If you want to use QuickTime Player to play your movies, you first have to find the right codec.
How can I view my.avi videos in Photos? This used to work fine in iPhoto. If I click on a.avi video in Photos, I get a pop up menu telling me that it can't play the video because it cannot find the file. Once you get over the initial shock and find out that the file is in fact there, the only way I found was: 1. Locate the file.
How To View Avi Files On Mac Os
- The files you won't be able to see by default are typically preceded by a full stop, for example.htaccess file,.bashprofile or.svn directory. Folders like /usr, /bin, and /etc are hidden away.
- In macOS, the Open With contextual menu that appears when you right-click (or Ctrl-click) on a file provides links to all the applications installed on your Mac that are associated with that file.
You can do this by following these simple steps:
1. Open 'File' in QuickTime Player.
2. Select 'Show Movie Info' from the Window menu.
Here, you’ll find all the information on formats and supported codecs.
If your version of QuickTime Player doesn’t support that specific codec package, then you can check on their official website and see if they offer any support for the codec you’re looking for.
If not, then your videos won’t play.
Your next option is to check Apple’s Official Website.
DivX is probably the most trusted codec for playing AVI files on Mac.
Once installed, you no longer need to download other plug-ins or components to play the AVI file.
But even with the relative ease of it all, it can still get pretty annoying.
How To View Avi Files On Mac Catalina
That’s why most people don’t go through all this trouble to get their AVI files to work on QuickTime Player. Rather, they opt for an easier solution, a third party multimedia player that supports all media files, including AVI.
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 specialized 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 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:
- Control-click (or right-click) the file in the Finder.
- 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:
- 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
- QuickTime Player (version 10.0 and later) in OS X Mavericks through 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.