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 specialised 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.
The AVI format, short for Audio video interleave, was first developed by Microsoft in the early 1990s. The AVI file format is heavily used on PCs, but can't be used on a Mac computer. Even as for Apple's QuickTime media player, unfortunately, the free version of QuickTime is not compatible with all types of AVI video files on Mac. To play any.avi video file you need to do the following. Step 1 Download VLC media player for Mac. The first to do is to download the VLC media player for Mac and install it correctly on your computer. This application is readily available online. Step 2 Open the desired file on the application.
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:
How To Open Avi Video On Mac
- 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.
Can You Open Avi Files On A Mac
Learn more
How To Open Avi Video On Mac
- QuickTime Player (version 10.0 and later) in OS X Mavericks to 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.