MPV Player for Mac

MPV Player for Mac is a free media player for the command line. It supports a wide variety of media file formats, audio and video codecs, and subtitle types.

MPV Player for macOS is a media player based on MPlayer and mplayer2. It supports a wide variety of video file formats, audio and video codecs, and subtitle types. Special input URL types are available to read input from a variety of sources other than disk files. Depending on platform, a variety of different video and audio output methods are supported.

It has a fully configurable, command-driven control layer which allows you to control MPV using keyboard, mouse, or remote control (there is no LIRC support - configure remotes as input devices instead).

Features and Highlights

Scripting
Powerful scripting capabilities can make the player do almost anything.

On Screen Controller
While the app strives for minimalism and provides no real GUI, it has a small controller on top of the video for basic control.

High quality video output
MPV has an OpenGL, Vulkan, and D3D11 based video output that is capable of many features loved by videophiles, such as video scaling with popular high quality algorithms, color management, frame timing, interpolation, HDR, and more.

GPU video decoding
It can leverage most hardware decoding APIs on all platforms. Hardware decoding can be enabled at runtime on demand.

Embeddable
A straightforward C API was designed from the ground up to make MPV usable as a library and facilitate easy integration into other applications.

Active development
MPV Player is under active development, focusing on code refactoring and cleanups as well as adding features.

Alternatives

VLC Media Player – Free, open-source, and versatile.

Movist – Simple interface with advanced codec support.

Elmedia Player – Free media player for Mac.

5KPlayer – Supports 4K, AirPlay, and DLNA streaming.

Plex for Mac – Media server with streaming and organization tools.

Kodi – Media center with extensive plugin support.

How to Use

Drag the app to the Applications folder

Open a media file by dragging it into the MPV window

Use keyboard shortcuts for playback control

Customize settings via configuration files (~/.config/mpv)

Use terminal commands for advanced media control

Enable subtitles and audio tracks through simple hotkeys

Integrate with third-party GUIs like IINA or Celluloid if desired

System Requirements

macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later

Intel or Apple Silicon (Universal binary supported)

100 MB of available disk space

At least 2 GB RAM

Optional: Homebrew for easy CLI-based installation

PROS

• Lightweight and fast playback performance
• High-quality video rendering
• Wide format support including obscure codecs
• Customizable via scripts and config files
• No ads or telemetry

CONS

• No built-in graphical interface
• Limited settings via GUI
• Relies heavily on terminal or config edits
• No native playlist management

Note: MPV has no official GUI.

Also Available: Download MPV Player for Windows