Top 8 Best HEVC Player in 2024 [Free Download]

Since Windows' built-in video player can not play HEVC videos without the help of HEVC codec, if you want to play HEVC videos on Windows 10/11, you need to install an extra HEVC codec pack or try another HEVC video player. Recently, there have been many HEVC video players on the market. We will introduce some of the top ones in this article for you.

What Is HEVC Video?

What is HEVC codec? Actually, HEVC stands for High-Efficiency Video Coding. It is also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2. To put it plainly, it is a video compression standard and the successor to the widely used advanced video coding.

Compared with AVC, HEVC can significantly improve video quality at the same bit rate. This video codec supports resolutions up to 8192 * 4320, including 8K UHD, making it the best choice for 4K and 8K Ultra HD videos...

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Best Free Video Player for Windows/Mac - Recommend

EaseUS RecExperts is a versatile video player and screen recorder. Compatible with almost all common video and audio formats, like MP4, MOV, MKV, etc., this free media player can help you open all media files with a few simple clicks. As for video playing, it lets you enjoy the movies in video quality from HD to even 4K, ensuring an excellent viewing experience. In addition, you can even slow down or speed up video playback from 0.5X to 2X while watching videos.

As we discussed before, it is also a professional screen recording tool that allows you to record screen and audio in different modes. Once the recording is done, you can export your recordings in various formats for later sharing. Now, just hit the below button to get this free video player!

Top 8 Best HEVC H.265 Video Player for All Devices

What's the best HEVC video player? In the following, we will share some HEVC H.265 video players for Windows, Mac, and mobile devices.

Top 1. DivX Player

When it comes to playing HEVC videos on Windows 10 or Mac devices, you can't miss DivX Player. This free HEVC media player delivers high-quality playback for the most popular video files on the Internet, including new DivX HEVC video up to 4K. 

Plus, it can not only play your H.265 videos easily but also lets you slow down or speed up video playback. Also, you can manage subtitles in your videos. Except for playing multiple unique formats like HEVC, it also offers you some other rewinding video options. Just import videos via URL, Google Drive, and Dropbox and play.

Moreover, you can enjoy various aspect ratio presets. Creating playlists and organizing videos in the library are also available. What's more important, it even allows you to choose the screen size, add subtitles to MP4, and cast videos of up to 4K resolution on the Smart TV. Let's check its pros and cons below.

✅Pros

• Compatible with Windows and Mac
• It is free to use
• Burn, rotate, flip, and resize videos

❌Cons

• Not available on every platform
• Compatible with only computers

Top 2. PotPlayer

PotPlayer is another free HEVC video player for Windows 10 and 11. It supports smoothly playing HEVC videos and any other commonly used formats or codecs like MP4, AVI, MKV, H.264, etc., without any extra codecs.

As an HEVC H.265 media player, it plays high-quality videos. Also, it contains a screen recorder, a TV receiver, and a video editor. You can use it to manage your media files from local storage, URLs, FTP servers, DVDs, Blu-rays, etc. Moreover, it supports 3D content and Blu-ray movie playback without audio and image quality loss.

✅Pros

• Compatible with almost all formats
• Lets you output different audio tracks to different audio devices
• Support downloading TouTube subtitles
• Offer its user many defined shortcuts

❌Cons

• The setup is quite tricky with loads of settings
• It is a bit difficult for novices to use

Top 3. VLC Media Player

Compatible with Windows and Mac, VLC is a popular and high-efficiency HEVC coding video player among many users. It has been updated to play 4K ultra HD videos up to 60fps since Version 2.1. Therefore, if you want to use it to play HEVC videos, choose the right version to download. Not just HEVC videos, it can also play almost all file formats without the need to download additional codecs,

Although this program is popular for its media player capabilities, it also boasts video and audio conversion capabilities. With this tool, you are open to all the required codecs like MP3, MPEG-4, MKV, WMV, WebM, etc. with no need for extra codec packs. Here are some of the pros and cons of this tool.

✅Pros

• Free and open-source
• Works on all platforms
• Customizable conversion profiles

❌Cons

• Lacks video editing capabilities
• It may crash sometimes

Top 4. 5KPlayer

5KPlayer is one of the best free HEVC video players you can rely on. The free multimedia player fully supports hundreds of audio-video codecs, especially the H.265/HEVC codec. It is worth mentioning that this free HEVC media player can play HD and 4K HEVC 8-bit, 10-bit, and even 12-bit videos from GoPro, Drone (DJI), iPhone, action camera, Canon, JVC DSLR cameras with whatever HEVC sub codecs, be it Apple native hvc1 or non-Apple hev1. No external video codec pack or filter is needed. Moreover, it allows streaming 4K and 8K videos in formats like MP4, MKV, MOV, AIV... Windows PC and Apple TV are both supported. As for a free media player, I think it is worth trying!

✅Pros

• Help to play and download videos
• Support playing 4K, 1080P, and even 360° video with no stutter, no choke, and no glitch
  Wirelessly stream audio video via AirPlay & DLNA, zero quality loss

❌Cons

• It associated itself with all types of media files without asking
• You may encounter malware when using it

Top 5. MPV

MPV is also a free and open-source video player compatible with Windows and Mac computers. It is lightweight, simple, easy to use, and supports a wide range of video formats. With this tool. You can play high-efficiency coding HEVC videos without the help of extra codecs. Moreover, the HEVC H.265 player is also very customizable, which is great. For instance, you can change the video output, the audio output, and the subtitle settings. You can also create custom shortcuts and hotkeys to make it easier to control the player.

Based on my situation, the only downside is that the player doesn't have much documentation. However, the community is very helpful, and there are many resources available online. Overall, I would highly recommend MPV player to anyone looking for a great media player.

✅Pros

• Easy to install and set up
• Let you change the look and feel of the player, as well as the way it plays videos
• Support a wide variety of video and audio formats, as well as DVDs, CDs, and Blu-Ray discs
• Use very little system resources so that it won't slow down your computer

❌Cons

• Not very friendly 
• The interface seems pretty old

Top 6. MPC-HC

MPC-HC is another open-source and 100% free HEVC media player for PCs. This lightweight media player supports all common video and audio file formats available for playback, and you can watch movies on any SSE2 CPU, even on a low-end PC. 

However, this freeware has some disadvantages, such as freezes, sluggish 4K playback, and choppy & out of sync errors while playing the HEVC codec videos on your PC. Considering it's completely free, I think it is a qualified 1080P HEVC video viewer for general users.

✅Pros

• Supports H.265 from a long time ago
• Useful for game development frame debugging
• Capable of playing 1080P videos smoothly

❌Cons

• It stopped updating in 2017
• Support only Windows operating systems

Top 7. Hevc Player & Converter (Mp4)

When it comes to the HEVC video player app, you might find fewer apps that allow you to view the HEVC or H.265 video files on your mobile devices. Luckily, we found an excellent HEVC video player app for Android users, and that's Hevc Player & Converter. As its name implies, you will know that this app can help you play H.265 / HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) videos easily. Moreover, if your video file is in another format, you can even use this free tool to convert it into HEVC. 

✅Pros

• Easy and free to use
• Open HEVC video files quickly
• Support converting videos to or from HEVC format

❌Cons

• Only available for Android devices

Top 8. H.265 / HEVC Player

It is an online HEVC video player that you can use directly in your Google Chrome. This is a standalone video player using libde265 to playback H.265/HEVC content. It currently supports Matroska and other video containers with common audio codecs and subtitles (SSA/ASS format). However, if your computer is too slow for decoding, some problems like frame dropping will occur. At that time, the player will display a short notice. Considering there are few online H.265 media players, this tool is a nice choice if you don't want to install any desktop programs.

✅Pros

• Require no downloading or installation
• One-click to play HEVC video files online

❌Cons

• It crashes often

How to Choose A High-Quality HEVC Player

To enjoy the benefits of HEVC, you will need a high-quality HEVC player. Here are some tips on how to choose the right one:

Compatibility: Ensure that the HEVC player you choose is compatible with your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.) and the device you will be using (PC, Mac, Android, iOS, etc.).

Playback Quality: Look for a player that supports high-quality playback of HEVC videos, including 4K and HDR content. Make sure it can handle the high compression rate of HEVC effectively.

Performance: Choose a player that runs smoothly without any lag or stuttering, even when playing large HEVC files. Look for players that offer hardware acceleration to optimize performance.

Codec Support: Check if the player supports a wide range of codecs, not just HEVC. This will ensure that you can play all types of video files without any issues.

User Interface: Consider the user interface of the player and see if it is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Look for features like playlist management, subtitle support, and customizable settings.

Reviews and Recommendations: Before making a decision, read reviews and recommendations from other users to get an idea of the player's performance, features, and reliability.

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FAQs about HEVC Video Player

1. What video player can play HEVC?

All the tools in this article can be used to play HEVC videos. Among them, we recommend EaseUS RecExperts. This is because if you can download a specific video for some reason, you can record it on your device with this software.

2. Can VLC play HEVC?

The answer is yes. Since version 3.0, VLC supports HEVC hardware decoding on Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. You may try this player if you want.

3. How do I convert HEVC to MP4?

Go to the official website of Convertio, and follow the steps below to convert HEVC to MP4 online.

1. 1. Upload the HEVC file from the local computer folder, cloud storage, or a URL.
2. 2. Choose MP4 as the output video format.
3. 3. Click the "gear" icon to bring up the "Settings" dialog box. Configure codec, profile, level, constant quality, etc. Then, click "Ok".
4. 4. Press "Convert" and wait for the conversion.