Portable VLC Media Player allows you to experience the powerful features of VLC on Windows without having to install it on a single computer. It is completely portable and can be run from any folder or USB drive which means users can carry the program along with their settings from one computer to another. As there are no changes made to system registry, it is a handy tool especially for shared or locked-down machines.
The interface resembles that of a standard VLC. If you use it normally for opening files, playlists, and changing audio or subtitle settings in VLC, Portable VLC Player will have an identical look and feel to the one you are used to.
How Portable VLC Runs on Windows PCs
Windows users will notice that the portable version launches quickly and has the same playback engine as the standard VLC release. It supports the most popular formats such as MP4, MKV, MP3, and AVI without the need for extra codecs. Playback commences immediately after a video file is dragged over the player window.
The program saves settings in its own directory. Which means settings such as subtitle size, playback speed, and recent files will be saved along with the portable player instead of the computer.
Play Almost Any Video or Audio File
Portable VLC Media Player is a software that depends on VLC’s internal decoding libraries. It is possible to open damaged or incomplete files more efficiently than with most players. No matter whether they are network streams, DVD folders, or files saved in different locations, they will all open in the same window.
Besides, you will be granted the access to filters, equalizer controls and subtitle syncing as well. These features are useful especially when you want to fix audio or lyrics that are off-timing.
Why Portability Is Important
It’s ideal for students, service people, and users who work with multiple Windows PCs. All it takes is your plugging a drive in and opening the player to resume watching or listening without making any changes to the host system.
Likewise, it is handy when you are not an admin on the system. Since it is not installing drivers or services, it is one of the very few software that will run in domains where permission is limited.
Some Tips to Remember
If you want to get the most out of performance, then it would be best if you run the portable version from a high-speed USB/device as it inherently depends on the speed of the device it runs from. It could be that accessing large high-bitrate videos would be a tad slower as compared to loading clips from a local drive. Also, since automatic file associations don’t work, if you want to open files, you will have to get them in the player or drop files in.
Setting Up
Portable VLC Media Player can be grabbed for Windows as a single executable. All you have to do is put the application on a folder or stick and voila! The program is ready to be used on any machine without any further hassle.
For the VLC enthusiasts who want to get away from installations, this portable version is a great solution to keep media playback easy and reliable.