What started as an academic project in 1996 at the École Centrale Paris, VLC media player quickly gained fame for its versatility, performance, and cross-platform support. With its wide popularity, VLC has over 3 billion downloads.
But, what to do when you try to play some audio or video, but face the VLC “Your input can’t be opened” error? You may be wondering, what is the cause of this error, and more importantly, how do I solve it? Do not worry, we have got you covered.
Causes and Fixes for VLC “Your input can’t be opened” error
There can be several different causes that can give rise to this error. These include:
- Outdated VLC Media Player.
- Unsupported Video File Format.
- Incorrect File association.
- Video File Corruption.
- Conflicting software running in the background.
- Hardware or Software capabilities do not meet the requirements to play the video.
And many such causes. These causes can broadly be divided into 3 categories.
- Issues With the File.
- Issues With the VLC Media Player.
- Issues With the Computer System or Hardware.
The resolution methods will vary depending on the type of issue. So first, we have to check the type of issue. To do this follow the steps.
- Run the file that is not opening (let’s say File 1) using a different media player.
- Run a different file (let’s say File 2) using the VLC media player and a different media player.
Interpretation
- File 1 does not play in either media player but File 2 plays in both media players, then the issue is with the file.
- File 1 and File 2 play in a different media player, but not in the VLC media player, then the issue is with the VLC media player.
- When neither File 1 or File 2 play in either media player the issue is with the computer.
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Scenario 1: Issues With the File
File issues can manifest due to.
- Incorrect File Association
- File Permission Denied
- File Corruption
File Association or File Permission Issues
An issue with file association or file permission can prevent the VLC media player from opening the file.
Fix 1: Change File Association
You can change the file association by following these steps.
- Go to the file location and right on the file.
- Select the option Open with.
- Select the option Choose another app.
- Select VLC media player from the list and check the box Always use this app to open .mov files.
Fix 2: Check File Location
If the file is saved in a restricted location, you will need administrative access to run these files. Change the file location to an unrestricted location and try to run the video again.
Fix 3: Check for Read Permission
In case, the read permission is denied VLC will not be able to open and run the file. To check the permission follow the steps.
- Right-click on the file. Select the option Properties.
- Go to the Security tab and under the Permission section check if read permission is denied.
- If the permission is denied click on the Edit option.
- Uncheck the box deny and click on Appy to save changes. Then click OK.
If the issue is present even when the file association and file permissions have no problems the file may be corrupt.
File Corruption
When the file you are trying to play is itself corrupted then the VLC media player will not be able to open it.
Fix: Use CAT Video Repair to Resolve VLC Your input can’t be opened Error
To repair a corrupt file you will require specialized video repair software. I would recommend using CAT Video repair. It is effective safe and easy-to-use Video Repair software. It also has a free trial version, so that you can download and try it.
Follow the steps shown below to repair your corrupt video file.
- Download and install CAT Video Repair software.
- Click on the option Select File and select your corrupt video file.
- Select the option Choose Reference MOV file and select a .mov video file shot using the same device for reference. Click on Repair to begin the repair process.
- Your video will start to repair.
Whether you want to repair corrupt MOV videos, restore corrupt AVI files, repair MP4 videos, or other video files, CAT Video Repair is a tool that can solve all of your problems. If the video file is not corrupt, check for other causes.
Scenario 2: Issues With the VLC Media Player
There can be some issues with the VLC media player too. These include.
- Outdated VLC version.
- Damaged VLC installation.
Outdated VLC version
Using an outdated VLC version you may face issues playing audio or video files. This is because.
- Older versions may have bugs that got fixed in the update patches but are still present in the older version.
- The file type you are trying to play may not be supported by the older version.
Fix: Update VLC Media Player
To resolve this issue you can update your VLC media player.
- Open the VLC Media Player.
- Go to the Help tab and select Check for updates.
- If updates are available a message prompting updates are available will show asking if you want to download it.
- Select Yes to download the updates.
If updating the VLC media player does not help it may be possible that the installation is damaged.
Damaged VLC Installation
A damaged VLC installation can cause a myriad of playback issues. This also includes the VLC “Your input can’t be opened” error.
Fix: Reinstall VLC
Reinstalling the VLC media player can help resolve the issue. You can do this by.
- Press Windows + I to open Windows settings.
- Select the tab Apps.
- Click on the VLC media player and select the option Uninstall.
- Go to the site https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ and download the VLC media player.
- Run the setup and follow the on-screen method to install the application.
Scenario 3: Issues With the Computer System or the Hardware
The issue may be neither in the file nor the VLC media player but in the computer system or the hardware.
- High-quality video exceeding system capabilities.
- Rare Video Formats
- Software Conflicts
Video Quality Exceeding System Capabilities
Sometimes the video quality is very high and may exceed the capabilities of your system. In such a case, your system cannot process the video. To resolve this issue try the following fixes.
Fix 1: Decrease Video Resolution
You can try to reduce the video resolution to resolve this problem. This can be done by reducing the bitrate using video editing software.
Note: VLC can also reduce the bitrate when you use the Save/Convert option but since the file can’t be opened, in this case, it will not work.
Fix 2: Upgrade the Hardware
Another option is upgrading your hardware. You can upgrade your CPU, Graphics Card, and RAM, or even switch to an SSD storage device for faster processing speeds.
Rare Video Formats
One of the major advantages of using a VLC media player is that it can support a wide variety of video formats and even has legacy support. But there are still some rare video formats that VLC Media Player does not support. In this case, you can try these methods.
Fix 1: Download the Codec Pack for the File Format
The easiest method is to download the codec pack for the file format for the VLC media player.
Fix 2: Convert Video to Popular format
Another solution is converting the video to a more common file format like MP4 or MOV. But be careful, converting videos can sometimes cause file corruption hence create a backup of your video before attempting it.
Software Conflict
Sometimes, software conflicts can also result in VLC being unable to open the file. The conflict may arise from antivirus software, screen-recording tools, or applications that interact with video playback.
Fix: Disable Conflicting Apps
Temporarily disable conflicting apps to check if the issue gets resolved. In case you can identify which application is conflicting try to reset it to the default settings to resolve future conflicts. If this does not work try using alternatives of the conflicting app.
Conclusion
In this article, I have covered all the different scenarios in which the VLC “Your input can’t be played” error can manifest and discussed their causes and troubleshooting methods. Share the article if you found it helpful.
