- Before you go on the YouTube to MP4 or MP3 conversion work, you should download a YouTube video converter. Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac is specialized in converting YouTube videos(usually in.FLV) to MP4, MP3 format on Mac OS X(including macOS Sierra, El Capitan). It brings the simplest way to convert YouTube video to MP4 or extract MP3 audio from YouTube, so that you can watch them anywhere on portable players like iPad, iPod, iPhone, PSP, etc.
- 4Easysoft Mac MTS Converter is a powerful and versatile MTS file Converter utility for Mac OS X users to convert MTS file on Mac like convert MTS to AVI, convert MTS to MP4 on Mac and extract/save the audio tracks on Mac OS X (including OS X 10.5 Leopard). It helps you convert TS, MTS, MOD, TOD, MOV, FLV, WMV, HD MP4, etc to what you need video.
Apowersoft Free Video to MP3. Apowersoft is another powerful, safe, high-performance online video to MP3 converter for Mac. It does a great job of converting local videos to MP3s in a number of formats, such as MP4, AVI, MKV, etc. It also allows you to convert video to MP3 from sites like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
MP4 won't play on Mac? What should you do to play MP4 video files on macOS smoothly? Follow this article to get easy solutions to fix QuickTime Player can't open MP4 error.
'I paid for and downloaded a YouTube video in an .mp4 file but was told that my QuickTime can't play MP4 on Mac. I never have this problem before, and QuickTime Player has listed .MP4 at the top of its playable formats. Why?'
Some users may have no clue when QuickTime player refuses to open MP4 files. What should you do if mp4 not playing on Mac with QuickTime? Below we have our detailed problem analysis and step-by-step guide.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Why QuickTime Won't Play MP4 on Mac & Common Ways to Fix It
Causes to QuickTime Won't Play MP4 on Mac Problem
As the user mentioned in his question, as MP4 is one of the formats supported by QuickTime, why MP4 playback error still occurs? Here are reasons lead to this problem, you may check:
- .mp4 is a file extension which include many codecs, and QuickTime Player lack the right codec to read certain MP4 videos;
- Damaged or corrupt MP4 files cause the MP4 playback error on Mac. This happens more often to MP4 files downloaded from web and received from email;
- Incomplete conversion or compression of MP4 video files.
Ways to Ensure Smooth MP4 Video Playback on Mac Computer
First, if you run into QuickTime won't recognize MP4 from iMovie, select a .mov extension as the output to solve the problem;
Second, if you're watching mp4 on Mac with HD or 4K resolution but without any luck, first please check if your graphic process, GPU, Mac display meet the minimum requirements to play 4K files on Mac;
Third, update QuickTime Player to the latest version. If you still can't play MP4 files on Mac, now you can:
- Convert unplayable mp4 videos to MP4 files with supported codecs, or other formats like MOV;
- Switch from QuickTime Player to other Mac players;
- Some MP4 videos captured by GoPro action cam, for example, are encoded in HEVC codec, which older Mac computer won't support, unless you update it to the latest macOS.
Part 2: How to Convert MP4 to QuickTime Supported Codec
You can convert unplayable videos in any format (any video/audio codecs) to the files perfectly for Mac. With a MP4 video converter, opening MP4 on macOS is just a snap. This fits those who want to stick with Mac video player and don't want to handle with complicated codec thing. The video converter applied in the method is MacX Video Converter Pro, which will handle everything you throw at it and output to a HQ MP4 file playable on Mac.
- Flexible output formats: with 320+ video and 50+ audio codecs, it converts any videos to Mac supported files, including MP4 files among different codecs;
- Repair damaged files by cutting the corrupt part with advanced editing features, and output to MP4 file for playing on Mac;
- No.1 fast video to MP4 H.264 conversion speed by enable hardware acceleration tech;
- 3 Simple & Easy Steps: Drag & drop, choose output format and then you can enjoy MP4 videos on Mac smoothly without codec problem.
Step 1: Free download this MP4 video converter on Mac or Windows computer and open it. Then click 'Add File' to add the MP4 not opening on Mac.
Step 2: Choose an output format. To ensure your Mac computer to accept and read your MP4 video files, select MP4 H.264 or other Mac supported formats like MOV as the output format. (you can also convert unplayble videos for iPhone, iPad or Android devices)
Step 3: Click 'Browse' button to select a destination folder to save the output MP4 video. Check the Intel box on the interface to enable the hardware acceleration tech to boost the mp4 conversion on Mac.
Step 4: Click 'RUN' button to start converting videos to MP4. Then you can play output MP4 videos on Mac with QuickTime Player or other MP4 video players on Mac.
Tips: Know More about QuickTime Player Supported Formats
Supposing you're using QuickTime Player to play MP4 on MacBook Pro/Air, iMac etc. Check the formats and codecs supported by QuickTime Player to convert unplayable videos clearly with any MP4 video converter.
- It plays almost all media formats including MP4, MTV, M2TS, AVI, FLV, WMV, DVDs;
- It fully supports 3D, 8K/5K/4K UHD videos playback, with untouched image quality;
- It's an combo of media streamer, online video downloader, and MP4 video player for Mac;
Part 3: How to Watch MP4 with 3rd-party MP4 Player for Mac
In the above formats section, we can see that QuickTime Player is limited in supported formats. If QuickTime can't play MP4 on Mac smoothly, you can turn to another MP4 player for Mac. They may come with wider formats support and better playback experience. This method is the easiest for those who have no preference to QuickTime.
There are many video player for Mac that works well with MP4 files, for example VLC media player. In this method, we select another free video player which tops the user downloads on the pundit ranking site Softonic: 5KPlayer.
- It plays almost all media formats including MP4, MTV, M2TS, AVI, FLV, WMV, DVDs;
- It fully supports 3D, 8K/5K/4K UHD videos playback, with untouched image quality;
- It's an combo of media streamer, online video downloader, and MP4 video player for Mac;
- It works with latest macOS Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite and earlier version.
Part 4: How to Install Perian for QuickTime
As the main reason that QuickTime can't play MP4 on Mac is the lack of certain codecs, you can manually add the codec pack. The free add-on called Perian is a perfect mate for QuickTime. With Perian installed, QuickTime Player will support a much wider range of codecs, including MP4, AVI or playing MKV on Mac. Check the detailed formats supported (Perian is no longer under development and does not work with QuickTime 10 or above):
- File formats: AVI, FLV, MKV, DIVX, GVI, VP6, VFW file formats
- Video/Audio types: MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivx, H.264, FLV/Sorenson Spark, FSV1, VP6, H263i, VP3, VP8, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Snow, NuppelVideo, Techsmith, screen capture, DosBox Capture, Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), and MPEG Layer II Audio, True audio, DTS coherent acoustics, nellymoser ASAO;
- Subtitle support: SSA/ASS and SRT.
The importance of a powerful media player can be well understood by movie freaks who wish to enjoy their favourite videos in best quality. Majority of videos over Internet are available in MP4 format and thus MP4 players are the most commonly used players. Windows as well as Mac system have their installed default media players, but a large numbers of people go for third party MP4 player, owing to their user friendly interface, additional features and excellent performance. So if you are in search for a good quality MP4 player for Mac or MP4 player for Windows too, the roundup of top 10 MP4 players for Windows 10/8.1/7 and Mac here can do you a great favor.
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Part 1. Top 5 Free MP4 Players on Windows
Though Windows Media Player is the default player for the Windows system and also support MP4 playback, it sometimes can't play some MP4 well, many people are still looking for the alternatives. These third party MP4 players for Windows offer users to enjoy high quality videos with practical features and good quality performance. Based on reviews/votes from geeks, playback test and feedback from users, we conclude the following 5 programs as the best MP4 players for Windows 10/8/7. Mount and blade warband china mod.
1. VLC Media Player: ★★★★★
VLC is one of the most popular MP4 players that is flexible, stable and lightweight. VLC Media player can play audio, videos, CD, VCD and DVD’s. In addition to MP4, many other formats are supported by the player from MPEG to FLV, WebM, RMBV files and others. The player is capable of directly playing MP4 encoded with MPEG-4 and H.264 of Windows system without any need for installing third party codec. The player is standalone program that can also play BluRay and HD videos. The interface of the player is free from any spyware and ads so as to offer great experience to the users. Additional features of VLC Media player include hotkey support, integration with web channel streaming, converting video files and ripping DVD/Blu-ray/CD to different formats.
2. KMPlayer: ★★★★☆
KMPlayer is another name in the list of top MP4 player for Windows. The player supports a long list of file formats including WMV, AVI, MKV, FLV, MP4 and others. The internal codec of KMPlayer helps you in playing video files without using any separate codec. KMPlayer also supports an array of languages like Spanish, German, English, French and others. In addition to normal videos, the player is capable of supporting 3D and 4K UHD videos. Videos, audio and screenshots can be captured using the software and it also helps to manage subtitles. KMPlayer can play the audio files in different formats and it also allows online sharing of music and videos with dear ones using Cloud feature.
3. 5K Player: ★★★★★
One of the top names in the list of MP4 player for Windows is 5K Player that can be considered as the combination of HD videos player, online video downloader, Airplay media streamer and music player. In addition to excellent quality MP4 videos with great sound quality, the player supports many other formats including AVI, WMV, ASF, FLV, H.264, WebM, 1080p HD videos, HEVC, FLV, EVO and others. The player is lightweight and features elegant design. The player does not have any virus, adware and spyware and this makes it clean and easy to use. 5K Player can also download videos from various videos sharing sites like Dailymotion, YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and others. The player can very well understand MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, ALAC and AC3 audio files.
4. Real Player: ★★★★☆
Real Player, is a decent MP4 player that is compatible of working with Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android and Windows smartphone. Some of the popular formats supported by the player include MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, RM, MP3, AAC, M4A and others. Support to additional formats can be done using plug-ins. The player can download the videos as well as bookmark from a huge collection with just a click. RealPlayer also facilitates downloading videos from various sites like YouTube , Vimeo and others and can also convert them to other needed formats that are supported by Smartphone, iPhone, iPod, iPad, PS3 and others devices . Real player allows to burn music to CD and can also edit the videos.
5. BS Player: ★★★☆☆
BS Player, this MP4 player for Windows can support playing videos and audio in various formats including MP4, AAC, AVI, MKV, VOB, AC3, WMA and others. The player features low CPU cost so that you can enjoy good quality videos even with system that is less capable. The player allows users to enjoy watching their favorite HD DVD as well as AVCHD movies in good quality. YouTube music can be directly played and can also be saved to a local disk using the player. The subtitle feature of the player allows users to enjoy videos with subtitle in different formats. If the subtitles of the current video are missing, BS Player will automatically search and download the same.
Youtube Downloader Mp4 Mac Os X Sierra
Part 2. Top 5 Free MP4 Players on Mac
Mac systems are known for their excellent quality audio as well as video playing capabilities. The installation of third party MP4 player will definitely enhance the overall videos watching experience of the users. Market is packed with different MP4 players for Mac and the main problem is to search for the best ones. Thus to make your search a little simpler, we have shortlisted the top 5 MP4 players for Mac including OS X El Captain.
1. 5K Player for Mac: ★★★★★
5K Player for Mac is a free player that supports playing videos in multiple format including MKV, M2TS, MOV, MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV and others. The player is capable of playing movies as well as videos smoothly, thanks to its support to multiple video and audio codecs. 5K Player for Mac can also play 1080pHD/4k UHD and SD 720p videos. It also works as a decent online downloader that allows downloading videos from more than 300 sites in different formats. Radios can be enjoyed for free using the player. 5K Player supports AirPlay feature to stream music videos and can also mirror their iOS devices to Mac with AirPlay mirroring.
2. VLC Media Player for Mac: ★★★★☆
How To Convert Youtube To Mp4
VLC Media Player for Mac is a free and open source platform that is capable of working with Windows, Linux, Android and other platforms in addition to the Mac. The player can play media files, Audio CDs. DVDs and VCDs. All types of formats are supported by the player including popular names like AVI, MP4, QuickTine, DVD ISO, MPEG and others. Encrypted DVDs can also be played using VLC Media Player. VLC is a lightweight player that can stream online videos, play stubborn media files and add subtitles.
3. Windows Media Player for Mac: ★★★☆☆
Though Windows Media Player is the naive player for Windows system, it also has its version for the Mac devices. The list of formats supported by the player includes all the common and popular names like MP4, WMV and AVI files. The player can also work well with H.264 and H.265 codecs. The interface of the player is adjusted in a manner so that no difficulty is faced by the users. The player has buttons for Play, Pause and forward and volume of the videos can be adjusted from the interface itself.
4. KMPlayer for Mac: ★★★☆☆
KMPlayer for Mac is an all-in-one media player for Mac supporting variety of formats including MP4, MP3, WAV, AVI, OGG and others. The player does not support H.264 and H.265 codecs and thus users cannot play 1080p UHD or 4K movies using this player. Other features offered by the player include settings of language, screen setting with options of color setting and screen rotation, creating playlist by selected files and playback setting with play speed.
5. MPlayerX for Mac: ★★★★☆
MPlayerX for Mac is a decent MP4 player for Mac that is simple to use and flexible. The player is capable of playing almost all file formats. The player features FFmpeg and Mplayer that makes it capable of playing any file without using additional codec packs or plug-ins. Designed keeping the Mac system in mind, MPlayerX features full screen mode, support Apple Remotes, follow gestures and can change the size of the subtitle. The player is light on resources and can pick up form the point where you last stopped the video.
Now select any one of the above given player as per requirements and play MP4 files in excellent quality.