Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Answers to the questions asked most, and what to do when something does not work. Casting problems have their own page: Casting: when a TV does not play. A question not answered here can be asked in Discussions (the Q&A category).

On this page: Which Windows · SmartScreen · Is it the official VLC? · Where are my settings? · Reset the settings · Save a log · Video problems · Other questions · Report a bug

Which Windows does it run on?

Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11, 64-bit. The interface is built on Qt 6.8, which needs them; the installer refuses an older Windows, and a portable copy on one says so when it starts.

There is no build for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 or 8.1, nor for 32-bit Windows. There is no native build for Windows on ARM yet: the x64 installer accepts Windows 11 on ARM, where Windows runs it under emulation (slower, and not tested on real ARM hardware). Linux, macOS and the other systems are not available yet (see Platforms; the status of each is in platforms.yml). For those, use the official VLC.

"Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen)

The releases are not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher the first time you run the installer or vlc.exe. Click More info → Run anyway.

• Code signing is in progress: free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation. Once releases are signed, Windows will show SignPath Foundation as the publisher. See the code signing policy.
• Until then, every release lists the SHA-256 of its files in SHA256SUMS.txt. To check a download, in PowerShell: Get-FileHash .\vlc-redesign-0.3.1-win64-setup.exe and compare the hash with the one in the file.
• You can also build it yourself from the source code.

Is it the official VLC? Does it replace mine?

No. VLC Redesign is an unofficial fork of VLC 4 (development version) with the interface designed by Juxtopposed; it is not made, affiliated with, or endorsed by VideoLAN. It installs next to an official VLC without touching it: its own folder, its own settings, library and history, its own volume in Windows. Report its problems here, not to VideoLAN.

Where are my settings?

Everything is in the portable folder next to vlc.exe:

Copy	Folder
Installed for you (default)	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\VLC Redesign\portable
Installed for everyone	C:\Program Files\VLC Redesign\portable
Portable zip	the portable folder of the unzipped copy

In it: vlcrc (VLC's settings), vlc-qt-interface.ini (the interface's own settings: theme, accent, profiles, subtitle choices...), ml.db (the media library), language (the interface language), and the caches (qtcache, downloaded subtitles). Where VLC Redesign cannot make that folder, it uses %APPDATA%\VLC Redesign.

⋯ → Settings → General → Advanced Options → Open configurations folder opens it.

A new copy whose portable folder is empty starts with the settings of the copy you used last (see Install and update). An empty file named standalone in a copy's portable folder keeps it apart. VLC Redesign never reads or changes the settings of an official VLC (%APPDATA%\vlc).

Reset the settings

• ⋯ → Settings → General → Advanced Options → Reset all settings (Reset): every VLC option and every interface setting goes back to its default. The language goes back to English.
• Reset all shortcuts (Settings → Controls) resets the keyboard shortcuts alone.
• To start from nothing: close VLC Redesign, then empty its portable folder and put an empty file named standalone in it. Without that file, an empty profile takes the settings of your other copy again.

Uninstalling removes the settings with the program (see Install and update).

Save a log

To find out what goes wrong, have VLC write its messages to a file:

1. ⋯ → Settings → General → Diagnostics: turn on Save a log. Log file chooses where (empty: vlc-log.txt), and Log details how much (Everything (debug) for a bug report). It applies when Settings closes.
2. Do what goes wrong, then close VLC Redesign.
3. Attach the file to your report.

Each line is written to the file at once, so the log keeps its last lines even when VLC crashes: those lines say where it happened. The log adds to the end of the file; delete it to start a new one.

Messages (Ctrl+M, or the right-click menu → More Settings) shows the same messages live.

Video problems: no picture, black screen, stutter, wrong colours

VLC Redesign decodes video on the graphics card when it can (Hardware-accelerated decoding: Automatic, Settings: Performance).

• Update the graphics driver first (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel): most picture problems come from an old one.
• Try without hardware decoding: set Hardware-accelerated decoding to Disabled, then play the file again. If it plays right, the driver is the cause.
• The video output: leave Video output module (Settings: Video, Developer mode) on its default. Direct3D 9 and OpenGL cannot show the picture in this interface; when one is chosen, VLC tries the outputs that work.
• HDR: the HDR formats need the libplacebo renderer and a display and driver that take HDR; Auto or Off in the HDR panel go back to the usual output, from the next media (see The player).
• A slow PC: Settings: Performance has the options that keep playback smooth (skipping the H.264 loop filter, dropping late frames, the decoder threads).
• VLC Redesign also runs without a graphics card (it was checked in Windows Sandbox), decoding on the processor.

Other questions

A file opened from Explorer does not play. It plays at once in a running VLC Redesign, in front of the other windows. If VLC Redesign stopped answering, the file opens in a new one.

The language changed back to English. VLC Redesign starts in English until you choose a language in Settings → General → Appearance → Interface language; Reset all settings goes back to English. See Languages.

Fullscreen does not end. Esc, F or F11 leave it, from any view.

The control bar lost a button. Open ⋯ → Customize Player and drag it back from the palette: the bar's own controls (Play, Volume, Fullscreen…) are at its end. Or switch profile (⋯ → Profile). See Customize the player.

Subtitles do not show. Open Languages and tracks → Subtitles: pick the language and the subtitle, or let the online search find one. See Subtitles.

No sound, or the wrong device. Languages and tracks → Audio → Output Device, with its refresh button; or Settings: Audio. When Windows' default device changes while playing, the sound moves to it after about a fifth of a second, in sync with the picture.

An update failed. The card says why, with Retry and Release page; nothing is left half done (see Install and update).

Report a bug

A question, or an idea? Use Discussions: Q&A for questions, Ideas for suggestions to talk over. Something broken? Open an issue on GitHub and pick a form:

Form	For
Bug report	Something that doesn't work as it should.
Design mismatch	A screen or control that differs from the design by Juxtopposed.
Suggestion	An idea, in the design or new.
Translation	A wrong, awkward or missing text in your language, or a new language.
TV report	How casting to your TV or Chromecast went (it fills TV compatibility).

A bug report asks for:

• the version (⋯ → About VLC shows it);
• how you installed it (installer, portable zip, built from source) and your Windows version (Windows 11 24H2);
• what happened, what you expected, and the steps to make it happen again;
• for playback, the media: format, codec, resolution, or a link to a sample (no copyrighted files);
• screenshots or a short recording, and the log if you have one.

Problems with the official VLC go to VideoLAN. A security problem goes through SECURITY.md, not a public issue.

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