Troubleshooting Guide: How to Get QuickTime to Play WMV Movies on Both Mac OSX and Windows PCs

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[Solved] QuickTime Won’t Play WMV Files on Mac/Windows

Posted by Kaylee Wood | Last update: April 28, 2020

- “Have created a movie in Windows Movie Maker on a PC but have to be able to play it on a Mac for school. I saved it in QuickTime, however, QuickTime won’t open WMV files. Any easy solution?”
- “Hi, is it possible to play WMV videos on QuickTime Player on Windows platform?”

QuickTime won’t play WMV issue happens as WMV (Windows Media Video) is a video format encoded with Microsoft proprietary codecs for Windows-based applications and devices, and does’t work with QuickTime on both Windows and Mac OS. So, when you set QuickTime Player by default to play WMV files, an error message “This is not a movie file” pops up to tell that you can’t play WMV. How to solve QuickTime won’t play WMV problem on Mac/Windows? Here are workarounds.

QuickTime Won’t Play WMV Solution 3: Install Third-party Plugin

How to play WMV on QuickTime? Flip4Mac is surely the best third-party plugin that you can install into Mac OS to solve QuickTime won’t play WMV on Mac directly. Download and install the Flip4Mac component on your computer, this application will attach itself to QuickTime. When WMV files are activated, they are played directly through QuickTime, instead of jumping out the error message. The Flip4Mac WMV plug-in also works with other QuickTime based apps like iMovie and Final Cut Pro, meaning you can even edit WMV files on your Mac too.

But if you want to import WMV files for editing and conversion to more QuickTime formats or iOS devices, you need to upgrade to the pro version with $29. Moreover, it is not compatible with Windows OS. So, there is only one feasible way for you to play WMV on Mac and Windows – QuickTime alternative 5KPlayer.

3 Ways to Solve QuickTime Won’t Play WMV Issue

QuickTime Won’t Play WMV Solution 1: Use QuickTime Alternative

Before recommending QuickTime alternative 5KPlayer to you, you should know why you have to replace your QT Player to 5KPlayer. For Mac users, Microsoft discontinued Windows Media Player for Mac way back in 2006, meaning that there’s no longer a tailored and official WMV player for Mac OS. Worse still, Apple won’t offer updates for QuickTime on Windows 10/8.1/8 so that QuickTime will not offer full functionality on Windows any more. Namely, it is hard to play WMV on both Mac and Windows.

Therefore, 5KPlayer is the best free WMV player for Mac and Windows [10] highly recommended for you to solve QuickTime won’t play WMV files and QT won’t play MP4 MKV as well. Without converting video format or any third-party installation, you can directly open WMV files on Mac/Windows. Besides that, 5KPlayer is a powerful multimedia player and downloader for any file format allowing you to download and play WMV WMA ASF WAV MOV M4A MKV FLV MP3 OGG ACC etc at will. By upscaling the contrast, colors, brightness and sounds, this WMV player livens every picture of your videos. With the upcoming Hardware Decoding technology, playing the UHD 4K HD 1080p 720p videos movies or streaming 4K smoothly will be a piece of cake.

How to Play WMV on Mac/Windows [10] with 5KPlayer

Step 1. Get QuickTime Alternative 5KPlayer
Free download 5KPlayer, install and launch it on your Mac or Windows PC. This WMV player is a low-CPU occupying application that only takes seconds to download and install. Besides, it is 100% green and virus-free.

Step 2. Input WMV Videos
5KPlayer is designed to be user-friendly that you have various ways to open your WMV file:
*Click “Video” icon on the main UI of 5KPlayer, select the WMV video you want to play in the local folder from the popping-up window.
*Drag’n drop WMV files directly to 5KPlayer.
*Right-click the specific WMV file you want to play and choose Open with 5KPlayer.

Step 3. Enjoy your WMV files and free yourself from QuickTime won’t play WMV problem once for all.

QuickTime Won’t Play WMV Solution 2: Convert WMV to QuickTime-supported Formats

If you insist to retain your QuickTime Player, how to solve QuickTime can’t play WMV? Video converter can get the job done for you. Commonly, the offline video converter like WinX Video Converter Deluxe, MacX Video Converter Pro, Handbrake, Any Video Converter, etc are stable and safe that you can trust to convert WMV to QuickTime compatible formats MOV, MP4, M4V if you do not mind paying some money. Take WinX Video Converter Deluxe as an example:

Step 1. Free download WinX Video Converter on your computer, install and run it.

Step 2. Simply click “+ Video” on the top left corner of the converter to load WMV file you want to convert.

Step 3. Select the output format you need like MP4 MOV and M4V, and click OK.

Step 4. Click “Browse” button at the bottom of the converter to select a destination folder to save the converted video.

Step 5. Press “Run” button to start WMV converting process.

Alternatively, some online video converters allow you to convert WMV by just uploading and then downloading the converted file without any money or installation if you are not afraid of the possible virus that some ad links bring.

However, when you convert WMV to QT-supported formats like MOV, QuickTime won’t play WMV on Windows PC as usual. Obviously, it is not an ideal solution, at least for Windows users. Advisably, free download 5KPlayer to help you play WMV on Mac /Windows.

In conclusion, 5KPlayer, as a powerful video music player, is the best and considerate way to solve QuickTime can’t play WMV on Mac/Windows. Along with that, 5KPlayer also feature video music download ability allowing you to download WMV MP4 MOV MKV FLV videos movies and MP3 AAC OGG music. If you want to enjoy your files in WMV FLV AVI MKV etc on HDTV for better audiovisual experience, you can use this WMV player to AirPlay WMV FLV DivX MKV etc to Apple TV from Mac and PC wirelessly.

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