Here is my issue. My video is an AVI with an alpha channel on it. Unfortunately, this AVI file is all I have to work with. Up until now, all I have been able to find on this issue is ways to convert the AVI file to another movie wrapper. I don't want to do that because I don't want to loose the alph. Another suggestion for an app that will enable you to view AVI files on Mac without a problem comes from 5KPlayer. Just like the other software we presented so far, 5KPlayer can handle many video formats without needing any codecs or plugins. The list supports - but is not limited to AVI, MOP4, MKV, WMV, FLV, MOV, WMA, H.265, or 3GP.

  1. Playing Avi Files On Mac
  2. How To View Avi Files On Mac
  3. How Do I View Avi Files On A Mac
  4. Playing Avi Files On Macbook

AVI, Audio Video Interleaved, is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft as part of its Video for Windows software. To open AVI files, your player must support all of these codecs. But Mac's built-in video player - QuickTime is unable to recognize and play AVI files. A very easy & simple way to convert.avi files(or any file) to be able to watch on your Mac computer or other devices. A very easy & simple way to convert.avi files(or any file) to be able to.

View avi files on mac

Playing Avi Files On Mac


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.

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

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)

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

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.

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.

Apple apps such as QuickTime Player, Photos and Keynote work with many kinds of audio and video formats. Some apps prefer specific formats, but QuickTime movie files (.mov), most MPEG files (.mp4, .m4v, .m4a, .mp3, .mpg), some AVI and WAV files, and many other formats usually work in most apps without additional software.

Older or specialised media formats might not work in your app, because the format requires software designed to support it. If that happens, your app won’t open the file or won’t play back its audio or video.

How To View Avi Files On Mac

How to search for an app that works with your file

You might already have an app that supports the format of your file. If you don’t know which of your installed apps to try, your Mac might be able to suggest one:

  1. Control-click (or right-click) the file in the Finder.
  2. From the shortcut menu that opens, choose Open With. You should see a submenu listing all of the other installed apps that your Mac thinks might be able to open the file.

If none of your installed apps can open the file, search the Internet or Mac App Store for apps that can play or convert the file:

How Do I View Avi Files On A Mac

  • Include the name of the media format in your search. To find the format, select the file and press Command-I to open an Info window. The format might appear after the label “Kind”, such as “Kind: Matroska Video File”.
  • Include the filename extension in your search. The extension is the letters shown at the end of the file’s name, such as .avi, .wmv or .mkv.

Learn more

Playing avi files on macbook air

Playing Avi Files On Macbook

  • QuickTime Player (version 10.0 and later) in OS X Mavericks to macOS Mojave converts legacy media files that use certain older or third-party compression formats.
  • Learn about incompatible media in Final Cut Pro and iMovie.