Do you not like the default media player of your Windows computer and are looking for some better alternatives? This article is all about the top media players that you can download on your Windows PC for free.
If you love to play music, watch movies, or enjoy videos on your Windows computer, but the default media player of your PC feels slow and boring, this post is for you. I’m going to list some of the best and free media players for Windows.
So, if you are tired of using the default Windows Media Player and want something better, here are some of the best free media players you can try right now. These players are easy to use, safe to install, and make your movie or music experience a lot more fun.
Top 5 Free Media Players For Windows
There are hundreds of media players available online, but not all of them are worth your time. Some look fancy but crash often and some are filled with a lot of ads and background processes. So, the media players listed below are well tested by me personally. Let’s check them out.
1. VLC Media Player
VLC is one of those software that almost everyone has used at least once. It has been in the industry for more than 20 years. What I really like about VLC is that it just works. You don’t need to install any extra codecs or plugins to play your favorite video or song. Just open the file and it plays, no drama.
VLC supports almost every kind of format you can think of including MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLAC, MP3, and many more. Another thing I like about VLC is that it doesn’t show ads or unnecessary push notifications like some other players do.
The best part? It’s free and open source. It’s not just a video player, but also lets you convert them in different formats. It’s available for all Windows versions.
Pros
- Completely free and open source
- Plays almost all video and audio formats
- No advertisements while playing videos
- Works well with even older Windows versions
- Allows converting videos to other formats.
Cons
- The interface looks outdated compared to other modern players
- Too many settings can confuse new users.
2. GOM Player
It is another one of the old media players in the world, which was released over 20 years ago. It was developed by a Korean company called Gretech and is available on the Microsoft App Store to download.
GOM Player also supports all popular video formats like MP4, MKV, AVI, FLV, MOV, and more. Still, if GOM Player isn’t able to play your video file, it automatically searches for the right codec online. So, you don’t need to worry about the missing formats or errors.
It’s lightweight, clean, and doesn’t install any junk. However, during setup or updates, it sometimes promotes its paid version called GOM Player Plus, which can feel a little annoying.
Pros
- Plays almost all video file formats
- Automatically searches and installs missing codecs
- It can search for subtitles online
- Allows video screenshots and speed controls
Cons
- Pop-ups about upgrading to GOM Player Plus
- The free version sometimes shows some ads.
3. Media Player (by Yellow Elephant Productions)
I recently tried this “Media Player” app from Yellow Elephant Productions on my Windows 11 laptop. It’s free and available in the Microsoft Store.
What caught my attention is that it supports over 200 audio and video formats. So whether your video file is MP4, MKV, AVI, or some weird format you found online, this player promises to open it.
It has a very clean interface. You just open the app, pick your video or audio, and it plays smoothly. There are not tons of confusing menus or settings, which is great when you just want to watch a movie and relax.
Pros
- Supports more than 200 media formats
- Clean and modern interface
- Works well for both video and music in the same app
Cons
- Lacks some advanced playback tweaks and filters found in many players
- Some users may feel it’s too simple and want more control.
4. Fluent Video Player
Here comes a video player that feels made specially for Windows users. It looks clean, modern, and follows the same “Fluent Design” style that you see in Windows 10 and 11. The best thing is that it plays almost every video format you can imagine. I tried a few random files like MP4, MKV, and MOV, all of them opened smoothly.
Another thing I liked about this video player is its picture-in-picture mode which helps you keep watching a video in a small corner while doing the other tasks.
It also keeps a history of all the videos you’ve watched and lets you resume right where you left off. You can even create playlists of your favorite videos or make the app play everything inside a folder like a playlist.
Pros
- Modern Fluent Design looks
- Ad-free and lightweight
- Plays almost all video file formats
- PiP mode and mini player
- Keeps a history of your previously viewed videos
Cons
- Lacks some advanced settings found in modern players
- Mostly focused on video, not ideal for audio files.
5. Media Player Go
Media Player Go is an all-in-one media player that supports almost every type of audio and video file. I’ve used it a few times, and it feels light, clean, and quick to open.
I tried playing MP4, MKV, MP3, VOB, and many more formats with this player, and it played perfectly without even asking me to install any extra codecs.
The player has built-in support for Miracast so that you can easily cast your videos to a television or bigger screen. This player also comes with PiP mode, which allows you to watch videos in a mini player while doing other tasks simultaneously.
Pros
- Plays both audio and video formats
- Supports Miracast and Xbox playback
- Picture-in-picture and external subtitles support
- Extra features like volume boost, crop tool, speed control
Cons
- Lacks detailed media library management
- Many users reported, it didn’t play the mentioned formats.
Final Thoughts
So now you know some of the best free media players you can download on your Windows computer. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, as mentioned above in this blog post. VLC is still the winner when it comes to handling every possible file type.
GOM Player is smooth and comes with smart features like codec search. Media Player by Yellow Elephant Productions looks simple yet supports over 200 file formats. Fluent Video Player gives that clean Windows look with a few smart extras. Media Player Go feels all-rounder that supports casting, PiP, and subtitles.
If you just want one media player that works for everything, VLC is the safest choice. Whichever you pick, remember that the best media player is the one that fits your needs, not just the most popular one. So, try them out to see which works best for you and keep the one that makes watching videos and movies easy and fun.
