Many online media streaming apps are gaining traction these days. Many people want to know which is the best media player for Windows 10 PC. If you want to answer this question, you have come to the right place.
Let’s talk about some of the great Windows media players that you can try. Many users are looking for a local music app to play their curatorial collection of movies and homemade videos.
11 Best Media Players for Windows 10 (2021)
1. VLC Media Player
has held its own in the popularity charts for years. With its plethora of features, custom skins, and helpful media player customization options, VLC merits being listed among the best media players for 2021.
VLC Media Player is a free open source media player available for the most popular platforms. It was developed by the VideoLAN project and supports many audio and video compression methods and file formats. Over the years, VLC has earned a reputation for playing video players, including 3D videos.
VLC is one of the best PC media players due to its fast and easy style that does not require tedious steps. In addition to playing local content, you can also use VLC to stream content from online sites such as YouTube. Read our full article for some amazing VLC tips and tricks. Not to mention that you could even take screenshots of your desktop.
This amazing Windows Media Player alternative receives frequent updates and has a large user base. It runs on all Windows versions such as Windows 10 and Windows XP. From time to time, this media player receives new functions and updates.
What sets VLC apart?
- Free and open source
- Plays almost anything
- Available on almost all platforms
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
2. PotPlayer
Developed by the South Korean company Kakao, this feature-rich video player for PC VLC gives a run for its money. Using techniques such as CUDA, QuickSync, and DXVA, this media player offers maximum performance and an easy experience. It offers a wide range of customization options that allow you to personalize the player. This is definitely one of the best media players on this list.
You have the option to select the sound card, bookmark your favorite scenes, preview them, and much more. PotPlayer comes with a lot of built-in keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys. Compared to VLC, PotPlayer is more popular because it supports more file types. It goes without saying that it is a great player for the many MP4, FLV, AVI, and MKV files that are very common. It also plays 3D videos and supports different types of 3D glasses.
This makes VLC more popular than PotPlayer. For most users, the long list of features and settings is too much. PotPlayer is one of the best media players if you want to get rid of VLC. However, it is only limited to Windows.
Why use PotPlayer?
- Attractive interface
- Better audio performance
- Tons of customization options
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
3. KMPlayer
KMPlayer is a great free Windows 10 media player that plays popular video and audio files. It is known for its wide range of supported formats. It comes with 3D, 4K, and UHD support, and a 64-bit version that can play 8K videos at 60fps on a PC with capable hardware. You can also add external codecs to increase compatibility.
Users have a wide range of audio and video effects to make sure they don’t lack features and support. KMPlayer lets you edit videos and subtitles. Here you can select which parts of a video you prefer, have it repeated, and copy the keys from the remote interface.
The free media player KMPlayer, released in 2002, was acquired in 2007 by the Korean streaming company Pandora TV. The Media Player Classic Black Edition is an MPC fork that continues the legacy of the original. It’s based on the MPC Home Cinema Edition on our list. The new version is a lightweight but powerful video player for Windows 10 and older versions.
Why use KMPlayer?
- Robust media organization
- Highly customizable
- KMP Connect feature
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
4. Media Player Classic – Black Edition
Since its launch in 2012, it has support for hardware decoding and deinterlacing, timely software updates, and support for a variety of audio and video formats. It uses the Windows prompt and includes built-in support for YouTube DL to fetch content from video-sharing sites. Other features of this media player include the built-in subtitle search, preview in the search bar, and you can customize the logo, windows, and video color correction. It has a slight thematic similarity to the look and feel of Windows Media Player.
What’s special about MPC-BE?
- Extensive customization options
- Works via command line
- Lightweight software
5. GOM Media Player
The GOM Player from Gretech Online Movie Player is a free Windows Media Player alternative with integrated support for popular video and audio formats. Its basic functionality comes with other popular PC media players. This means it can play popular video formats such as AVI, MKV, MP4, FLV, and MOV. It also comes with a lot of advanced features like A / B Repeat Media Player, Speed Control Capture, Audio, and Video Effects, Screen Capture, etc.
It also gives you the option to change the skin to suit the overall look of the GOM Player. With its own library, you can download a lot of subtitles to enjoy movies and television shows in your preferred language. You can also link it to the huge database of OpenSubtitles.org.
The media player software supports a wide range of operating systems from Windows 10 to Windows XP. However, it is possible that GOM Player does not support some unusual types. In this scenario, the Codec Finder service allows searching for missing codecs.
Why use GOME Player?
- Codec and subtitle finder
- Clean, colorful interface
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7
6. DivX Player
The # 7 entry in our list of the best media players for Windows 10 2021 is DivX Player. This media player acts as a streaming media player that allows you to stream music, videos, photos, and DLNA to compatible devices. It goes without saying that this media player is optimized to play video files in popular formats such as MP4, MKV, DivX, and AVI. It describes itself as the first of its kind to offer free HEVC playback. With this player, you can also enjoy UltraHD and 4K playback.
DivX Player has a smart media library that tracks private and purchased video content. It also supports multiple audio signals, which means you can easily switch between different soundtracks. DivX Player has advanced features such as Trick Play, which allows you to jump to your favorite scenes. There is support for chapter points where you can play different scenes. With the DivX Player Resume Play feature, you can return to where you left off.
Why use the DivX player?
- Full of features
- DivX To Go feature
- DLNA streaming support is great
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
7. Kodi
If you miss Windows Media Center in Windows 10, Kodi, also known as XBMC, is a great alternative. It is the most adaptable media player you can use on your laptop or desktop for a media center-like experience. Kodi is a strong competitor among the top media players, and streaming is even better if you use it on an external or large screen with its 10-foot user interface. This can also be used with DivX Player. Kodi, a free open-source media player, is on our list.
Kodi is open-source software developed by a global community of unpaid volunteers. It plays popular videos, music formats, podcasts, and other digital media stored on the Internet. It also has plug-ins that extend its features to include features for Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Veoh. In the recent past, Kodi has been in the headlines for the pre-installed Kodi Box add-ons that support piracy. More recently, Kodi was developed and named the Xbox Media Center for the first-generation Xbox games console.
Why prefer Kodi?
- Media center experience
- Content streaming
- TV interface
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7
8. Plex
With Plex, you can take care of your large media collection, which includes videos, television shows, movies, photos, personal videos, and music. It is inherently easy to share, and you can choose what you want to publish and give access to your family. It organizes your collection and makes it look great. It provides free movies and television shows from major studios such as Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and MGM ad-supported free streaming services.
You can use Plex on your phone or tablet to take control of this rival for the best video player for PCs. It supports all file types, including hi-fi, music, and video formats. It also has Chromecast support so you can transfer videos to your big TV screen.
As its name suggests, this app is a top-rated video player for Windows 10. It is compatible with various video codecs and formats. Although it is not as powerful as VLC or PotPlayer, it can play popular audio and video files without external plugins. Use it to streamline your video content library and take full advantage of a feature-rich video media player.
Why use Plex?
- Media management
- Takes care of metadata
- Most platforms are supported
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7
9. 5KPlayer
The interface of 5KPlayer is very clean and easy to use. The app has a user interface that is very easy to use and clean.
If your primary goal is to keep your media organized, then there is a considerable choice among the various free media players for Windows 10. It is also known as MMW, the acronym for MediaMonkey for Windows. This media player is known for its streaming options.
Why use 5KPlayer?
- Built-in AirPlay support
- Video downloader for many video sites
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7
10. MediaMonkey
Like other notable movie players, MediaKey for Windows PC has the ability to extend its functionality with the help of plugins. You can use plugins to make the player look more attractive, enhance device support for playback, and use new music discovery features. MediaKey also comes with a party mode that syncs with Android and iOS devices.
MediaMonkey’s best features?
- Intelligent file tagging
- Heavily configurable
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7
11. Movies and TV
Last but not least, Windows 10 houses a media player called Movies & TV. It looks minimalist and elegant and helps you manage personal videos on your PC. However, the Windows 10 media player lacks a few features that can be found elsewhere.
It supports a whole range of formats, including 360 videos. It also offers some unique features, such as support for Xbox media syncing and viewing content from mobile apps. It also has a mini-mode for video and maintains multitasking. We would like to mention this media player with a special mention.
Read more: 20 Movie Download Sites For Free And Legal Streaming In 2021
Special Mention: MPC-HC And WMP
The former standard video player for Windows Media Player has a special place in our hearts. It has been replaced, but you can still use it by installing WMP as an optional feature. As expected, there are some great Windows 10 media players. Free media players for Windows 10 were in the previous list, but they are still under development and have been discontinued.
What should I expect from a great Windows 10 media player?
With a ton of software available for the Windows platform, selecting the right software for your computer is no easy task. Apart from feature-rich software, a great media player must be simple, intuitive, and lightweight. With the increasing number of new media formats, not all free media players can run popular file formats such as MKV, FLV, AVI, MP4, and MOV. We have taken all these factors into account when recommending the best video players for PCs such as VLC, GOM Media Player, and Classic.
Some people sent us e-mails asking questions about the best media player for Windows. This prompted me to prepare a list of the best and free media players for Windows 10 PC 2021. Here are some of their features.
Do not forget to share your views and be part of the discussion. The Free Media Player, which in your eyes is the best. The ones you will use to enjoy movies and other media content. Download Windows Media Player 12 for my PC.
FAQ
How to download Windows Media Player 12 on my PC?
Now that WMP 12 is on your PC, you can install it in Windows 10 with optional features. Go to Settings > Apps > Optional Features and click Add Optional Features. Select Windows Media Player from the list and click Install.
Which media player is great for Windows 7 32-bit?
This free PC software is suitable for Windows 7 and 32-bit versions. The 32-bit operating system has gone out of fashion with top media players such as VLC, PotPlayer, and Kodi