QuickTime- an Apple’s patented media player distributed over Mac and Windows systems (free basic edition). QuickTime player supports Movie (.mov), MPEG-4(.mp4, .m4v), MPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later), MPEG-1, 3GPP, 3GPP2, AVCHD (OS X Mountain Lion or later), AVI (Motion JPEG only), and DV video formats.
iTunes Audio (.m4a, .m4b, .m4p), MP3, Core Audio (.caf), AIFF, AU, SD2, WAV, SND, and AMR audio files.
Others recommend to install Perian, a free, open source QuickTime components which supports many different AVI media types including AVI, Divx, Xvid, etc. The problem is that the latest version of Perian 1.2.3 of Perian is not compatible with Mac OS X Mavericks (10.9), Mountain Lion (10.8) and Lion (10.7). AVI is not particularly any kind of file, it is a file format in which the video and audio are placed parallel for instant playback. Earlier, playing AVI with the help of QuickTime player was not much successful. However, QuickTime X and QuickTime 7 are compatible with AVI. So, activate the required codec support for QuickTime in order to play the file which is not opening. Some programs you try to do this are MPEG-2 Playback Component, DivX, Xvid, Autodesk etc. These are the QuickTime supported codec: Video Codec: MPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later), MPEG-4 (Part 2), H.264, H.263, H.261.
But sometimes, you can’t open your file in QuickTime Player. This might be due to codec issue, software update, filename inaccuracy or corruption.
Codec Issue:
All digital videos are the outcome of compression. During compression, multiple media streams (like audio and video) are adjoined using an algorithm called codec, that deciphers digital info into a readable format.
Once the media is processed via codecs, they are consequently combined into a single file via multimedia container. If your file failed to open in QuickTime player, then it is probable that the computer is not prepared to read the file’s codec.
You can find-out the codec of an opened file in Window tab of QuickTime player menu by selecting Show Movie Inspector. All media’s codecs will be listed under the Format section.
So, activate the required codec support for QuickTime in order to play the file which is not opening. Some programs you try to do this are MPEG-2 Playback Component, DivX, Xvid, Autodesk etc.
Avi File Not Compatible With Quicktime
These are the QuickTime supported codec:
Video Codec: MPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later), MPEG-4 (Part 2), H.264, H.263, H.261
Audio Codec: AAC (MPEG-4 Audio), HE-AAC, Apple Lossless, MP3
Software Issue:
If QuickTime fails to open your file, then it seems your application installation is outdated or incompatible. The QuickTime player may be too old and thus it is not able to read the file. So, update your player first.
But, when it comes to updating the QuickTime version, it is not obligatory to uninstall it completely then, re-install. All you need to do is just switch to Help tab on the QuickTime player window and choose Update Existing Software. Follow on-screen instructions and complete the update process.
Filename Inaccuracy:
File extension tells what type of data is stored in a file. It also specifies which type of player should be used to open the file. But, file extensions are prone to modification. They can be easily edited.
As a result, your QuickTime player fails to open the file. So, analyze the file which you cannot open in QuickTime and confirm if it has the right extension. You can use free tools like MediaInfo, FileAlyzer, etc. for this purpose.
File Corruption:
If your file fails to load in other media players apart from QuickTime (like iTunes, VLC, etc.), then it seems the file is corrupted.
So, repair you file that you are trying to open in QuickTime with the help of an efficient repair tool. If it is a QuickTime MOV file, MP4 file or MOV file then try Yodot MOV Repair. This is the effective fix for all corrupted, inaccessible, damaged, error showing and non-playing videos. Even you can repair a non-playing AVI, XVID, and DIVX video files with the help of Yodot.
QuickTime Player is a built-in media player and screen recorder for Mac users. It enables you to play video and audio, record Mac screen, edit and share files on your Mac. You can easily watch various MP4 or MOV videos in this default player. However, many users reported that QuickTime not working on Mac, especially when they upgraded to the latest macOS High Sierra. Are you facing the QuickTime Player doesn’t play a video or audio file issue on Mac?
Besides the MP4/MOV/AVI playback problem, you can see other QuickTime not working issues on the internet. For instance, the QuickTime Player won't launch, mirror iPhone to Mac QuickTime not working, and the QuickTime screen recording errors. Here in this post, we will share effective solutions to help you deal with the QuickTime not working on Mac.
- Part 1. How to Fix QuickTime Player Won't Launch
- Part 2. How to Fix QuickTime Player Can’t Open MOV/MP4 File
- Part 3. How to Fix QuickTime Screen Recording Errors
- Part 4. FAQs of QuickTime Not Working on Mac
Part 1. How to Fix QuickTime Player Won't Launch
Various reasons will cause the QuickTime Player won’t launch problem, such as a corruption in the macOS, or in the files associated with the QuickTime. In that case, when you run the program, the video playing window won’t appear on the desktop.
When you get the QuickTime Player won’t open issue, you can try restarting your Mac first to solve the problem. You can take the regular way to shut down your Mac. Wait for a few seconds and then restart Mac. After that, you can try opening QuickTime Player again to check if the problem is solved.
To fix the QuickTime not working on Mac, you can also choose to re-install the QuickTime software. You can uninstall the QuickTime Player and then back to the App Store or official download page to install the latest version of QuickTime Player to your Mac.
Part 2. How to Fix QuickTime Player Can’t Open MOV/MP4 File
When you encounter the problem that QuickTime MOV not playing on Mac, or QuickTime Player can’t play an MP4/AVI file, you should first play the file with another media player. You should know that, many unsupported video codecs will cause the QuickTime not playing issue on Mac.
You can try playing the media file with another player to check if the file is corrupted. You need to rely on a video repairing tool if it is a corrupted file. Otherwise, you can rely on a media player like VLC to help you view the video. You can also try restarting Mac or re-installing QuickTime to fix the QuickTime not playing MP4 or MOV issue.
Part 3. How to Fix QuickTime Screen Recording Errors
As it mentioned above, QuickTime offers a high-quality and stable screen and audio recording service for Mac users. It enables you to capture 4K video even up to 3840x2160 resolution. However, many users get the QuickTime screen recording errors like stuck on finishing, and quit unexpectedly, and so on.
When you face the QuickTime Player quit unexpectedly window, you should check the hard drive and make sure you have sufficient storage in your Mac. Here you can open Disk Utility, choose the hard drive and then click Repair > Repair Disk Permissions to fix the issue.
If you get the mirror iPhone to Mac QuickTime not working problem, you need to check the USB cable first. Here you can switch to another Apple's lightning cable to connect your iOS device and Mac. If the problem is still there, you can choose to update macOS to solve the problem. When the QuickTime screen recording freezes or screen recording is stuck on finishing, you can also try updating Mac operating system to fix the issue.
You can also get a QuickTime alternative to make the video and audio recording on Mac. Here we strongly recommend a powerful screen recording tool, Screen Recorder for you to capture your Mac screen with high quality.
- Capture high-quality 4K video with full screen, specific window or custom region on Mac.
- Record online video/music/meeting, webcam, live streaming video, gameplay, and more.
- Capture sound from system audio card, microphone/speaker, or both.
- Edit the recorded file and save recording in MOV, MP4, FLV, MP3, AAC, M4A, etc.
- Advanced Blue-light real-time HD video encoding and accelerate technology.
Part 4. FAQs of QuickTime Not Working on Mac
Question 1. Why is my MOV video not compatible with QuickTime?
You should know that MOV refers to the file container type, not the data format. If your MOV file contains some forms of compressed data can’t be supported, the QuickTime Player will not play the file, even QuickTime claims that it can support MOV.
Question 2. How do I update QuickTime on Mac?
QuickTime Player will be automatically updated with the macOS updating. You can update your macOS to install the latest QuickTime on your Mac. Also, you can go to the official QuickTime download page to install a new version to Mac. When you have the need to update QuickTime Player on Mac, you can also go to Update Existing Software.
Question 3. What format does QuickTime player use?
QuickTime Player can support many regular video and audio formats like MOV, MP4, M4V, WAV, AAC, AIFF, M4A, MP3 and more. But you should know that, not all these formats can enjoy the fair treating. In fact, only MP4, MOV and M4V are the three types of optimal formats.
Question 4. How do I convert QuickTime to MP4?
QuickTime Player provides a simple way to output QuickTime as an MP4 file. You can simply click 'File' on the menu bar and then choose 'Export' from the drop-down list. When you enter the 'Export' window, you can select 'Movie to MPEG-4' option to save the QuickTime file in MP4 format.
Question 5. Is there a free screen recorder that records internal audio on Mac?
QuickTime can’t capture sound from system audio. But there are lots of online video audio recorders offered on the internet that can help you record system audio on Mac. In case you don’t know which one you should pick, here we introduce you with the popular free online screen recorder. You can rely on it to capture any audio from system audio card and microphone.
You can see different QuickTime not working situations on Mac. We give you different solutions to help you deal with these problems. If you still have any other questions about the QuickTime not working on Mac, you can choose to leave us a message or directly contact us.
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