QuickTime for Windows

An easy-to-use multimedia player

QuickTime is a popular multimedia player. Developed by Apple, it can handle a wide range of picture, video, audio, and panoramic image formats. With a simple, clean, and interactive interface, QuickTime Player has become a leading choice among Mac users. While the tool has stopped receiving support for the Windows version, it’s still a good download option for people familiar with the navigation and features.

Basic video editing, live streaming, and more

For almost a decade, QuickTime was one of the most prominent multimedia players. However, some next-gen programs like VLC and KMPlayer have competed pretty hard with Apple’s default software. Even now, QuickTime comes pre-installed with Mac computers and receives regular updates.

Unfortunately, while it remains a must-use app for Apple users, the development of the Windows version has taken a backseat. That said, though, if you're looking for a simple, functional, and feature-packed multimedia player on your computer, QuickTime download will be a good choice.

What are the features?

QuickTime has always been popular for its multiple features, especially the ones available in the Pro version. Apart from video file formats, you can use QuickTime to play images, audio, and other content. Additionally, the tool comes with some basic video editing features, which let you rotate, trim, split, and merge video clips. As such, this program can be used as a simple video editor to share clips online.

QuickTime supports many other features, including the ability to record your PC’s screen. You can even use ‘QuickTime Broadcaster’ to stream live videos. All the media files you use with the player can be directly uploaded to social media websites, such as Facebook, Vimeo, and Youtube.

Since the program is backed by Apple, it supports various plug-ins to provide you with more features and options. However, the use of plug-ins is primarily meant for Mac users, since the Windows version doesn’t receive any updates. Currently, QuickTime is available for use on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

What can you play with QuickTime?

Since QuickTime has been Apple’s default multimedia player for Mac devices, it’s compatible with all the files you’ve purchased from iTunes or Apple TV. Moreover, the program optimizes videos to be played on Mac. For Windows, it receives similar features, such as advanced video compression technology or H.264. It delivers high-quality HD videos with less storage and bandwidth required.

QuickTime can also transcode and encode all kinds of digital files to different formats. Unfortunately, it still can’t compete with the features and performance of relatively new multimedia players available online.

What are the drawbacks?

Compared to other options, QuickTime download comes with limited functionality. For instance, when you explore the app’s menus, you’ll realize that most of the features are only available with the Pro version. If you purchase a subscription, you’ll be able to combine movies, trim certain sections, or loop video clips.

Another problem is that QuickTime needs third-party codecs to play certain formats. While some formats are natively supported, you’ll experience issues with AVI and other similar files. Even after installing the codec, the player sometimes causes errors. This may be due to the lack of updates for the Windows version.

Last but not least, QuickTime Player is heavy software, placing a demand on system resources. While the program doesn’t slow down your computer, it still requires more storage space on the hard disk.

What are the alternatives?

Considering the limitations of the program, you might want to consider a few alternatives. In recent years, various excellent multimedia players have been introduced in the market. While some of these let you play files stored on your system, others support streaming, uploads to social media websites, and plenty of useful features.

When it comes to watching content on Windows PCs, VLC Media Player has been the most popular choice. It’s a robust, easy-to-use, free program, which lets you stream content from popular platforms like Disney+, Hulu, Xbox, Playstation, and more. Available for Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and Linux, VLC is the perfect way to enjoy your favorite content without any hassles.

KMPlayer, another excellent choice, supports a wide range of video formats, including WMV, OGM, MKV, FLV, MOV, and 3GP. The program can also quickly decode video formats in Ultra High Definition, 4K, and 3D files. With KMPlayer, you can repeat certain sections of the video, sync audio, and change VR settings. This is, without a doubt, a power-packed multimedia player for your Windows computer.

PotPlayer, a relatively new platform, is one of the most powerful music and video players for Windows. With this tool, you can source files from FTP servers, digital and analog TVs, URLs, DVDs, local storage, and Blu-rays. PotPlayer optimizes the playback automatically to suit the output device.

Moreover, it lets you download and sync subtitles, supports multiple languages, and customizes the on-screen text for better visibility.

Last but not least, this multimedia player comes with video editing options, so you can rotate, merge, warp, reduce noise, and perform other similar functions.

Should I download QuickTime?

QuickTime lets you conveniently play videos stored on the PC’s hard disk. You can even use a URL to stream content online. While the application supports multiple file formats, the limited functionality in the free version can be a deterrent. You can use third-party codecs and plug-ins to enhance the player’s performance.

A good choice for Windows PCs

Developed by Apple, QuickTime Player has remained a good choice for playing multimedia files. But the tool is more suitable for Mac users than for those with a Windows PC. However, if you’d like to try out the familiar interface and import files from iTunes to a Windows computer, you should give it a shot.