Free Software To Play Wmv Files On Mac

There are a plethora of Mac video players on the app market. From my perspective, the best video player for Mac should support a vast assortment of formats, crisp visual display, and user-friendly operating features. In this huge and intensely competitive market, we can't figure out which free Mac video player is the best choice at once. If you have the same doubts, then you come to the right place. In this article, I'd like to show you the best media player for Mac that can give you excellent visual enjoyment.

4 Tips on Choosing the Best Media Player for Mac

The best video player for Mac is supposed to:

  1. Be free of ads, viruses, malware, and spyware.
  2. Born with a slick and directive interface, making the app simple to navigate.
  3. Come with strong coding skills and support wide-ranging video & audio format, so you can play any media file including 4K/5K video without losing quality.
  4. Have compact and basic video playback functions, like play/pause, time display, volume control, etc.

Sep 20, 2021 To search for Windows Media Video converters, type wmv into the search box, and then press Return. From the list of results, download and install the conversion software you want. In OneNote, go to the audio or video clip icon in your notes that you want to play, right-click (or Control-click) it, and then click Save As on the menu that appears. 5 Top Alternatives to Play WMV Files on Mac. In addition to Cisdem Video Player, there are some alternative solutions. According to the high quality of a good WMV player, we collect other 5 top-ranked software on Mac OS for your reference. VLC Media Player. In terms of playing WMV files on Mac, VLC is a safe and free media player.

Well, I’ve listed and tested a bunch of Mac video players and screened out the top 10 best free video player for Mac with the above reference in mind.

Top 10 Best Video Player for Mac 2021

Video player software isn’t rare, but top free video player for Mac users is not easy to come by. Hence we picked out the 10 best video players for Mac and give you some detailed information below.

#1. Cisdem Video Player for Mac

Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later

Cisdem Video Player is an incredible program playing a vast assortment of media file formats. It’s fully compatible with all popular video formats (e.g. WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, M4V, FLV, MKV, RMVB, MPEG, etc.), as well as audio files (e.g. MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, M4A, etc.). The software supports all those codecs ensuring the playback of high-quality video files a breeze.

This best video player Mac takes care of your local media files and the music/videos downloaded from YouTube, Vimeo, or others. You can automatically or manually add subtitles in .ass and .srt formats. It offers smoother playback while other media players show a video jitter, choppy, or stalling.

Cisdem best Mac video player contains a built-in video converter, allowing you to media files to MP4, M4V, MOV, MP3, M4A, iPhone, iPad, Samsung, and so on. It's totally free to play video & audio files but to unlock the conversion function, you need to upgrade to the pro version.

Pros:

  • Equipped with a concise and decent interface
  • Play video/audio files in more than 100 formats
  • Play 1080P, 4K, 5K, and even 8K videos
  • Load subtitles in any language, or import subtitles, as you want
  • Choose the audio soundtracks and stereo
  • Capture snapshots of each frame
  • Turn volume up or down
  • Take less occupancy on CPU memory of your Mac

FAQ: What're the differences between Cisdem Video Player and Cisdem Video Converter?

Cisdem Video PlayerCisdem Video Converter
DownloadFree downloadDownload the free trial
PriceFree ($9.99 to active conversion feature)$49.99
Video PlayDedicated video player (rich playback controls)Inbuilt-in video player (non-primary function)
Video ConvertSupport 40+ output formatsSupport 300+ formats
Batch ConvertNoYes
Extra/

Rip DVD movies and music

Download online videos from 1000+ sites

Both programs support playing and converting features. But as their names indicate, the former is mainly used to play videos, while the latter is a professional video converter & downloader.

#2. VLC Media Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.7.5 or newer

VLC Media Player, an uncluttered, open-source and cross-platform program, supports DivX and MPEG streaming. It can play DVDs, CDs, VCDs, network streaming protocols, and various types of video files. The best video player Mac offers playlist for viewing multiple videos one after the other.

Meanwhile, VLC empowers you to open Zip media files without unpacking them. And you can simply tweak the playback controls and audio volume (up to 200%). But it’s a little delayed while playing, 'Each time I click on run video network it plays other audio and DVDs, etc. and after a million times it finally plays the YouTube video.'

Pros:

  1. Help you enjoy Windows Media, MP3, QuickTime, and OGG files.
  2. Record the movies/music you are playing with VLC
  3. Adjust playback speed (slower, normal, and faster)
  4. Support external subtitles and Closed Captions

Cons:

  1. Outdated user interface
  2. Delay a little while playing the media files

#3. MPlayerX for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.7 or above

MPlayerX is one of the fastest choices to play MPEG (damaged MPEG files included), MP4, AVI, ASF, WMV, MOV, WAV, OGG/OGM, CD audio, etc. Plus, this best media player for Mac supports multi-touch, gesture, auto-encode subtitles, and online YouTube/Vimeo playback. But don't confuse MPlayerX and MPlayer OSX Extended. They are two completely different programs.

Pros:

Vlc For Mac

  1. Stand-alone video player for Mac
  2. Support various output formats and devices
  3. Auto convert subtitles for media files

Cons:

  1. Injects pop-up ads or advertising banners which may bring a virus
  2. Take up too much CPU
  3. Encounter problem when open the software and ask you to eject the disk image

#4. QuickTime Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or above

QuickTime Player, bundled with the Mac operating system, is Apple's flagship software. It ensures you to view Internet video, HD movie trailers, and personal media. This best media player for Mac is slick and easy to use. You can quickly export your videos to 4k, 1080p, 720p, 480p (based on original resolution) or extract them as M4A audio. It also functions as a screen recorder. You can record your playing movie, track, or anything on your current desktop.

However, it supports limited video formats. For more formats available like FLV, you have to install external plug-in Perian.

Pros:

  1. No additional installation required
  2. Provide you with advanced H.264 video compression technology to help deliver perfect HD video with less storage space.
  3. Record your Mac screen

Cons:

  1. A bit slow to launch
  2. Can’t work with common subtitle files
  3. Can’t open MKV, WMV, WMA, AVI, FLV, etc.

#5. Elmedia Player for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.9.0 or later

A multifunctional free media player for Mac, Elmedia Player supports a wide range of common and not so common audio & video formats, including FLV, SWF, WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MP3, DAT, FLAC, M4V, MPG, MKV, and more. It can play virtually all media files on your Mac. Although it has some other special features, such as downloading online videos from YouTube and adjusting audio settings, they are not free and need to be upgraded.

Pros:

  1. Play online videos without ads
  2. Support embedded and external subtitles
  3. Save and load playlist
  4. Reset audio delay

Cons:

  1. Consume major CPU
  2. Might lose video quality when swiping back and forth
  3. Only pro version allows to take screenshots

#6. 5KPlayer for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.8.0 or higher

5KPlayer is a mixture of free AirPlay media streamer, online video downloader, music player and movie player for Mac. All HD, 4K, 5K videos including MKV, MTS, AVCHD are supported. With AirPlay streaming tech, you can as AirPlay sender/receiver: stream video music from iPhone, iPad to PC or from PC to Apple TV. Although the best Mac video player lets you download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc., the download process will be bit slower.

Pros:

  1. Embedded copious codecs for playing different audio, video, and DVD.
  2. No need to install additional codec or pack.
  3. Import subtitle and switch soundtrack
  4. Manage YouTube downloaded videos, DLNA server, and playlist in library

Cons:

  1. Install Bonjour voluntarily without any hint when you need to make AirPlay work
  2. The media player will get stuck when playing high resolution & long videos

#7. Realplayer for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.9 or later

Realplayer can play all formats of videos. This best video player Mac is a universal media player that automatically recognizes the file format of the video or audio file you want to play. So you can count on it to reliably play the most popular audio and video file formats including AVI, MP4, MP3, WMA, WAV, FLV, MPEG, and more. It requires a fairly powerful machine for some functions. Several applications need to be installed in advance to launch the application properly.

Pros:

  1. Offer several visualization ways for listening and locates your media files automatically.
  2. Include handy downloading and conversion features that may benefit some users.

#8. DivX Player for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.5.0 or above

DivX Player delivers high-quality video playback for AVI, DIVX, MKV, MP4, and more. It is the best video player Mac to watch DivX, MKV, and HEVC up to 4K films. You can use its built-in TransferWizard to burn videos to DVD/USB/computer. It also comes with DivX Codec Pack and a free 15-day trial of DivX Plus Converter for those who plan to convert.

Pros:

  1. Support playing HD 720P/1080P, UHD 4K video movies
  2. Open video directly with URL
  3. Import video files into library

Cons:

  1. Large installation file and install other software without permission
  2. Poor compatibility with the latest system
  3. Lack some key features, e.g. rewind and forward

#9. Movist Video Player for Mac

Compatibility: OS X 10.10.0 or late

Movist, based on QuickTime and FFmpeg, is another best media player for Mac. It has the ability to encode/decode a multitude of formats and add subtitles. You can do some general and advanced settings for better and convenient video playback. However, the new versions like 2.4.2, 2.4.3 are not free now, which charge $4.99 or $7.99 (Movist Pro). To get Movist free video player for Mac, you should install the old version like 0.6.8 or before.

Pros:

  1. Simple to operate
  2. Support playlist
  3. Many customizable options

#10. NicePlayer for Mac

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.5 or above

NicePlayer is the best Video Player for Mac with a multi-engine player designed for playing movies nicely. This program features full-screen or borderless floating windows, useful controls for scrubbing or queuing movies, and on-the-fly playlist creation.

Pros:

  1. Lightweight and compatible with most formats
  2. Can adjust the aspect ratio
  3. Make a suitable presentation with the aid of toolbar (Half Size, Double Size, Fill Screen, Fill Width, etc.)

Cons:

  1. Can’t handle AVI, MKV or MPG videos.
  2. No support for subtitles and changing audio sources, etc.
  3. Unable to play the videos by dragging it to the software
  4. Not convenient to switch to another video

What is Media Player (Software)?

Play Wmv Files On Mac

We often need the best media player for Mac, but before installing new software it is good to get some knowledge about it.

According to the explanation from Wikipedia, a media player (software) is a handy program that can help you play videos, music, movies, and other multimedia files on the computer. All media players display standard media control icons: play, pause, fast-forward, back forward, and stop buttons.

How to Use the Best Video Player for Mac?

All video players mentioned above are easy to use. Let's take Cisdem Video Player as an example:

Step 1. Download and install the best free video player for Mac, then launch it.

Step 2. Drag and drop the video file you wish to watch to the interface of the software.

Step 3. Click button to start video play on Mac.

How to Change the Default Video Player on Mac?

QuickTime Player is the default Mac media player. You can change it into the best video player for Mac you think.

Step 1. Locate the media file you wish to play.

Step 2. Right-click on it, a drop-down menu will appear.

Step 3. Choose “Open With” > “Other”, which brings up a dialog for selecting the application to open your media file.

Step 4. Choose your best media player Mac, check the box- “Always Open With”, and click on “Open”.

Conclusion

Mac App To Open Wmv Files

I deem that you already have the best media player for Mac in your mind, just download it on Mac and have a try if it is right the thing as you expected. Here I advise those who still feel a little confused to choose from, I push Cisdem Video Player for Mac in front of you. it gets more and more reputation and becomes a stable status among the market. 4K video, 5K/1080p HD videos, all of popular SD & HD standard video formats which other free video player tools unable to support, or add subtitle files, Cisdem Video Player for Mac can all fix it. What’s the best I enjoy, it offers crisp and clear visual image, I feel the video playing quite high quality.

Software

Read time 8 min

If you’re a Microsoft Windows user, you would be familiar with WMV files. WMV file is a pack of video codecs and the corresponding video coding formats developed by Microsoft. WMV stands for Windows Media Video designed to be compatible with the range of Windows operating systems. Because of WMV files’ specific design and structure, they aren’t compatible with MacOS, and if you try to play a .wmv video file on an Apple device, it won’t run.

Similar to other format video files, a WMV file can also turn corrupt or damaged and won’t run in Windows Media Player – the default media player of Microsoft Windows. Below are possible errors or types of corruption that you may face.

  • Error Notification: “file could not be played.”
  • Frozen Frame/Frame Freeze
  • Codec Issue
  • No Sound
  • Crackled Sound & Distorted Sound
  • Video Crash
  • Black Screen
  • Damaged File

When the file is corrupt, you may not be certain what kind or type of corruption or media error it is. To know more about the issues listed above, read Fixed: Top Five Common Video Errors

Instant Solution

Try automated tool Kernel Video Repair to repair corrupt, damaged or crashed WMV video files. The software is compatible with all Windows Media File formats.

Reasons Why the WMV File Turns Corrupt Could Be the Following:

A WMV file could get corrupt because of virus attack; a Windows system can get infected by a virus in situations like when someone surfs non-secured websites, downloads software cracks, transfers corrupted or virus infected files onto the system, etc.

If someone deleted or removed the .wmv file extension – on purpose, the video file won’t remain playable anymore. The trick for playing such media files is to right-click, select Open with, and choose VLC or any other powerful media player.

The WMV video file can also turn corrupt in scenarios when the file download is going on, but somehow either the download was interrupted, or the Internet connection was not stable enough. Because of improperly written file data or missing data blocks, the .wmv video file won’t open or would play a small segment of the full video length.

Sudden or improper system shutdowns also result in files either becoming corrupt or damaged. While a file is being written to some other location or utilized by another program, it is recommended to wait and let the task or process to complete.

How to Fix Corrupt WMV File Issue?

Well, the first thing we’d suggest is to avoid the events listed under the section reasons stating why the WMV file turns corrupt.

Now, what if the WMV video file has already turned corrupt due to some issues, we’ll guide you through methods which on implementation would deliver a proper resolution to the problem.

Open the Corrupt WMV File in VLC

VLC from VideoLAN is a powerful media player application which is designed to work not only on Windows OS but on Linux distributions & MacOS. VLC has native support for a range of video codecs. For the media which fails to open with Windows Media Player or other media players, VLC is the ultimate solution.

You would’ve encountered with the error message above, and there remain no other options, instead of closing the error popup and exiting Windows Media Player, try VLC media player. The same error won’t bother any more; follow the below steps:

  1. Select and right-click on the corrupt .wmv file and click Open with.
  2. Choose VLC media player.
  3. The corrupt .wmv file which was not playing in Windows Media Player now will play in VLC.

Convert WMV File to MP4 Format

If the attempt of playing the corrupt WMV with VLC didn’t result positive then, try changing the file format to .mp4. We’ll be using VLC again for changing the video file format; go through the steps given below:

  1. Open VLC media player.
  2. Click on Media and select Convert/Save.
  3. Click the Add button and select the corrupt .wmv video file. Wait for the file loading to complete first then, move on to the next step. Click on Convert/Save dropdown and select Convert.
  4. Select Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4) file format. Click Browse for selecting a path to save the converted .mp4 file and click Start.

    Note: Unless you’re aware of what other settings would do when changed, don’t mess with other options available.

  5. Now, try playing the file using either Windows Media Player or VLC media player. The converted MP4 video file should play.

In some cases of video file corruption, it is possible that the above methods won’t come handy, the level of corruption or the scale of damage being the reason behind.

Such a condition demands a professional and advanced tool to address the issue, and if that’s the case with you as well, then we’d recommend using Kernel Video Repair.

Kernel Video Repair

The Video Repair tool is compatible with a range of multimedia file formats, for example, MP4, AVI, WebM, MPEG, MPEG2, etc. It enables you to fix all sorts of video file corruption & damage issues, with no requirement of technical expertise.

To help you with the repair process, we’ve provided the steps below:

App To Play Wmv Files On Mac

  1. Launch Kernel Video Repair.
  2. Click on the Plus icon to select the corrupt .wmv video file or you can drag the file and drop it here right-away.
  3. Browse and select the corrupted video file for repair.
  4. Click on the Repair Files button to initiate the repair process.
  5. Note: If the tool asks to add a reference file, you need to browse and add that reference file which should be healthy, same resolution and taken from the same source.

  6. Add the destination path to save the repaired Video files.
  7. The video file will start repairing. You can view the live status and progress.
  8. The corrupt .wmv video file is repaired and saved successfully; click Close.. You can save the repair report in CSV format also.

Free Software To Play Wmv Files On Mac Desktop

Conclusion
The VLC media player is such an amazing tool that has many perks over other paid media player applications; it supports a huge library of codecs, and the chances are few that a video file won’t run. In rare situation when nothing sorts the issue of multimedia file corruption & damage, Kernel Video Repair is the best solution available on the web.

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