Did you try to open it in QuickTime Player? That should work for many AVI files. But like most video files, the simple file extension doesn't really tell the whole story. There are many types of AVI files, with different compression and settings inside. If you can't get it to play in QuickTime Player, a popular alternative is VLC. No matter you need to merge AVI videos on Mac or Windows PC, Filmora Video Editor for Mac (or Filmora Video Editor for Windows) allows you to merge AVI files on Mac (macOS 10.13 included) easily. AVI, as well as other video formats and photos are fully supported.
Media player for Mac QuickTime won't recognize AVI on MacBook, VLC sometimes fails to read the video formatted in AVI. Is there any way to play AVI on MacBook (Pro,Air) with QT, VLC or other media players? Find out answers below.
I've exported some video at University in uncompressed Microsoft AVI and it doesn't play in quicktime or vlc at home on my MacBook. Here's another case: My MacBook Pro won't play AVI videos. When I try to watch it, it just shows a white screen with garbled video. Anybody know what the problem is?
Learn how to play AVI on MacBook smoothly.
Table of Contents
Solution 1. Convert AVI Video to QuickTime Supported Formats
To play AVI on MacBook, you can convert AVI format to QuickTime supported formats MOV, M4V or MP4. MacX Video Converter Pro has proven to be great in the realm of video conversion. The software enables you to watch AVI on MacBook Air/Pro with no formats limits by converting AVI to QuickTime supported formats like MP4, with ZERO quality loss and super faster speed. It is specifically designed for macOS. Besides, it also can convert any AVI video to HEVC/H.265 codec for playback on your Macbook working with macOS High Sierra in such a way to release more space for your Mac's hard drive.
Convert AVI Files for Smooth AVI Playback on MacBook(Pro/Air/iMac)
Step 1: Free download the AVI video converter on MacBook and run it. Click 'Add File' button to load the AVI file for playback on MacBook.
Step 2: Select an output format. Choose 'MP4' video format to convert AVI to MP4, AVI to M4V or MOV, or other best format for MacBook.
Step 3: Click 'Browse' button to choose a destination folder to save converted AVI files.
Step 4: Click 'RUN' button to start AVI video file conversion for playing AVI on new MacBook Pro or 2018 MacBook Air Retina with any AVI player.
Playing AVI file on MacBook is a snap. The AVI converter for MacBook does a good job in converting AVI to QuickTime MOV MP4 etc. on MacBook. What's more, there are more ultra-rich features you'll love. The program is able to convert among video files, like AVI to MP4, MKV to MOV, M2TS to AVI, to name just a few. Additionally, it allows you to download and play AVI video movies on MacBook, iMac 4K 5K, Mac computers from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Facebook, 300＋ sites.
Solution 2. Watch AVI File on MacBook with 5KPlayer
QuickTime won't play AVI on Sierra, El Capitan MacBook, the problem will be analyzed below. In fact, you have many other players to choose from for playing video formatted AVI on MacBook. If you are looking for a AVI video player for MacBook without requiring to install codec pack, 5KPlayer works like a charm.
5KPlayer is a new free AVI media player for MacBook(Pro/Air), enabling you to play SD HD 4K UHD AVI video on MacBook Pro/Air, iMac etc. with surprisingly great audio and image quality. With frequent update, the best video player for MacBook fully supports macOS Big Sur, (High) Sierra, El Capitan and earlier OS, offering you free access of playing AVI files with codecs DivX, Xvid or 3ivX etc. on MacBook runnning the macOS Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite smoothly.
How to Use 5KPlayer for Flawless AVI Playback on Mac
1. Download the AVI video player for MacBook 5KPlayer and run it.
Learn how to play AVI on MacBook smoothly.
Table of Contents
Solution 1. Convert AVI Video to QuickTime Supported Formats
To play AVI on MacBook, you can convert AVI format to QuickTime supported formats MOV, M4V or MP4. MacX Video Converter Pro has proven to be great in the realm of video conversion. The software enables you to watch AVI on MacBook Air/Pro with no formats limits by converting AVI to QuickTime supported formats like MP4, with ZERO quality loss and super faster speed. It is specifically designed for macOS. Besides, it also can convert any AVI video to HEVC/H.265 codec for playback on your Macbook working with macOS High Sierra in such a way to release more space for your Mac's hard drive.
Convert AVI Files for Smooth AVI Playback on MacBook(Pro/Air/iMac)
Step 1: Free download the AVI video converter on MacBook and run it. Click 'Add File' button to load the AVI file for playback on MacBook.
Step 2: Select an output format. Choose 'MP4' video format to convert AVI to MP4, AVI to M4V or MOV, or other best format for MacBook.
Step 3: Click 'Browse' button to choose a destination folder to save converted AVI files.
Step 4: Click 'RUN' button to start AVI video file conversion for playing AVI on new MacBook Pro or 2018 MacBook Air Retina with any AVI player.
Playing AVI file on MacBook is a snap. The AVI converter for MacBook does a good job in converting AVI to QuickTime MOV MP4 etc. on MacBook. What's more, there are more ultra-rich features you'll love. The program is able to convert among video files, like AVI to MP4, MKV to MOV, M2TS to AVI, to name just a few. Additionally, it allows you to download and play AVI video movies on MacBook, iMac 4K 5K, Mac computers from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Facebook, 300＋ sites.
Solution 2. Watch AVI File on MacBook with 5KPlayer
QuickTime won't play AVI on Sierra, El Capitan MacBook, the problem will be analyzed below. In fact, you have many other players to choose from for playing video formatted AVI on MacBook. If you are looking for a AVI video player for MacBook without requiring to install codec pack, 5KPlayer works like a charm.
5KPlayer is a new free AVI media player for MacBook(Pro/Air), enabling you to play SD HD 4K UHD AVI video on MacBook Pro/Air, iMac etc. with surprisingly great audio and image quality. With frequent update, the best video player for MacBook fully supports macOS Big Sur, (High) Sierra, El Capitan and earlier OS, offering you free access of playing AVI files with codecs DivX, Xvid or 3ivX etc. on MacBook runnning the macOS Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite smoothly.
How to Use 5KPlayer for Flawless AVI Playback on Mac
1. Download the AVI video player for MacBook 5KPlayer and run it.
2. Load the AVI files by clicking 'Video' on the main interface. Or you can drag and drop AVI video to the main window. It also works to right click AVI file, open with 5KPlayer.
The all-in-one AVI file player for MacBook also plays 720p/1080p/4K UHD/8K videos in MKV, M2TS, FLV, MOV, MP4, AVCHD, music audio in MP3, AAC, AC3 etc., region-free DVDs, and many more on Mac and Windows(including Win 10). Better still, it downloads video movies in AVI, MP4, MOV, MKV any formats from YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Vevo, over 300 sites for free.
3. QuickTime Won't Play AVI Files Problems and Solutions
I have a number of movie files that will not open and play with my Quicktime player even though they are .avi files...Should I download a file converter to change the AVI file format, say, mov. or download a codec to decode AVI files on MacBook.
This is because AVI codec, which is a bit complicated. Put it simply, you need to know how the AVI file is coded, and download the right codec to decode and reencode AVI video on Mac computer. Most AVI videos use Xvid, DivX and 3ivX codecs. It is a huge task to figure out codec your AVI files use and download the proper codec to open and watch AVI video on MacBook. If you are a person who struggle with technical things, this way is not recommended.
To realize a flawless AVI playback experience on your Macbook, you can install QuickTime component Perian. Perian helps QuickTime play AVI on MacBook, also other formats MKV, FLV, MTS, DivX, WMA and more. After being installed, Perian works automatically when playing AVI files with QT in MacBook. However, you need to note that QuickTime won't play all media types, including AVI files with codecs unaccepted by QT. What's more, Perian is no longer under development and it fails to work with QuickTime 10 or later. So, we suggest you to convert AVI to MP4, MOV QuickTime supported formats.
Playing AVI files is one of the biggest worries for a Mac user. None of the four major Indeo codecs that are required to decode AVI files have been integrated into QuickTime. In some cases, even if the required codecs are available, the AVI video file does not play due to corruption. So, before we get to know how to play AVI files on Mac or how to fix AVI files that are not playing on Mac, let's get a quick look at Audio Video Interleave (AVI) format.
Image Source: support.apple.com
What is an AVI file?
The full form of AVI is Audio Video Interleave. Like any video file format, AVI is a container format that defines how video data is packed into a file. Unlike other video formats, it does not predefine or specify the protocol or procedure involved while recording or creating a file. As an AVI file structure has the organizational format of streams and stream data, it is defined by two lists namely List Chunk and Index Chunk.
List Chunk: The list chunk has metadata, the size of the file, frame rates and audio/video information.
Index Chunk: Index chunk is responsible for saving the locations of data within the container.
How To Open Avi Files On Mac
Note: If any of these crucial chunks is missing in your AVI video file, then your AVI file will not play.
What is a Codec?
A codec that is short from for compressor and decompressor is responsible for decoding the video and audio tracks that have been encoded or packed in the .avi file.
It is to be noted that an AVI file or any video file does not come with codecs. Codecs are a part of the video player package like QuickTime.
However, if the codec used to encode the AVI file is not available in the QuickTime player, then your AVI file will not play. Thus, you can expand the codec library of the player by downloading the specific codec required to play the AVI video file.
Problems Associated With Running AVI on Mac Using QuickTime
When an AVI file is opened using QuickTime player, it scans the file to see which codecs have been used to encode the data in the container/AVI file.
The AVI format video will play as expected if the video and audio in codec are compressed using a codec that exists in the QuickTime package. Nevertheless, problems arise while playing AVI files on Mac when the codec does not exist in the library and leads to an unplayable AVI file on Mac. The file may also refuse to play if the AVI file is corrupt. Fix corrupt AVI files on Mac before trying any workaround.
Unplayable AVI Files Return The Following Errors:
- 'QuickTime is missing the software needed to perform this operation. Unfortunately, it is not available on the QuickTime server'
- 'You may experience problems playing a video track in 'file.avi' because the required compressor could not be found'
Additionally, the latest version QuickTime X does not have a few major codec's like Indeo or native DivX support and you might end up with the question 'How to play unplayable AVI file on Mac?'.
Now that you have understood the complications associated with AVI files that are unplayable on Mac, the following workarounds mentioned-below have been provided to help you fix if Mac or MacBook not playing a video.
Methods to Fix Unplayable AVI files on Mac
Find the right codec to play AVI file on QuickTime:
Find the codec used to encode the file using QuickTime by opening the file using QuickTime and select Show Movie Info option from the Window menu.
The video file information is listed, and you will be able to find codec information after format properties. Check if the QuickTime version supports the codec that is listed in the video properties.
If you don't find the codec preinstalled with QuickTime, check on the QuickTime support site if the codec is supported by the player. If you don't find the respective codec or if it is an unsupportive codec, then your AVI video won't play. In case it is supported then you can go ahead and install the codec after downloading it from the author or the publisher's site.
Note: Download the codec from genuine and trusted sources to avoid compromising your system security.
Download and Install Standardized Video Encoders:
There are two major industry-standard codecs for Mac that can extend the playback capabilities. The following codecs have been referred to as the most preferred codecs that enable you to open .avi files on Mac:
- Install 3ivx D4 codec:
This codec enables greater video quality at lower file size values up to fifty percent when compared to the MPEG-4 standard designed by Apple. This decoder increases the efficiency of the video storage and transmission of files that are rendered too large.It is an integration of a huge set of video and audio codecs that allow playback of almost all the AVI files with AAC audio and video of MPEG-4.You can fix your unplayable AVI file by installing 3ivx D4 on your Mac. There is no longer a need for downloading any other components like plug-ins to play the AVI file unless a proprietary codec is used to encode the file. - Install DivX for Mac free codec to fix AVI files in Quick time:
While you can play the majority of AVI files after you install this free codec for Mac, its major disadvantage is that the audio sometimes might be distorted or only the video is played. For this reason, DivX codec for Mac is a secondary option when compared to 3ivx D4 codec.
Note: Only one among the above two codecs are to be used at once as they share the same set of library files to decode the video. Hence it is recommended to install only one codec to avoid malfunction of QuickTime player.
Use an Alternate player to Play AVI files on Mac:
VLC or Video LAN Client is a cross-platform media player that supports a wide variety of AVI video and audio codecs. Therefore, choosing VLC as an alternative media player to play the unplayable AVI file on Quick Time is one of the easiest ways.
Because of its large library of free encoding and decoding libraries, you will no longer need any additional codec download or proprietary plug-ins.
Play AVI Files By Converting Into QuickTime Supported MOV Files:
Another workaround to fix the unplayable AVI video on Mac is to convert the AVI file into a QuickTime supported file format like MOV.
Post conversion, the file is not only playable by Mac but also has improved the quality of audio and video. As most of the converters break the index of the AVI file while conversion, this method is least recommended. Lastly, if the converted video file stops playing halfway try AVI index repair on Mac.
Note: Have a copy of your AVI file before converting them to any other compatible format as your AVI file might get corrupt due to improper conversion and leads to permanent inaccessible AVI files.
AVI Still Not Playing In Mac?
If the AVI video file is unplayable even after updating the codecs or converting them to the MOV file, using a professional AVI video repair tool is suggested. Remo Repair AVI is the tool that you will be needing.
Remo Repair AVI fixes and works on a duplicate version of your original AVI file to prevent modification on the original file. The self-explanatory interface helps you to fix the video in just 3 clicks. Download the Remo Repair AVI tool now to fix your unplayable video and preview it for free before saving.
Remo Repair AVI Can Also:
- Repair AVI files that are corrupted
- Repair AVI files if their index is corrupted
- Repairs AVI files if there is no audio or playing only audio in the video file
Conclusion:
View Avi Files On Mac
With the mentioned free workarounds or by using the above-mentioned AVI repair tool, you must have fixed your unplayable AVI videos on Mac. However, you can always make use of Remo Software's technical assistance team as they will guide you with the repairing process of the software if needed.
