Although we’re living in a generation where streaming services have essentially taken over our media consumption, a traditional media player never goes out of fashion. Whether you want to watch a video you have recorded or watch an offline copy of your favorite movie, it is hard to imagine the absence of a media player. So if you are looking for the best media players to use on your Windows 10 computer, we have compiled a handy list for you. So let’s not waste any more time and jump right in.
1. VLC Media Player
If there’s one software on this list that I will happily use for years to come, it is VLC Media Player. In case you’re unaware, the VLC media player is a free and open-source multimedia player capable of playing almost anything you throw at it. You can use the VLC player for playing MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MKV, WebM, WMV, MP3, and more on your Windows 10 PC. Thanks to its cross-platform availability, you can also use VLC media player across a multitude of platforms, including Linux, macOS, Unix, iOS, and Android.
VLC Media Player
MPV
KMPlayer
MPC-BE
Kodi
GOM Player
PotPlayer
DivX
5KPlayer
Films and TV
Free and open-source
Supports all popular formats
Cross-platform
Widely used and trusted
Cons
Download VLC Media Player | Download VLC Player from Microsoft Store
MPV player is another powerful media player for Windows 10. While it may seem like a basic player on the surface, you can unleash its true potential with the help of user scripts. There are hundreds of user scripts available in the MPV GitHub wiki to help you enhance the player’s capabilities. All you have to do is move the script to the script folder (usually C:/Users/Username/AppData/Roaming/mpv/scripts/) to use them.
Pros
Download MPV
KMPlayer is another option you can consider if you are looking for feature-rich media players for Windows 10. You can use KMPlayer to watch up to 8K videos, and it supports a variety of video codecs, including HEVC (h.265), h.264, and VP9. You also get support for playing Blu-ray and DVD content here. Much like VLC player, you won’t have any trouble playing most media formats on KM Player.
One unique aspect of KMPlayer is that it lets you create GIFs from videos. You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+G to access the GIF creation interface. You can also use KMPlayer to download YouTube videos.
Download KMPlayer
If you’re old enough, you might recall Media Player Classic. In an attempt to resurrect MPC, developers created a fork of the project with the name MPC – Home Cinema. Although MPC-HC’s development eventually came to an end in 2017, there exists another fork called Media Player Classic – Black Edition.
Download MPC-BE
5. Kodi
Although Kodi is a media server app, you can use it for all your media playback needs on Windows 10. It plays almost all widely used media formats. As you can see in the image below, there are separate sections for music and videos in Kodi. This way, you can easily organize your media files without a hassle.
Cons
- UI may get overwhelming for new users
Download Kodi
Another media player worth trying out is the GOM Player. It comes loaded with all the features you would expect from media players for Windows 10, including support for 360-degree VR mode and EQ presets. One notable feature of GOM Player is that it can even show you two subtitles simultaneously.
- Multiple subtitle support
- Modern interface
- Supports popular media formats
Download GOM Player
Kakao Corp’s PotPlayer is an option you can consider if you’re looking for a powerful media players for Windows 10. Other than the standard features you get from all media players, PotPlayers supports H/W acceleration, support for 3D content, and different types of subtitles and codecs. A PotPlayer feature that you won’t often find in other players is the ability to bookmark specific scenes or chapters for quick access.
Download PotPlayer
DivX is a media player that looks simple but packs a ton of features. You can use the player to stream videos to DLNA-compatible devices, use multiple subtitle tracks, and more. The free version, however, comes with ads. You need to purchase the $20 premium version to get an ad-free experience along with other features.
Features exclusive to the Pro version of this media player for Windows 10 include an editor to crop video border and add custom logo overlays, the option to import videos from Google Drive and Dropbox, video conversion, audio enhancer, HEVC 10-bit playback, and AC3 audio playback.
Download DivX
Apart from the usual 1080p,4K, and 8K videos, you can use 5KPlayer to play 360-degree videos. Moreover, it supports AirPlay and DNLA wireless stream for easily streaming media. You can also utilize the embedded online video downloader to download videos from YouTube and 300 other video sharing sites.
Download 5KPlayer
10. Films and TV
Films and TV app is the default media player for Windows 10, but it doesn’t often get enough credit. Sure, it may not be as feature-rich as other players listed on this list, but it is functional and will serve the needs of an average PC user.
- Limited features
- Relatively slow
Pre-installed on Windows 10