VLC crashes due to multiple reasons including problem with pre-loading of MKV files, corrupted program components or compatibility issues with your system. VideoLAN is a cross-platform multimedia player that supports streaming of music, videos, DVDs and other media content. VLC specializes itself as a popular media player with excellent codecs that support multiple file formats.

If your VLC is crashing, here’s what you can do to get it working.

Download Diagnostic

You’re just 3 steps away from automatically fixing this problem….

1. Download and install Diagnostic

2. Perform driver update.

3. Restart your computer.

Estimated Download Time: 10 Seconds

Reset Preferences

If your application settings were recently changed, it is more likely they are the culprit. Sometimes, we tweak the application settings and end up making the program unstable. Restoring default VLC settings might help.

Reset VLC Preferences

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Open VLC Media Player .

Press the Ctrl + P keys simultaneously.

In the Preferences dialog box, click on Reset Preferences .

When you‘re asked to confirm, click OK .

Disable Hardware Acceleration

The Hardware Acceleration feature in Windows provides better video playback performance. VLC crashes may occur when the hardware acceleration is enabled on an unsupported system.

Use the Preferences to disable this feature. For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1.Press Ctrl + P keys simultaneously.

1. Click on the tab Input/ Codecs . Input/ Codecs Tab

Set the Hardware Acceleration Decoding to Disable . Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hit Save, and restart the player.

Fix Corrupted Program Files

To Get Rid Of VLC Crashes

VLC crashing issue primarily occurs when the program does not load and recognize data from VLCRC file.

Here’s how you can restore the corrupted/ damaged component:

For Windows 10:

1.Exit VLC Media Player .

1. Double-click This PC icon on your Desktop . This PC

Click the View tab on the Ribbon interface and check Hidden items. Hidden Items

Open the following directory: C:\Users\ User_Name \AppData\Roaming\VLC

Right-click a file named vlcrc , and choose Rename . File Explorer

Name it as vlcrc_old .

For Windows 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Press Windows Key + R .

Type AppData

Click OK .

Open the following directory: …\Roaming\VLC

Rename vlcrc as vlcrc_old

Troubleshoot Compatibility Settings

Windows compatibility settings allow you to run programs made for older versions of Windows with the current version. Compatibility Mode

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1. Open the File Explorer .

Navigate the following directory: Windows 64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC Windows 32-bit: C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC

Right-click VLC.exe , choose Properties .

Click the Compatibility tab.

Check Run this program in compatibility mode for and select a previous Windows version.

Click OK .

Disable Pre-loading Of MKV Files Just like MOV, AVI and ASF file formats,

MKV is a video container format. Some users reported they fixed VLC crashes by disabling pre-load of MKV files.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista/ XP:

1.Open the VLC Media Player .

1. Click on Tools and choose Preferences . Or press Ctrl + P .

At the bottom left corner of your screen, select All under Show Settings. Show All Settings

Expand the following nodes: Input/ Codecs Demuxers Matroska Codecs Settings

Un-check Pre-load MKV files in the same directory.

Click on Save. Reinstall The Program

This problem may also occur when some program files are not found or corrupted. Try reinstalling the program as shown below:

Uninstall VLC For Windows 10:

1. Press Windows Key + X combined, select Apps and Features.

Select VLC Media Player from the list of installed programs.

Click Uninstall .

Follow the removal wizard and then reboot your PC.

Visit the official website and re-download the setup.

Double-click the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Press the Windows Key.

Locate the VLC Media Player application you would like to uninstall.

A check mark will appear on the VLC icon.

Click the Uninstall icon on the bottom toolbar.

Follow the on-screen instructions and reboot your machine.

After successful removal, re-install it again.

For Windows 7:

1. Click Start, select Control Panel .

Click Uninstall a Program under the Programs category.

Select the VLC Media Player , and click Uninstall.

Follow the wizard.

Restart your PC and then re-install the program again.

For Windows Vista:

1. Click Start, select Control Panel .

Click on Programs .

Click Uninstall a Program under Programs and Features category.

Choose VLC Media Player , and click Uninstall on the toolbar.

Follow the Windows Installer instructions.

After successfully uninstalling the program, restart your machine and re-install it again.

For Windows XP:

1. Click Start, choose Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3. Select VLC Media Player and then click Uninstall.

4. Follow the uninstaller and then re-install VLC again.