How Can I Open Avi Files On Mac

15-09-2021

How Can I Open Avi Files On Mac

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How Do I Open Avi Files On Mac

An AVI file uses less compression to store files and takes up more space than many other video formats—like MPEG and MOV. AVI files also can be created without the use of compression at all. This makes the files lossless, which results in immensely larger file sizes — approximately 2-3 GB per minute of video. So, when you want to play a AVI file on Mac and QuickTime fails to play the AVI video, then you can employ below techniques. VLC Player: VLC is an effective AVI player for Mac. It the easiest and free-way of playing AVI file on Mac. The iMovie software supports the import of AVI video files with MJPEG data. Thus if your AVI file is from Hybrid camcorder, Sony, or other devices, they cannot be accepted by iMovie. In order to read the AVI files, iMovie contains all the essential codecs. Thus if there is any different codec in the subtitle or the audio of the video, then.

My QuickTime player is not playing .avi files and says I need a codec. I am not able to play any .avi files on QuickTime. How could I fix this because I want to play these files with QuickTime?

Playing AVI files is one of the biggest worries for a Mac user. None of the four major Indeo codecs that are required to decode AVI files have been integrated into QuickTime. In some cases, even if the required codecs are available, the AVI video file does not play due to corruption. So, before we get to know how to play AVI files on Mac or how to fix AVI files that are not playing on Mac, let’s get a quick look at Audio Video Interleave (AVI) format.

Image Source: support.apple.com

Why AVI Files don’t Play on Mac?

Just like any other media player, QuickTime on Mac also examines both the audio and video codecs within the video file whenever you open any file on Mac. If the codecs are not used by the media player it won’t play the video. QuickTime media player does not recognize the Cinepak and ALaw 2:1 codecs used in the AVI video file format. And as a result, when you try to play AVI files in QuickTime, the player doesn’t play the video.

What is an AVI file?

The full form of AVI is Audio Video Interleave. Like any video file format, AVI is a container format that defines how video data is packed into a file. Unlike other video formats, it does not predefine or specify the protocol or procedure involved while recording or creating a file. As an AVI file structure has the organizational format of streams and stream data, it is defined by two lists namely List Chunk and Index Chunk.

List Chunk: The list chunk has metadata, the size of the file, frame rates, and audio/video information.

Index Chunk: The index chunk is responsible for saving the locations of data within the container.

Note: If any of these crucial chunks are missing in your AVI video file, then your AVI file will not play.

What is a Codec?

A codec that is short for compressor and decompressor is responsible for decoding the video and audio tracks that have been encoded or packed in the .avi file.

It is to be noted that an AVI file or any video file does not come with codecs. Codecs are a part of the video player package like QuickTime.

However, if the codec used to encode the AVI file is not available in the QuickTime player, then your AVI file will not play. Thus, you can expand the codec library of the player by downloading the specific codec required to play the AVI video file.

Problems Associated With Running AVI on Mac Using QuickTime

When an AVI file is opened using QuickTime player, it scans the file to see which codecs have been used to encode the data in the container/AVI file.

The AVI format video will play as expected if the video and audio in the codec are compressed using a codec that exists in the QuickTime package. Nevertheless, problems arise while playing AVI files on Mac when the codec does not exist in the library and leads to an unplayable AVI file on Mac. The file may also refuse to play if the AVI file is corrupt. Fix corrupt AVI files on Mac before trying any workaround.

Unplayable AVI Files Return The Following Errors:

“QuickTime is missing the software needed to perform this operation. Unfortunately, it is not available on the QuickTime server”
'You may experience problems playing a video track in 'file.avi' because the required compressor could not be found”

Additionally, the latest version QuickTime X does not have a few major codecs like Indeo or native DivX support and you might end up with the question “How to play unplayable AVI file on Mac?”.

Now that you have understood the complications associated with AVI files that are unplayable on Mac, the following workarounds mentioned below have been provided to help you fix if Mac or MacBook not playing a video.

Methods to Fix Unplayable AVI files on Mac

1. Find the Right Codec to Play the AVI File on QuickTime:

Find the codec used to encode the file using QuickTime by opening the file using QuickTime and select the Show Movie Info option from the Window menu.

The video file information is listed, and you will be able to find codec information after format properties. Check if the QuickTime version supports the codec that is listed in the video properties.

Check on the QuickTime support site if the codec is supported by the player if you don’t find the codec preinstalled with QuickTime. If you don’t find the respective codec or if it is an unsupportive codec, then your AVI video won’t play. In case it is supported then you can go ahead and install the codec after downloading it from the author or the publisher’s site.

Note: Download the codec from genuine and trusted sources to avoid compromising your system security.

2. Download and Install Standardized Video Encoders

There are two major industry-standard codecs for Mac that can extend the playback capabilities. The following codecs have been referred to as the most preferred codecs that enable you to open .avi files on Mac:

Install 3ivx D4 codec:
This codec enables greater video quality at lower file size values up to fifty percent when compared to the MPEG-4 standard designed by Apple. This decoder increases the efficiency of the video storage and transmission of files that are rendered too large. It is an integration of a huge set of video and audio codecs that allow playback of almost all the AVI files with AAC audio and video of MPEG-4. You can fix your unplayable AVI file by installing 3ivx D4 on your Mac. Further, there is no need to download any other components like plug-ins to play the AVI file unless a proprietary codec is used to encode the file.

Install DivX for Mac free codec to fix AVI files in Quick time:
While you can play the majority of AVI files after you install this free codec for Mac, its major disadvantage is that the audio sometimes might be distorted or only the video is played. For this reason, the DivX codec for Mac is a secondary option when compared to 3ivx D4 codec.

Note: Only one among the above two codecs are to be used at once as they share the same set of library files to decode the video. Hence it is recommended to install only one codec to avoid malfunction of the QuickTime player.

3. Use an Alternate player to Play AVI files on Mac:

VLC or Video LAN Client is a cross-platform media player that supports a wide variety of AVI video and audio codecs. Therefore, choosing VLC as an alternative media player to play the unplayable AVI file on Quick Time is one of the easiest ways.
Because of its large library of free encoding and decoding libraries, you will no longer need any additional codec download or proprietary plug-ins.

4. Play AVI Files By Converting Into QuickTime Supported MOV Files:

Another workaround to fix the unplayable AVI video on Mac is to convert the AVI file into a QuickTime supported file format like MOV.
Post conversion, the file will be playable on Mac. However, most of the converters break the index of the AVI file while conversion, this method is least recommended. Lastly, if the converted video file stops playing halfway try AVI index repair on Mac.

Note: Have a copy of your AVI file before converting them to any other compatible format as your AVI file might get corrupt due to improper conversion and leads to permanent inaccessible AVI files.

AVI Still Not Playing In Mac?

If the AVI video file remains unplayable even after getting the correct codecs, using the compatible player, or converting to MOV, it is probably because the video file is corrupt. The only solution to this is to try an AVI video repair software. Choose a professional AVI video repair tool like Remo AVI Repair.

Remo Repair AVI fixes and works on a duplicate version of your original AVI file to prevent modification on the original file. The self-explanatory interface helps you to fix the video in just 3 clicks. Download the Remo Repair AVI tool now to fix your unplayable video and preview it for free before saving.

Remo Repair AVI Can Also:

Repair AVI files that are corrupted
Repair AVI files if their index is corrupted
Repairs AVI files if there is no audio or playing only audio in the video file

Conclusion:

With the mentioned free workarounds or by using the above-mentioned AVI repair tool, you must have fixed your unplayable AVI videos on Mac. However, you can always make use of Remo Software’s technical assistance team as they will guide you with the repairing process of the software if needed.

It's a common situation that people can't import AVI to iMovie successfully. For instance, iMovie only recognizes the image in the loaded video; it will grey out the import window or even crashes suddenly. The root cause of the problem lies in the fact the some codecs such as Xvid or DivX used in the AVI (Audio Video Interleave) file are incompatible with iMovie, because iMovie only supports formatsMP4, M4V, MOV video files and AVI with MJPEG data (iMovie 11/9/8) so far.

Does that mean people cannot import AVI videos to iMovie to edit those clips? Luckily, there are simple and effective methods to convert AVI to iMovie format at one go. By converting the video beforehand, you can put any video to iMovie for editing immediately.

How to Convert AVI to iMovie?

Convert AVI to iMovie Easily with the Best Free Video Converter

MacX Video Converter Free Edition is a free yet fast video converter. It enables both novice users and advanced users to convert AVI to iMovie supported format such as mov, m4v, mp4 as well as 200 more formats, while retaining excellent video and audio quality. After the fast video conversion ends, you can import the video to iMovie directly and edit it in iMovie to create your own video clip.

How to Convert AVI to iMovie within a Few Clicks?

Step 1 Load the source AVI video

Free download the video converting software, and then run this program. Click 'Add File' button to browse the AVI video you want to convert to iMovie. You can convert multiple AVI files at a time.

Step 2 Choose the output format

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Select 'iMovie' in the output format area. The AVI converter has configured many profiles for users to select any one of their choice. Meanwhile, the video and audio parameters are also customizable for the experienced users.

Step 3 Select the output folder

Click the 'Browse' button and choose the location where you would like to save the converted file after the software completes the AVI to iMovie video conversion.

Step 4 Start AVI to iMovie conversion

Click 'RUN' button and the software will begin to convert AVI to iMovie at fast speed. To import avi to iMovie, you can convert avi to MOV, MP4, M4V, or select iMovie directly.

Step 5: Import AVI to iMovie

After the conversion, launch iMovie and choose File > Import > Movies to import converted AVI video into iMovie. And now you can start editing.

Meanwhile, if you wish to play AVI on iPad, iPhone or other smart gadgets, this AVI to iMovie converter will help you realize it. Besides owning the capability to convert AVI to MP4, MOV, iPad, iPhone format, MacX Video Converter Free Edition also works as a full-featured Mac video converter that let users convert among tons of 4K, HD and regular videos such as MKV to MP4 format, AVCHD, M2TS, MOV, MPEG, FLV, etc with optimal file size and best quality and transfer the video to a iPad, iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry without any hassle.

How to Convert AVI to iMovie with Handbrake

Handbrake is another free way to convert AVI to iMovie MP4 format. This free video converter can convert almost any video format to MP4, which iMovie should definitely be able to handle.

Step 1 Import AVI videos

Open Handbrake and click Source to choose your Source. Select your Video File and browse to the AVI videos thatyou want to convert to iMovie MP4 file, or, drag and drop it.

Step 2 Select the output folder

In the Destination section, name the file (include the .mp4 extension) and browse towhere you would like to save it. NOTE: If you do not set a destination for the fileit will not work.