What are the best video players for Windows 10, 7 and 8 100% free? 2022 list

Netflix, Youtube, Vimeo. Streaming platforms are completely monopolizing the distribution of audiovisual content today. However, people continue to download series and movies to watch offline from wherever they are.

If you are one of those who are reluctant to let this way of consuming audiovisuals die, then you must be a fan of the players. These are an indispensable tool to maximize the experience of viewing content offline.

Some are better than others, but the great advantage is that you only need one and in Windows the options are very varied. In this article we are going to present you with a list of the best 20 players for the Microsoft operating system.

What kind of video formats are there and how can we play them on our Windows computer?

Over the years, various formats have been developed to integrate audio and moving images in the same file. Currently more than two dozen formats can be identified, although the most used are still 4 of them, which are:

AVI

This is a format created by Microsoft in 1992 to deal with the MP2 that DVDs used back then. This idea was intended to provide users with a lighter file that could store higher quality images and could be reproduced without any physical format. The objective was achieved and it was improved to such an extent that it continues to be one of the world references..

MP4

MPGE files are those created by the Moving Picture Experts Group, a group of experts formed by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). The MPGE4 was born in 1998 as an evolution of the already classic MPGE2 which was used on DVDs at the time. Like its predecessor, this one allowed to integrate audio and video in the same file, but preserving a better quality in a lighter file.

mkv

Matroska or MKV it is an independent format derived from a completely decentralized open source project. Its name has its origin in the Russian dolls of the same name, since like these, this has inside with more formats that make up your file. Although this one is a little heavier than the previous two, it has been a favorite of the film and television industry since 2002.

MOV

It continues to live off its fame as the official format of the Apple MacOS QuickTime player, but the reality is that it is no longer as used as before. It was launched on the market in 2002 and allows you to integrate audio and video in a file that, although it is of good quality, is usually very heavy. Thus Apple decided to do without it and lean towards MP4 to share audiovisual content.

*Note: In addition to these 4 formats, there are others such as FLV, 3GP or WMA, although these are no longer widely used. However, you will be pleased to know that all of them are accepted in the players that we are going to recommend.

What features should the best video player for Windows have?

Before going to the list, we want you to know some features that you should take into account to ensure that you are downloading the best player possible. So learn what are the essential functions that a quality media player should have.

multiple formats

To begin with, it is important that the player you choose has support for reading all currently existing audio and video formats.

connectivity

Currently there are many devices from which we can consume audiovisuals. For this reason, it is important that the player we choose can connect with all of them so that it allows us to enjoy our favorite content from anyone.

Organization

In addition to being a player, it is important that you have organizational features to make it a full media center where we can more easily organize and find all our videos.

streaming

When we look for a player what we want is that it can work offline, but it is also important that this can connect with streaming platforms and can play all your content online. This way you make sure you are choosing a versatile player that will help you with everything.

Personalization

Finally, it is important that you can customize various aspects of the player to make it yours. The most important in this regard is to be able to change the appearanceas well as being able to create personalized playlists.

List of the 20 best video players compatible with Windows 10, 7 and 8 PC`s

In this list of 20 players there are all kinds of them, both free and paid. What we can assure you is that they are the best of the best that you are going to get in this operating system.

Media Player Classic

It was the second most powerful player after the VLC. It has support for all HD formats and qualities. Nevertheless, it looks like the project is abandoned as the last update was done in 2017 and there are no announcements of a recent update.

Despite this, it is one of the best alternatives for Windows as it retains interesting features such as its drivers to open DVD menus, or its ability to edit subtitlesthe real problem with it is that it doesn’t have 4K support.

GOM Media Player

In addition to having support for all 4K or higher formats and qualities, it allows you to view in 360° VR, being one of the few and one of the best currently to do so. Nevertheless, to enjoy this feature you will have to pay for your PRO version license. But don’t worry, if you don’t, you’ll still have a powerful player that won’t give you problems downloading audio codecs.

ACG Player

If you are looking for a player that gives you more than a simple content viewer, without a doubt this is the best option you have. In addition to allowing you to watch content in 4K and have support for all audio codecsas well as for formats, it has a multimedia editor that you can use to learn basic aspects of audiovisual editing. It’s completely free, although in return you’ll have to put up with a bit of advertising, although this isn’t very invasive like in other players.

VLC Media Player

This is the one that for many is on the throne of being the best existing player on Windows. It is a completely free open source project that puts features of paid players and even better ones at your fingertips.

To start, can read all formats and play them in 4K qualityalso allows you to see 3D videos and even 360VR. It has all the audio codecs, especially the more complex ones used in the film industry.

KM Player

A basic player that doesn’t have much to boast about but also has nothing to envy to the others on this list. It has everything the average content consumer needs today. To start, can read content in 4K, which will give you the best image quality currently available

It has support for all formats and even allows you to view content in 3D. Besides that, has other special functions like equalizer to improve audio and all the necessary drivers so that you can change the language of dubbing and subtitles in case the file in question allows it.

PotPlayer

PotPlayer is a player that has only been on the market for a short time, but which also delivers perfectly by meeting the needs of the average user. The interesting thing about this, beyond the multiple formats it reads and the excellent 4K definition What you can get with it is the fact that you can sync it with major streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix and the like. This means that in addition to being an offline player, it is also an online player, a feature that is quite useful for the consumer.

Kodi

This is the best media center that you can get on your Windows computer. Its player has no waste since with it you can see all the formats in the best possible quality, but what is really useful is its TV Streaming network, which has caused so much controversy in recent years..

This is because it offers various channels with content from private television networks. However, it has solved its legal problems and today it is one of the best things you can install on your computer if you really love to consume audiovisuals

DivX Player

A player that goes beyond the ordinary and offers you features that are not wasted at all. beyond power play all formats in 4K qualityis the fact of being able to synchronize with Streaming platforms, so that you can watch online content from it.

This turns it into a complete multimedia center where you can quickly organize and access all your content from a single interface. In addition to that, It also has support for DLNA connectivity, allowing it to link to Chromecast and similar devices..

5K Player

As its name suggests, this player will allow you to view content in the best possible image quality. In addition to this, it has support to view all formats, including those containing 3D imageswhich puts it high on our list.

Parma Video Player

This is another basic player and very easy to use thanks to its intuitive interface and nice design. In addition to this, it has certain characteristics that make it position itself as an excellent option.. One of them is its equalizers for the audio channels of each file, as well as the quality of being able to speed up and slow down the playback of the content easily.

RealPlayer

A player that tries to innovate and offer some different features than others offer. Thus, In addition to allowing you to play all existing formats in the best possible quality, it also has the quality of being able to store content in the cloud, so that you can access them from any other device whenever you want. Yes indeed, this is a premium feature that is only available in its paid version of 5Eurwhich gives you a total space of almost 400 GB of cloud storage.

UMPlayer

cooked as Universal Media Player, this player will give you hours of happiness and entertainment thanks to its various functions that will make the experience of consuming audiovisual content from it more pleasant. Just like programs like VLC.

This is a completely free open source project that allows you to play all currently existing formats in 4K quality, as well as those in 3D and even 360° VR videos. That without forgetting that it can also be perfectly synchronized with the main streaming platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. In addition, it allows you to change its design by downloading various “skinning” or skins on its official website.

Plex

This is the program that promises to completely change the way we consume audiovisual content. Beyond having an excellent player with all the necessary drivers to give you a pleasant experience.

This is a software in which you can store your audiovisuals to later view them from other devices. In a way, it is as if it were a portable library that you can access from your mobile, tablet or laptop.as long as you download this program on them.

SMPlayer

Another quality player that you can purchase on your Windows completely free. This has everything you need to enjoy your audiovisuals to the fullest because supports all video formats and subtitlesas well as support for connect to streaming platforms such as YouTube and watch all the content of your favorite channels from it. That without forgetting its hardware acceleration system to prevent the movie from crashing while playing.

INNA

This is the biggest competitor of VLC today. It is a program born from an open source project that has no waste. This goes beyond reproducing all formats in quality 4K, and it also does it in 3D and 360 ° VR, being one of the few on this list that boasts of being so complete.

In addition to this, it supports all audio and video codecs, especially the most complete high-definition ones that usually represent so many problems for consumers of audiovisual material. It’s completely free and doesn’t have an iota of advertising, so your user experience is guaranteed with this program.

Monkey Media

This is another excellent quality media center that should not be overlooked for any reason. It is a first level organizational tool since in it you will be able to organize and access all your content from a single interface.

In addition to this, It has support to connect to Chromecast and other types of TV Box, which gives it a plus of connectivity that has no waste. Your player can read all formats and play in the best UltraHD quality available so far.

MediaGo

This is another tool with top-notch organizational value. In it you can organize all your audiovisual content to quickly access it from a single interface. In addition, you will not only be able to store content offline, but also you can link it to platforms like YouTube and the like to access them from your playerwhich reads all formats and reproduces them in the best possible quality.

MPV

This is another open source project that makes very powerful functions available to users completely free. Among them is being able to take advantage of hardware acceleration and being able to play content in 4k.

But without a doubt, what is most valuable is its organizational capacity to allow you to organize all your content in a single interface. This without forgetting that you can play online content from various streaming platforms without any problem.

Splash

This is another tool that is not wasted. It has a free version that allows you to play 4K content, but without a doubt the most worthwhile is its free version which has much more advanced technologies. Among its main assets are its multiple controllers so you can have full authority over everything that happens during playback just by using the mouse.

All Player

We end our list with this simple player that can support all existing formats and play them in the best possible quality. It has a free version that is full of advertisingbut you can eradicate it by paying 5 Eur. Once you don’t have the annoying ads, it’s a first class media center.

What is the best media player to play video and audio in any format to install on Windows?

talk about best video player on windows is very difficult since there are hundreds of them and each one has its special touch. Of course we cannot fail to mention the most complete as they are VLC, GOM Player or INNAbut there are other options that cannot be ruled out as worse either.

The final verdict is up to you and your needssince the best player will undoubtedly be the one that allows you to satisfy them all and leaves you satisfied when you finish consuming your content.