How to Play AVI Files on Mac | Best AVI Player for Mac in 2025

AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a video file format created by Microsoft. This multimedia container format stores video and audio together in a single file. It's one of the oldest and most widely recognized video formats. However, QuickTime on macOS no longer supports many AVI codecs, so double-clicking often results in "The document could not be opened". To open an AVI file on Mac, you need specialized .avi players; or you can convert AVI files to a more Mac-compatible format like MOV or MP4. Then, play the new file in QuickTime Player instead.

Method 1. Find an AVI Player for Mac [Easiest Way]

The easiest way to play AVI videos smoothly on your Mac is to use a Mac AVI player. EaseUS RecExperts is such a program that can open AVI videos easily. Besides, it also can play other media files in a snap, including but not limited to MP3, FLV, OGG, MP4, WAV, MKV, and a lot more. Sometimes, if you want to save the background music of the video playing, you also can use this software to extract the sound and export into an audio file.

Actually, the media player is just a small part of it. RecExperts is a free video recording software, which enables you to record anything on your screen with or without audio, such as recording live streams, capturing gameplay highlights, making reaction videos, and so on. All in all, whether you want to find a media player or screen and audio recorder, opt for EaseUS RecExperts.

🚩Here is how to open AVI files on Mac:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts, and click "Recordings" on the lower right to open the media player.

Step 2. In this window, you can see all your recorded files, including MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, MP3, etc.

Step 3. Click the file you want to play to view it immediately. You can also trim the file by clicking the scissor sign on the bottom.

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Method 2. Play AVI Video on Mac via VLC

VLC is a free and open-source media player compatible with macOS, Windows, Linux, and even a USB drive. It supports AVI, MP4, MP3, MKV, FLV, DVDs, VCDs, and more common file formats. Apart from playing files, VLC can also convert media files from one format to another, stream audio and video over a network. It is a user-friendly, efficient video player for beginners to play MOV files on Windows 10.

🚩To open AVI files on Mac using VLC:

Step 1. Download VLC for Mac from https://www.videolan.org/vlc/.

Step 2. Install and open it.

Step 3. Drag your AVI file into VLC or go to File > Open File....

Step 4. Your AVI video will play immediately. 

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Method 3. Open AVI Files with IINA on Modern macOS Video Player

IINA is a modern, free, and open-source media player designed specifically for macOS. It's built on the powerful MPV engine, which provides broad format support (including AVI, MKV, MP4, MOV, etc.) while offering a clean, Mac-native user experience. People like it because it is basically VLC's power + a beautiful Mac interface.

🚩How to read AVI files on MacBook using IINA:

Step 1. Download IINA from https://iina.io/download/.

Step 2. Open IINA.

Step 3. Drag your AVI file from Finder into the IINA window.

Step 4. The video starts playing instantly.

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Method 4. Convert AVI to MP4 or MOV If You Prefer Using QuickTime

If all the methods above cannot work, try to convert AVI to other video formats that are supported by Mac, like MOV (also called QuickTime) or MP4.

To convert AVI to MP4 or MOV, all you need is an AVI converter. According to your usage habits, you can try offline or online converter flexibly, which you can easily get on the internet. Here are some recommendations:

For online users:

• Zamzar
• Cloudconvert
• Freeconvert
• Convertfiles

Desktop AVI converters:

• VLC Media Player
• EaseUS Video Converter
• Handbrake

Once you get the right tool, you can convert AVI to MOV or MP4, then open it to enjoy the video on Mac!

Method 5. Try QuickTime + Perian (But Not Recommended)

QuickTime used to support AVI playback via a third-party plugin called Perian. Perian served as an all-in-one codec package, enabling QuickTime to open formats such as AVI, MKV, DivX, and Xvid. However, this method is no longer reliable because Perian has been officially discontinued since 2012 and is not compatible with modern macOS versions (Catalina and later).

Still, if you're using an older Mac running macOS 10.12 or earlier, QuickTime + Perian may work as a temporary solution for simple AVI playback, though performance and compatibility may vary. If you're on a newer macOS, you'll have a much smoother experience using modern players such as IINA or VLC instead.

🚩Steps to use QuickTime and Perian for older macOS:

Step 1. Go to http://www.perian.org/, and download and install Perian.

Step 2. Once installed, you will see this plugin listed inside System Preferences.

Step 3. Find the AVI video you want to play on your Mac, then right-click on it to open with QuickTime Player.

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How to Play AVI Files on Mac FAQs

1. Why do AVI files not play on Mac?

There are many reasons that can cause you to fail to play AVI files on Mac. The most common reason is that the format of your video file is not supported by Mac OS X. In addition, there are many reasons why you cannot play AVI files on Mac, including:

• Your AVI files are corrupted or damaged by some software or hardware issues;
• Your AVI files are encrypted by DRM protection;
• You have no right to use the software that can support your AVI files;
• Your AVI files are unsupported by macOS Sierra (10.12) or later versions because they don't support H264 codecs like MPEG-4 and AVC/H264 etc..

2. Is QuickTime the same as AVI?

No. They are different in the following aspects:

• First, QuickTime was developed by Microsoft, but Apple created MOV as a container for QuickTime
• Secondly, the MOV provides native support for MP4 codecs while AVI doesn't
• At last, MOV can have subtitles in them, but AVI cannot

3. Is VLC Media Player safe for Mac?

Yes. VLC Media Player is an open-source program for all operating systems. It is very safe, powerful, and absolutely free.

The Bottom Line

On this page, we provide some solutions to help you play AVI videos on Mac. You will find it is not difficult to open AVI files on Mac. You can use an AVI player, get the plugin, or convert AVI to MP4/MOV to get the task done. Now, pick out the method that suits your needs best to start!