
Platform-independent;
Can output videos to iPhone or iPod;
Can stream videos over a network;
Can play broken or incomplete downloads;
Installs as a group of components that Quicktime player uses to display Windows video.
Cons:
Does not support third-party system software modifications (the so-called mavericks);
Lacks multiple selection feature;
Escape key cannot be used to exit full-screen view;
Help documentation is minimal.
Upgrade required to export files.

#5. Wondershare Player

Wondershare Player is a user-friendly software application aimed at allowing the user to play any file in virtually all formats, such as MPEG1/2 and 4, Apple, 3GP, Windows or Flash media.

Wondershare Player allows for the addition of files as well as folders of songs and videos, that can be played in a loop, randomly, or on repeat. The application allows the user to open DVD movies, without compromising quality.

This is a very popular player because of its wide audio and video format support, user-friendly interface as well as excellent design features. In addition to WMV files, it also supports and playbacks other video formats that QuickTime does not support. Wondershare Player is bundled with other applications, but it can also be downloaded separately.

Pros:
Neat, tidy interface;
Easy to use and can play most formats in high quality;
Creative design;
Supports various audio and video file types and operating systems;
Light on memory usage.
Cons:
There are several bugs and error handling is not user-friendly;
Confidentiality/security is compromised by having to register an account and supply an email address;
Interface is not customizable;
It does not allow for playing online clips directly from a URL;
Not as feature-rich as other players;
No option to create CDs or burn audio-only discs.

#6. JW Player

JW Player is yet another world’s popular open-source media player that is embeddable. It provides support for a wide range of platforms, media formats and browsers. It can play videos from everywhere such as HTMl, mobile, and Flash. It also comes with hundreds of integrated features that easy to use.

Pros:
Easy to configure;
It is customizable;
Cross-platform;
Cons:
It requires internet connection to work.

#7. Elmedia Player

This is a multifunctional media player for Mac. It plays several media formats including WMV, FLV, SWF, AVI, MOV, XAP, MP4 and more. Elmedia Player helps you play WMV files without having to convert them. You can also download movies and videos online. It features a snapshot tool and full-screen mode.

Pros:
Allow easy creation and management of Playlists;
Cons:
It will install extra components on your device;
It may be a bit heavy on CPU.

#8. Movist

Movist is a free media player that supports a number of video formats including WMV. Works well devices that use Mac operating system. It features a simple UI. The windows of playlists and control panel appear as HUD panels. The control panel allows you to adjust video saturation, brightness, and contrast, play speed, subtitles and syn. This program encodes both FFmpeg and QuickTime.

Pros:
It is simple and easy to use;
Free and fast to download;
It has great support for codecs;
Virus free hence safe to use; Cons:
It does not support Apple remote.

Part 3. TOP 5 WMV Player for Windows

#1. VLC Media Player

VideoLAN Client (commonly known as VLC) is a portable, free and open-source, cross-platform media player and streaming media server written by the VideoLAN project.

VLC includes many free decoding and encoding libraries, which means that the user does not have to find or calibrate proprietary plugins. VLC's codecs are available from the libavcodec library from the FFmpeg project, but it uses mainly its own multiplexers and demultiplexers and its own protocols. A multiplexer (or muxer) is a device that selects one of several analog or digital input signals and forwards the selected input into a single line. Multiplexers are mainly used to increase the amount of data that can be sent over a network which might have restrictions on time or bandwidth. A demultiplexer (or demuxer), on the other hand, takes a single input signal and selecting one of many method;
Cannot adjust the volume, navigate back and through within the track or create a playlist;
Very unstable software for playing video files.

by Brian Fisher • Jul 24,2019 • Proven solutions

Whether you are encoding a piece of video, or you just want to play a video file, it's important to know what a codec is and how to use it. In this article, we'll be focusing mainly on the WMV codec for both Windows and Mac, which programs are compatible with it, and how to get around a few common difficulties often experienced by users.

Part 1. Convert WMV Video for Any Player with the Best WMV Codec on Mac

In order to play WMV videos on various players or devices on Mac, you may need a video converting tool to convert your WMV videos to any video as needed. Here iSkysoft Video Converter Ultimate is highly recommended. If you don't want to waste time in converting WMV video files, this video converter also supports to play WMV files directly with its built-in media player without need to install any other WMV codec.

Get the Best WMV Codec Mac:

• Convert 150+ Formats: Convert videos or audio files up to 150+, like AVI, MP4, WMV, M4V, MP3, AAC, MOV, M4A, etc.
• Custom Video: Personalize videos with diversified video editing tools such as Trim, Crop, Rotate, Effects, Watermark, etc.
• Optimized Presets: Directly convert WMV files to fit Apple devices and Android devices.
• Transfer to Devices: One click transfer converted WMV or other videos files to portable devices with USB cable.
• Convert Online Video: Download or capture any online video with the supplied media downloader.
• Burn Video: Burn your WMV videos or other videos to DVD as backup or copy for home use with ease.
• Support OS: Perfectly compatible with macOS 10.7 and above up to the latest 10.14 Mojave and Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista.

Step-by-step Guide to Convert WMV Videos on Mac

Step 1. Import your WMV video to the Mac converter

To import your WMV files, please select the 'Add Files' option, and then a pop-up window will appear for you to choose WMV videos. Alternatively, you can directly drag and drop your WMV videos to the WMV converter.

Step 2. Set the output format

You can choose any format you want on the right side of the converter's window, such as MOV, MP4, etc. Choose any one you want from Video/Audio/Device/Editing tab and set it as the final output format. This WMV converter also supports to change encode settings like bitrate, frame rate, sample rate, quality, etc. For the need, just click the Setting icon beside to change the parameters.

Step 3. Start converting WMV video

After that, you can begin converting the WMV video to the format compatible with the player on your Mac by clicking the 'Convert All' button at bottom right or 'Convert' in each imported WMV video. Once it's done, you can play and watch it on any Mac computer.

In addition, this WMV converter is also a WMV player for Mac without need to install other WMV codec on Mac. Once you imported the WMV video to this converter, click the thumb icon in the video display bar to open the player window. If you don't want to convert the WMV files, you can enjoy them in the converter too.

Part 2. WMV Players for Mac

#1. VLC for Mac

One of the most powerful and popular WMV media players available for Mac. VLC is an open source utility which allows you to play almost any video codec you can think of, including WMVs. Reliable, stable, and fast, VLC is a great option for playing any media files on Mac. You can download it for free.

#2. MplayerX for Mac

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Similar to VLC, this program will handle WMVs alongside a number of other audio and video file formats. Incorporating some advanced interactive technologies such as multi-touch, MplayerX is consistently updated and a very good alternative to VLC. It's also free! Grab a copy, HERE.

Part 3. WMV Codec for QuickTime on Mac

Although the WMV codec was built for Windows PCs only, due to its popularity it is important to be able to play such files on a Mac computer as well. Luckily, a number of great options exist out there for doing just that. Let's take a look at a few of them:

Flip4Mac WMV Components for QuickTime

By installing Flip4Mac, you will equip your QuickTime installation with the ability to play WMV files. Furthermore, Flip4Mac also includes a decoder for WMA, which is an audio codec normally only playable through a Windows PC. What's great about Flip4Mac is that it provides Mac owners with the means to, not only play WMVs, but to also edit and encode them if they wish to distribute videos through that format. There are a number of editions available ranging from the basic Player option for $5.95 which only allows playback, up to the Studio Pro HD edition for $179 which provides the ability to encode WMV files in HD. You can buy Flip4Mac HERE.

Part 4. WMV Codec Tips & Troubleshootings

#1. What is a WMV Codec?

The WMV codec is the Windows Media Video format. It is essentially an older video codec, but is still widely used today. It was developed to allow Windows users to play videos and to encode video files so that they were much smaller, while still preserving a level of quality. Its popularity has not waned, and it is possible to even find a WMV codec for Windows 7.

#2. Why Use a WMV Codec?

While the WMV format is older than most other widely used formats today – often considered a 'legacy' format – it is still widely used. The reason for this is simply that it works, and still provides some advantages over even the most recent and innovative video codecs. Its size and ability to preserve a level of video fidelity mean that it isn't disappearing anytime soon. This has proven to be a problem for many users, especially on Mac computers, as they are not immediately compatible with the WMV codec.

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Now, whether you are a Mac or Windows user, skip ahead to your relevant section for more information on using WMV files.

#3. Why Can't Windows Media Player 12 play WMV files?

Even Windows can have problems playing WMV files at times. This is often due to corrupt or outdated software on your system. One of the best solutions for this is to click Start>All Programs>Accessories. Now, right-click on the Command Prompt and choose 'Run as 'Administrator'. Once you've typed in your computer password, type sfc /scannow. This will update all of your Windows components and will hopefully rectify the problem.

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#4. I've installed a media player on my Mac, but it won't play WMV.

This could be due to a bug or unforeseen software conflict. The best approach is to uninstall the player, reboot, and then try another media player. If this does not solve the problem, try VLC and use their support forums to find a solution.

#5. The audio plays, but there is no video.

You may have installed the WMA component without the WMV codec. Make sure to install the codec either on its own or through one of the media players listed above.

#6. I can play WMVs, but can't encode them.

Some media players only allow you to play a WMV file back, but you need to purchase a premium version of the player in order to encode as well. VLC should give you the ability to encode and decode for free, but you will have to look at the documentation for your video editor to see if this will be compatible with it.

Free Wmv File Reader

#7. I get an error message saying the file has been corrupted.

This is a common issue. Often it simply means that either the encoding process did not finish correctly, or there has been a file error if the video file was downloaded from another source. One way to correct this issue is to use a program called AsfBin, which you can download HERE. It will re-encode the video file hopefully removing the error.

Windows 10 Open Wmv File

It's remarkable how much staying power the WMV codec has had. Despite other more efficient codecs being released, it continues to be used by many on the internet as a quick, easy-to-use format which is strikes a great balance between file size and video quality. In fact, if you are looing for a WMV codec for Mac, iSkysoft Video Converter Ultimate must be your best choice.