Settings Library

Settings: Library

⋯ → Settings → Library (Ctrl+P; the header reads Playlists, Folders & Files). What happens when you open a file while VLC is already running, how folders are opened, and where VLC gets the titles and the artwork of your media. The folders the media library indexes are not chosen here but in the library itself: see Library: Media folders. No row of this page is reserved to Developer mode. See how the Settings window works.

Opening Files

Option	Choices / default	What it does	VLC option
Only allow one VLC window	Toggle. Default: off.	A file you open while VLC is running goes to the VLC already open, instead of starting a second copy of VLC, however VLC is started.	one-instance
Apply to files opened from the file manager	Toggle. Default: on.	Sends the files opened from File Explorer to the VLC already running: a double click on an associated file, its Play and Add to queue commands, and Play with VLC Redesign / Add to VLC Redesign queue of the right-click menu (they all start VLC with --started-from-file). It works on its own: while it is on, those files go to the running VLC even with Only allow one VLC window off; a VLC started another way (its shortcut, a command line) still opens its own window.	one-instance-when-started-from-file
Add to the playlist instead of replacing it	Toggle. Default: off. Dimmed while both rows above are off.	When a file goes to the VLC already running, it is added to the end of the play queue and the current item keeps playing, instead of replacing the queue. It decides for a double click and the Play command of an associated file; the right-click commands decide for themselves: Add to queue and Add to VLC Redesign queue always add, Play with VLC Redesign always replaces.	playlist-enqueue
When opening a folder	Dropdown: Only this folder / Include subfolders / Include and expand subfolders. Default: Include subfolders.	What happens to the subfolders of a folder you open or drop. Only this folder: the subfolders do not appear in the play queue. Include subfolders: they appear as folders and are expanded the first time they play. Include and expand subfolders: all of them are expanded at once, so every file of the tree is in the queue.	recursive (none / collapse / expand)
Show hidden files	Toggle. Default: off.	Off, files and folders whose name starts with a dot (.thumbnails) are left out when VLC opens or browses a folder; on, they are listed too. Files only marked hidden in Windows (the hidden attribute) are not concerned.	show-hiddenfiles

Metadata & Artwork

Option	Choices / default	What it does	VLC option
Fetch titles and artwork	Dropdown: From the file only / From the file and the internet. Default: From the file only.	Where VLC looks for the titles, artists, albums and cover art of your media. From the file and the internet lets VLC look them up online when the file does not have them. The same setting as Fetch titles and cover art from the internet in Privacy: changing one changes the other.	metadata-network-access (From the file and the internet = on)
Use the media library	Toggle. Default: on.	Starts VLC's media library, which indexes your media folders for the views of the library (Videos, Music…). Off, you browse folders without anything being indexed. The media library starts with VLC, so a change shows Applies the next time VLC starts under the row.	media-library-enabled

Advanced Options

Option	Choices / default	What it does	VLC option
Read media information automatically	Toggle. Default: on.	Reads the information of each item added to the play queue (its duration, title and other metadata) as soon as it is added, rather than when it plays.	auto-preparse
Ignored file extensions	Text field: extensions without dots, separated by commas. Default: m3u,db,nfo,ini,jpg,jpeg,ljpg,gif,png,pgm,pgmyuv,pbm,pam,tga,bmp,pnm,xpm,xcf,pcx,tif,tiff,lbm,sfv,txt,sub,idx,srt,cue,ssa.	Files with these extensions are not added to the play queue when you open a folder: the playlists, pictures, subtitle and text files that sit next to the media. Subtitle files left out here are still loaded with their video (Load subtitle files automatically in Subtitles).	ignore-filetypes

Good to know

• Double-clicking files in Explorer starts a new VLC each time? Check that Apply to files opened from the file manager is on. Turn on Only allow one VLC window as well if you also start VLC from its shortcut and want one window in every case.
• To add files to the queue without changing this page, right-click them in Explorer and choose Add to VLC Redesign queue.
• Images and text files appear in the queue when you open a folder? Add their extensions to Ignored file extensions.
• Titles and cover art from the internet are off by default; see Privacy for what VLC fetches online.

Related pages: Library · Settings: Privacy · Install and update (the file associations and the right-click menu)

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