How to Change Default Video Player on Mac

Olga Weis Sep 4, 2024

The main selling point for Mac is that it comes with a built-in high-quality video application, QuickTime, which is great, but there is always room for improvement. After prolonged use, when you start to wonder how to change the default video player on Mac, you’ll find that there is another option you can turn to.

Luckily, the process of changing the Mac default video player is very simple and straightforward. In this article, we explain how it works and also recommend a more advanced video player that you can use.

Top choice

Elmedia Player

4.5 Rank based on 119503+ users, Reviews(11950)

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Reasons for changing the player

There are various reasons why you would want to shift from QuickTime Player to another application. Here are some of them:

Ability to Play Different Formats: One of the most common reasons is the need to play a media format that the built-in macOS player doesn’t support.
Modern User-Interface: Another reason is to use a player that has a more modern UI. QuickTime Player doesn’t receive updates very often, which makes it look outdated compared to even the most basic third-party applications.
More Features: QuickTime Player lacks many powerful features such as subtitle customization, automatic download, streaming online content, and more.

These are only some of the reasons that compel people to move away from the default option that Apple has provided to better alternatives.

Change Default Video Player on Mac: Step-By-Step Guides

The entire process shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. Here are detailed instructions on how to change the default video player on Mac:

For all video files of a certain format

Using the above method might not change the default media player for videos of every format on your Mac. You’ll have to individually change it for each specific video format you use. We have explained this process in step-by-step details below:

To find a video file, open the Finder app and Control-click on a video file to open the context menu to see more details about it.

The video file is selected in the Finder app and the context menu is opened.

The Open With section will list all the installed apps that can open your chosen file. Since you chose a video, it will show you a list of media players.

To see the list of media player apps select the “Open with” section.

In case the app you want to open the video with isn’t there, click on Other (this will let you use the advanced selection option). Then simply navigate to the app you want to play it with.

The advanced selection of the Applications to play video is opened

To finalize your choice, don’t forget to click on Change All to make sure every video of the specific format opens with the new media player. After following these steps, you’ll have successfully learned how to change the default player.

The QuickTime player was changed to the Elmedia Player in the “Open with” option of the “Get info” context menu section

Important notice: Remember that this is how to set the default video player Mac for one format at a time. If you have various formats, you will need to repeat these steps for each one in order for all your videos and tracks to be played by the same default player. For example, changing the default video player for AVI files will mean you will need to repeat the procedure for MKV or MOV files.

For a specific video file

To change the media player for a specific video file, follow the steps below:

After selecting the video in the Finder app, Control-click on it to open the context menu. Then click on Get Info.
Once you get to the Get Info window, expand the drop-down menu in the “Open With” section.
Choose the media player you want to open this video with.

Important notice: There’s no need to click on Change All when doing this as you don’t want the change to be applied for every video of this specific format. This will make sure that no other video file with the same extension is affected.

Choose Elmedia Player as your macOS default video player

It wasn’t long ago when every major tech company tried to come up with their own file formats for the sake of gaining a competitive edge. Unfortunately, that’s left us with countless incompatible, inconvenient files. The good thing is, a well-developed app will play anything and everything out of the box. That’s why we suggest that you choose Elmedia as your Mac default video player.

And using it is quite easy:

1. Install the Elmedia Player

Download and install Elmedia on your macOS device.

2. Open a Video Clip

Besides the standard way, there are several shortcuts you can use - either drag a video onto the Elmedia window, or right-click your file and "Open With" Elmedia.

3. Have a Good Time

To improve your experience further, you can optimize the settings.

If you’re looking to find out what’s the best media player for Mac, you might want to take a look at our detailed list of players. Here, you will be able to find what suits your needs the best and how you can get rid of that old relic called the QuickTime player.

FAQ

1. How do I remove the default media player on Mac?

If you want to change the default player, right-click on the video file, select "Get Info", then "Open With" and select the desired player from the drop-down list. Now click the "Change All" button. There are a bunch of various apps for quick media playback on the Mac, for instance Elmedia Player.

2. What is the default video player on Mac?

QuickTime Player is the default media player on Mac, as it is already installed on your computer. However, as we mentioned above, it doesn’t support every format or codec, so you might not always be able to play all of your videos. We recommend using a different video player instead, such as Elmedia.

What other users are saying about Elmedia

Overall, best video player in the market. Fast, easily adaptable to any video codec available and most importantly its ability to stream easily to other devices is exceptional.

cjnwo4life 5

This player is really good, it reminds me of VLC in a lot of ways, but its free version is nearly perfect. It has everything you need in order to enjoy your media. And the key commands are familiar and sensible. it was so good, I eventually paid for the full version!

RyanBlanco 4