Controls and Settings for VLC App in Windows 10

The last time, we discussed how VLC was available as a standalone app for Windows 10’s Microsoft Store. It is a basic app that supports every media format out there and is suitable for Windows 10 powered smart devices as well as laptops and desktops. It has features like opening videos and music from local as well as network and online sources. The interface groups all media that it can find in an easy to navigate format.

After you open a video on the VLC App for Windows 10, there are a few interesting control options and features available for us. It is displayed on the bottom part of the screen.

Controls for VLC App in Windows 10

VLC Media Controls When a Media is Open

Here is a discussion of all those control buttons beginning from the left.

  • Lock/Unlock: Locking and unlocking the controls so that we can watch videos without any interference.
  • Loop: Loop the current video after it ends. It will repeat the playback from the beginning.
  • Resize Player: The player will be resized to a smaller one. Double click on the small player to bring it back to full screen.
  • FullScreen: Hit this button to watch your video in full screen.
  • Previous/Play/Next: Switch the tracks between next and previous. Also, play and pause the current track.
  • Subtitles & Audio
    • Open Subtitle: Open up a subtitle that is locally available.
    • Subtitles: Gives you the option to choose a subtitle or download it from the internet.
    • Audio Tracks: Choose an audio track if there are multiple of those available.
  • Player Settings
    • Zoom: Choose between best fit, fit screen, fill, 16:9, 4:3, original and 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
    • Speed: Pick a playback speed between 0.5x to 2x.
    • Audio delay: Delay the audio by -3s to 3s.
    • Subtitle delay: Delay the subtitle by -3s to 3s.
  • Volume: Increase or decrease the volume for the current playback.

VLC Windows App’s Settings

On the main interface, at the bottom-right corner, you will see three dots ⋯ which will give you access to additional options. Click or tap on it and these three settings will appear.

  • Search: Gives us the option to search for music or videos.
  • About the app: Displays the information about the present version of the app.

The majority of the app’s settings are available in ‘Settings’. They are grouped as User Interface, Video Settings, and Music Settings.

User Interface

User Inteface Settings

  • Theme: Pick a light or dark mode. Choose a color for theme.
  • Language: Pick a language like English, Japanese, Spanish for the app.
  • External Storage: How should VLC react when external storages are connected. It will ask you by default.
  • Homepage: Pick between videos, music or browse in the main interface.
  • Clear save credentials: Clear all the saved credentials.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Has a list of keyboard shortcuts. It’s different than default VLC’s shortcuts.
    • F – Toggle fullscreen
    • Escape – Leave fullscreen
    • Space – Pause Toggle
    • Add – Faster playback
    • Subtract – Slower playback
    • Execute – Normal playback rate
    • N – Next track
    • P – Previous track
    • S – Stop playback
    • Q – Quit
    • Back – back or goback
    • CTRL + Add – Volume up
    • CTRL + Subtract – Volume down
    • M – Mute
    • B – Change audio track
    • V – Change subtitle
    • CTRL + O – Open a file
    • CTRL + N – Open from network
    • CTRL + Tab – Tab next
    • Shift + CTRL + Tab – Tab Previous

Video Settings

Video Settings

  • Video Folders: Add a limited list of folders for VLC to search for video files.
  • Hardware Decoding: Turn this option on or off.
  • Force Landscape: Turn it off to also allow portrait display support.
  • Play video in the background: If it is on the video will continue to play when you switch to other apps. Otherwise, it will pause.
  • Use windows 10 pip: Use the player in player mode available in Win 10.
  • System: Pick between UTF-8, ISO-8859-15, and others.

Music Settings

Music Settings

  • Equalizer: Use the equalizer sliders or pick a preset. It’s like the one we get in the Android app.
  • Music folder: Limit the app to certain folders for music files.
  • Notifications: Turn it on or off.
  • Connect to Last.fm: Provide user credentials to connect to this service.
  • Reset and reset music database

22 thoughts to “Controls and Settings for VLC App in Windows 10”

  1. The “admin” bot is certainly not answering anyones questions. It also seems to have a bit of an attitude.
    For example: the question that was asked earlier was. “The new VLC WINDOWS 10 & 11 player will not minimize so to allow the user to have access to the windows taskbar. For example, if ur watching a video in full screen mode using VLC, then decide u want to listen to it thru ur Bluetooth EarPods, for years all I had to do was double click on the video screen & the player window would minimize slightly so that u cud have access to VLCs advanced control bar which has buttons that allow u to replay a section of the video over and over again by clicking that button at the point where u wanted the video u begin & that wud be the A point and then u cud move the player pointer to the time point u wanted the video to stop recording & u wud click the same button where u set the start point (A) & that wud set end point where the video start looping again & again and u wud see it was the B point in that button. And u cud open ur windows app & type a letter with leave video still playing in PIP mode. And u cud hit ur Bluetooth icon & connect ur earphones to the computer enabling u to listen to the video via Bluetooth.

    BUT AS OF First part of December 2021 maybe part of November u can play videos from ur laptop or an external HD or a Mycloud device just like in the past but, BUT, now when u double click on the VLC player whilst a video is playing, it minimizes but not enough. It know takes up the entire screen. It still reveals the advanced control bar I mentioned above but allows u no way to change to a different app or add ur Bluetooth earphones. I’ve tried everything so I’m forced to close the VLC player completely add my earphones then start the VLC player & also have to locate the video file or files u had playing. Microsoft has tried to help but I can’t seem to get anyone at VLC to help. I’m addicted to VLC as Ive used it almost from its inception. When I wud have a question or problem I cud message Rob, whom I believe was one of the developers & he wud message me back sometimes immediately but always within an hour. I used to donate $5 per month to them when they were just beginning. A lot of ppl did just to help them cuz we all love VLC.
    SO PLEASE WOULD SOMEONE HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM? Rob, where are you buddy?
    I apologize to everyone for the length of this entry as I am doing 3 things at the same time so sure I repeated some areas. Best, T.P.

    1. Well folks, I just solved my problem regarding VLC occupying the entire computer screen in windows 10 & 11 even when it was minimized. I cud no longer see or use any of my other programs as the start button & all other apps in my taskbar were being blocked from view by VLC.

      I was playing a video in VLC player & i minimized the screen still unable to view my taskbar. So, I right clicked my mouse while the video was playing & the menu popped up as it normally does. I went to view & noticed that the “Fullscreen interface” had a ck mark next to it. The “Minimal interface” had no checkmark beside it so I unchecked the Fullscreen & Check marked the Minimal interface. I noticed the screen jumped quickly AND it showed the name of video in the top left corner white border & I was so excited as the minimize icons & the close application icon (X) we’re visible in the right corner like they had forever & ever.

      I then scrolled the mouse cursor down to the bottom of the screen & the taskbar icons, the windows start button were now visible & finally to the right of the task bar we’re my task icons. Bluetooth, sound control, battery status, time and date etc etc we’re all visible and working!!!!!

      So again, my apologies for the long entries but I do hope this helps others experiencing this issue.
      I want to repeat that u must have the players screen minimized by double clicking on the video/screen & then right click ur mouse & scroll to view. If u right click when the video screen is in Fullscreen mode, u see many of the same available actions but View will not be in that drop down menu.

      Happy Holidays everyone!!

  2. I wish to know why VLC does not play some mp3 songs, yet groove music app, and windows media player plays the same songs.

  3. I’m not sure if this common or not I’ve tried the whole going into preferences thing and it didn’t work.
    When I go to watch a movie VLC freezes before I get the chance to load it. I don’t know if it’s supposed to start automatically or not. I can literally go into anything under any tab on the tool bar but as soon as I click ‘Open Disc’ the app stops responding and I have to go into Task Manager to end the task. please, what could be the issue here?

  4. when i had change the audio tracks , the audio has are working or the app was automatically closed , please help me.

  5. So, the one thing I used to like about VLC was that I could CHANGE the keyboard shortcuts. Has that been removed? I used to be able to pick how many seconds the left/right arrows would jump forward? Now those skip features don’t seem to be available, at all! Did you remove some of your best features?

  6. So, how do I go back to a previous version? I hate this version of VLC – very difficult to use. I can’t figure out how to check for updates, I can’t figure out how to make a playlist. Who thought this was a good idea to take away features that were already easy to use?

    1. May be a new version will fix it. You can only download previous versions for the desktop VLC easily.

  7. I have a SP6 running Windows 10, recently installed the latest version of VLC why can’t I see the elapsed time / progress bar whenever I play an mp3 audio file? ( if it’s a video, it will show up) since the file is more than an hour long and doesn’t resume when I play it back where I left off…

  8. I love VLC one one thing hate about is every time play a new video I have to go video to set it for full seen and reopen vidio the set the restitution to 16 x 9

  9. Hello, is there a way (in the settings) to make the default Zoom ‘original’? Because I have a lot of old video files with bad resolution and the player always opens them in ‘Best Fit’ which means everything is blurry until I set the Zoom size back to ‘original’ manually. Going through a lot of files one after another and always having to do so is quite bothersome, to be honest, so I’m wondering if there is a simpler way that I just haven’t found yet.

  10. How do I change the setting on VLC Media Player by first starting the DVD in full, like showing the language selection list of the DVD, instead of just going straight to the DVD menu?

  11. Is there a way to change the settings to where it can open the language listen from the DVD when VLC Media Player starts up the DVD, like playing the full DVD?

  12. The audio doesn’t work when I use VLC app from Microsoft Store. The sound is unmuted for both the app and the laptop. The video plays fine, but no sound comes out, for anything, music or videos. Can you explain why it doesn’t work or how to fix it?

  13. Is there any way to access the Snapshot and Frame By Frame options which are available on the PC version of VLC ?

  14. Yes several windows media will not play it. To play it I had to purchase a DVD play in Japan. North American DVD player will not them. It has something to do which country you live in America DVDs will not play in Japan, Korea and any other eastern country unless you have a DVD play from that area. The odd part i don’t understand that it will play using VLC I can hear the music, but not the talking.

  15. I have a question last year I purchase star Trek DVDs while I was in Japan I use I downloaded the VLC program to play it on my laptop. It work great. Once I got back to America the movie started acting weird. I already had VLC program on my PC even updated it. Here is the weird part when I try to play the same Star Trek DVD I purchase the movie started off good. After 5 mins into the move the sound went crazy I could here the music in the background, but I could not here them talk. I clean the DVD also clean my DVD player I still get the same problem. I know this sound weird could you explain the reason why this is happening?

    1. Have you tried it through other media players? If the same problem is repeated in other players then there is a problem in the DVD (either the disk or the player).

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