Find out how to watch videos and movies in AVI format on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac using free video player apps, as Apple’s own media apps don’t support AVI natively.
Just like MKV, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS cannot natively open and play AVI (Audio Video Interleave) files. Therefore, if you have videos in AVI format, you’ll have to follow the steps mentioned in this post to watch them on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac without the need to convert them into another Apple-friendly video format like MP4.
Play AVI videos on Mac
When you try to open an AVI video or movie in Apple’s built-in QuickTime Player, a pop-up appears saying, “The document could not be opened. The file isn’t compatible with QuickTime Player.” Therefore, to play AVI files, use apps like VLC or Infuse.
- Download the VLC Media Player app from its official website for your Apple silicon or Intel Mac and install it.
- Open VLC on your Mac and click File > Open File from the top menu bar.
- Now, select the AVI file from Finder and click Open.
Going forward, you can also right-click or Control-click on the AVI file in Finder and choose Open With > VLC.
Aside from that, you can configure your Mac to always open all AVI files directly in VLC Media Player. Once you do this, a simple double-click on the AVI file in Finder will automatically start playing it inside the VLC app.
Note that VLC supports virtually every common video codec, so this guide can also be applied to other file formats. If you’re looking for a VLC alternative, consider the Infuse Media Player, which is available on the Apple App Store and supports Picture-in-Picture.
Watch AVI videos on iPhone and iPad
- Get the VLC app for free from the App Store.
- If the AVI file is on your computer, transfer it directly to the VLC app on your iPhone or iPad. After that, open VLC on your phone, and you’ll find it in the Video tab. Just tap to play it.
- If the AVI media file is already in your iPhone Files app, simply tap it, then tap the share button, and choose VLC from the row of app icons. The AVI file will start playing in the VLC Media Player on your iPhone or iPad. Tap the Now Playing card to watch the movie in full screen.
Note: If you don’t see the VLC app icon in step 3 above, customize the iOS Share Sheet to add it.
Pro tip: Drag and drop the AVI file into the VLC folder of the iOS Files app, and then your AVI file will always appear inside the Video section of the VLC app.
In addition to VLC, you can use the Infuse app or one of these other apps to watch practically any video, irrespective of its file format, on your iPhone or iPad.