Even though streaming sites have effectively taken over media consumption, traditional media players are still very much in fashion. It is tough to visualize a world without a media player, whether you are looking to view a video you’ve recorded or to download a copy of your favorite movie offline.
Many online media streaming apps are gaining popularity these days. We have prepared a checklist of the top media players for Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Best Media Players for Windows 11
Many free media players are available for Windows 11, with various options and tools supporting different video formats.
1. VLC Media Player
VLC is the most popular media player due to its features, customizable skins and useful customization options. It has been a famous media player for many years.
VLC Media Player is an open-source media player available for all platforms. It was developed by the VideoLAN project and supports many audio and file formats. VLC Media Player has been praised as the best video player to play all types of videos, even 3D. You can also take screenshots of the desktop.
VLC is one of the most popular PC media players because of its simplicity and speed. It doesn’t require any tedious steps. You can also use VLC to stream local content from YouTube and other online sites.
This Windows Media Player alternative is regularly updated, has a large user base, and works on all Windows versions. This free movie player is updated and gets new features from time to time.
2. PotPlayer
Kakao, a South Korean company, developed a feature-rich video player for the PC. It could be a severe competitor to VLC.
PotPlayer allows you to customize the software with a variety of customization options. PotPlayer delivers maximum performance and a light experience using techniques such as QuickSync, CUDA and DXVA. It is, therefore, the second-best media player.
PotPlayer is less well-known than VLC but may support more file types. It’s not surprising that PotPlayer is a good player for MP4/FLV/AVI/MKV file types, which are pretty common. You can choose from sound cards, bookmark and preview your favorite scenes, and much more.
The video player for PC supports different types of 3D glasses and can play 3D videos. You also get many built-in hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts.
The long list of settings and features may be too many for most users. PotPlayer can only be used on Windows. It is a great media player if you don’t want VLC Media Player.
3. KMPlayer
KMPlayer, a free Windows 11 media player, can play most audio and video files. You can add external codecs to improve compatibility. It supports 3D, 4K and UHD, is 64-bit, and can play video in up to 8K 60fps on compatible PCs.
KMPlayer is well-known for its support for many formats. KMPlayer users have many options for audio and video effects. It ensures that there is no shortage of features or support.
You can make videos repeat, choose which parts you want to be favorites and remap keys for remote access. KMPlayer allows you to edit subtitles. KMPlayer, a free media player first released in 2002, was purchased by Pandora TV in Korea in 2007.
4. Media Player Classic – Black Edition
Media Player Classic – Black Edition is an MPC Fork that continues the legacy of Windows 11’s defunct media player. MPC-BE also uses the MPC – Home Cinema edition, which was previously on our list.
However, MPC-BE is a powerful yet lightweight video player for Windows 11 and older versions. It has a dark-themed user interface that is somewhat reminiscent of Windows Media Player.
The open-source media player was first introduced in 2012. It supports hardware decoding, deinterlacing and timely software updates. It also supports a variety of audio and visual formats.
MPC-BE includes an inbuilt subtitle search and seeks bar previews. You can customize everything, including its logo, window and video color correction and it can be used through Windows Command Prompt. Additionally, it includes support for youtube-dl to retrieve content from the video-sharing website.
5. GOM Media Player
GOM Player (or Gretech Online Movie Player) is a free Windows media player alternative that supports the most popular audio and video formats. It can play most video formats, including AVI, MKV and MP4, FLV, MOV, and others.
You get all the same essential functions as other famous PC media players. GOM Player offers advanced features, such as A-B Repeat, Media Player Capture and speed control. You can also customize the look of the GOM Player by changing skins.
GOM’s library allows you to download many subtitles to enjoy TV and movies in your preferred language. This media player can be linked to the vast OpenSubtitles.org database.
This media player software may not be able to support certain types of media. GOM Player’s Codec Finder will allow you to search for the missing codec in these situations. GOM Player for Windows supports various operating systems, including Windows 11 and XP SP3.
6. DivX Player
It is the first media player to offer free HEVC playback. The DivX Player can play video files in popular formats such as MP4, MKV and DivX.
This famous media player lets you play UltraHD (4K) videos. You can also use it as a streaming media player, allowing you to stream music, video and photos to any DLNA-compatible device.
DivX Player also has advanced features such as Trick Play which allows you to jump to your favorite scenes quickly. You can play different scenes with the support of Chapter Points.
A smart media library keeps track and tracks both private and purchased video content. Multi-audio support allows you to switch between different soundtracks easily. You can quickly jump back to where you were with the Resume Play feature.
7. Kodi
Kodi (formerly XBMC) is another open-source media player that we have included on our list. You can install it on your desktop or laptop to create a media center-like environment. Kodi, a great alternative to Windows Media Center for Windows 11, is also available.
It is a powerful competitor for the best media player for streaming. It’s even more impressive if you use it with an external larger display due to its 10-foot user interface. Kodi is a famous streaming media player that supports piracy.
It can play almost all video and music formats and podcasts. Kodi was initially developed by itself and named Xbox Media Center for the first-generation Xbox gaming console. The recommended media player has plugins that allow it to be extended with additional features such as Netflix, YouTube and Hulu. Kodi is open-source software that was developed by a worldwide community of volunteers.
8. Plex
Plex allows you to manage your extensive media collection easily and includes videos, TV shows and movies, photos, music, and personal videos. Plex organizes and enhances your media collections. It is easy to share, so you can choose which items you want to make public for your family.
Plex’s highlight, an ad-supported streaming service, offers movies and TV shows free of charge from major studios like Warner Bros., Lionsgate or MGM.
It also supports nearly all file types, including Hi-Fi audio and video formats. It can also cast your videos to a larger TV screen because it supports Chromecast.
You can also use the Plex App on your tablet or phone to manage your player. You can use this app to organize your video content library, and it also offers a rich feature set for a video media player.
9. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer, another Windows 11 media player worth mentioning, is also on this list. It’s a highly compatible video player for Windows 11, as it supports many video codecs. Although it is not as powerful as VLC and PotPlayer, it can still play many audio/video files with no external plugins.
The 5KPlayer’s user interface is simple and clean. You will also find more streaming options. 5KPlayer allows you to import videos and music from YouTube, Vimeo, MTV, Facebook, Vimeo, and others. It supports common formats such as MP4, MOV and M4V.
10. MediaMonkey
This freemium program could be an excellent choice among the many free media players available for Windows 11. MMW is an abbreviation for MediaMonkey for Windows.
MediaMonkey for Windows PC can add plugins, just like other movie players. You can use plugins to improve the user interface, playback and device support, and new music discovery and discovery features. The player has party mode that can sync with iOS and Android devices.