How To Open Avi Files On Mac

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We'll show you how to download codec and Perian to make QuickTime play AVI on Mac, how to play AVI file on Mac with an alternative player, and how to convert AVI to Mac playable format.

The iMovie software supports the import of AVI video files with MJPEG data. Thus if your AVI file is from Hybrid camcorder, Sony, or other devices, they cannot be accepted by iMovie. In order to read the AVI files, iMovie contains all the essential codecs. Thus if there is any different codec in the subtitle or the audio of the video, then. Corrupt AVI file won’t play on Mac, repair it. 5 Methods to play AVI videos on Mac 1. Enable AVI support using a plugin or add-on software. Use Perian, an open source QuickTime plugin to play AVI files on Mac. It is easy to install and would open AVI files on Mac’s QuickTime automatically. Perian is only available for QuickTime 7.6.6.

I've exported some video at University in uncompressed Microsoft AVI and it doesn't play in quicktime or vlc at home on my MacBook.

My MacBook Pro won't play AVI videos. When I try to watch it, it just shows a white screen with garbled video. Anybody know what the problem is?

Why QuickTime and VLC won't play AVI on Mac? There're two main reasons. One is that the AVI uses a codec format that QuickTime/VLC can't support, the other is that your AVI file is corrupted. In this article we'll show you how to play AVI on Mac smoothly.

Table of Contents

Solution 1. Convert AVI Video to Mac Supported Formats

When Mac QuickTime can't play AVI files, you can convert AVI format to Mac supported formats, such as MOV, M4V or MP4.

MacX Video Converter Pro has proven to be great in the realm of video conversion. The software enables you to watch AVI on Mac with no formats limits by converting AVI to QuickTime supported formats like MP4, with ZERO quality loss and super faster speed.

It is fully compatible with macOS Big Sur, Catalina, and other Mac systems. Just free download it to have a try!

How to Convert AVI Files for Smooth Playback on Mac

To begin with, free download the AVI video converter on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro. Install and run it.

Step 1: Click '+ Video' button to load the AVI file you want to convert for playback on Mac.

Step 2: Select an Mac compatible output format. On the Output Profile panel, you can scroll down to 'Mac General Video' and choose 'MP4 Video (H264)', 'MP4 Video (MPEG4)', 'MOV Video (H264)', or any profile you like. And, hit 'Done'.

Besides H.264 and MPEG4 video codec, it also supports converting AVI video to HEVC/H.265 codec which can release more space for your Mac's hard drive. All Macs on High Sierra and later support HEVC playback.

Step 3: Click 'Browse' button to choose a destination folder to save converted AVI files.

Step 4: Click 'RUN' button to start converting AVI file for Mac. Hardware acceleration is by default enabled to boost video conversion speed.

How

Besides converting AVI to Mac, MacX Video Converter Pro has many other features you'll love.

  • The program is able to convert among video files, like AVI to MP4, MKV to MOV, M2TS to AVI, to name just a few.
  • It allows reducing video file size by lowering resolution, bit rate, etc.
  • It provides some basic editing features, like cut, crop, and merge.
  • It can record screen and video.
  • It allows you to download video and music from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Facebook, and more 1000+ sites.

Solution 2. Watch AVI File on Mac with 3rd-party Player

When QuickTime won't play AVI on Mac, you still have many other AVI players for Mac to choose from, such as 5KPlayer. 5KPlayer works like a charm, without requiring to install codec pack.

5KPlayer is a 100% free and clean media player, enabling you to play SD HD 4K UHD AVI video on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, etc. It supports AVI files with codecs DivX, Xvid or 3ivX etc. It delivers surprisingly great audio and image quality. With frequent update, it fully supports macOS Big Sur, Catalina, High Sierra, and earlier OS.

Now free download 5KPlayer so that you can play AVI on Mac without converting.

In fact, 5KPlayer can also play 720p/1080p/4K UHD/8K videos in MKV, M2TS, FLV, MOV, MP4, AVCHD and more, music audio in MP3, AAC, AC3, DVDs, and many more on Mac and Windows (including Win 10). Additionally, it can download video and music from YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Vevo, over 300 sites for free.

How to Use 5KPlayer to Play AVI Video on Mac

Step 1. Download and install 5KPlayer. Once done, open it.

Step 2. Load target AVI file to play. There're 3 ways to do so.

  • Click 'Video' to browse and open the source AVI file on the main interface;
  • Drag and drop AVI video to the main window;
  • Right click AVI file, choose to open with 5KPlayer.
How To Open Avi Files On Mac

Solution 3. Install the Right Codec to Make QuickTime Play AVI on Mac

That QuickTime fails to play your AVI files may be because it doesn't support the AVI' codec. AVI is a container format. It can package various codecs, such as Xvid, DivX and 3ivX. So you need to know how the AVI file is coded and download the right codec for QuickTime to decode it on Mac.

To figure out the codec used to encode AVI, you can open the file with QuickTime and choose Show Movie Info from the Window menu. Then you should be able to find codec information after format properties. Next, you should check if the codec is supported by QuickTime or not. If it is an unsupportive codec, you can download the codec online.

The most popular codecs that can be installed to play AVI on Mac are:

Both add support for a variety of DivX and other formats which often carry the .avi extension. You can download and install either one codec. Once done, open QuickTime and see if it can play your AVI file on Mac now.

How To Open Avi Video Files On Mac

But this method isn't foolproof. Some users report that after installing DivX for Mac, the sound in some AVIs will sometimes be either missing or distorted.

Solution 4. Install Perian to Help QuickTime Play AVI on Mac

If you don't want to download codec but still want to use QuickTime to play AVI video, you can install Perian. This is a free and open-source QuickTime component which can bring necessary codecs or components to help QuickTime play AVI, MKV, FLV, MTS, DivX, WMA and more on Mac. Certainly even if Perian is installed, QuickTime won't play all media types.

Perian is no longer under development. It fails to work with QuickTime 10 or later and it may be incompatible with your macOS.

How To Open Avi Files On Macbook

How to Use Perian to Play AVI on Mac

Step 1. Download and install Perian from https://perian.org/. once done, it will be listed inside System Preferences.

Step 2. Right click on the AVI file and then choose QuickTime to open it.

So, above are all the ways to play AVI file on Mac. You'll surely find a workable way.


Learn how to play AVI video files on Mac OS X through this guide. This tutorial guides you on how to play AVI files on Mac media supported media players. Continue reading..!



How to Play AVI File on Mac?

  • Go to Finder and select the AVI file
  • Drag it onto the QuickTime Player icon

Else,

  • Open Mac dock
  • Launch QuickTime Player
  • Go to menu
  • Click on New Finder Window
  • Browse the location of AVI file
  • Double-click on the AVI video

This is what a typical Mac user do, to play a AVI file on Mac. But, we can’t ensure that this method always works in playing AVI files on Mac. Since QuickTime only plays native AVI files with MJPEG video.

Application To Open Avi Files On Mac

So, when you want to play a AVI file on Mac and QuickTime fails to play the AVI video, then you can employ below techniques.

1. VLC Player: VLC is an effective AVI player for Mac. It the easiest and free-way of playing AVI file on Mac. So, you must give it a try.

  • Download VLC player on your Mac
  • Install it using its .dmg file
  • Select the AVI file, which you want to play
  • Right-click on it and opt Info
  • Choose Open with and select VLC from list

How to open avi video files on mac

2. Old QuickTime Edition: If you have the latest version of QuickTime and it fails to play any AVI file present on your Mac then go for an older version of QuickTime and try to play your videos. (QuickTime 7 plays AVI videos without any additional plug-ins or codecs)

How To Open Avi Files On Mac

3. Convert AVI to QuickTime video: Convert your AVI files into QuickTime videos and then play them. To convert AVI into QuickTime compatible file format,

  • Launch QuickTime player
  • Use export to QuickTime option in the file menu
  • Browse and select the AVI file
  • Ensure that destination file format is MOV
  • Finish the process

How To Open Avi Files On Macbook Pro

You can also make use of an efficient video converter tool to convert the AVI file.

4. Use Perian Plugin: Perian is an open-source QuickTime element, which allows you to play different video formats that you are unable to play on your Mac. If you are using QuickTime as your prime player, then you can download Perian because it offers necessary codecs that help you to play AVI files on Mac.

How To Open Avi Files On Mac For Free

5. Third Party AVI Players: If none of the above methods help you to play AVI files on Mac then use third party media players, which are available online.

If your AVI file fails to play even in third party AVI players, then it seems the file is corrupted. So, first your repair AVI file on Mac and then try to play it using any of the above methods.