VLC Media Player, also known as the VideoLan Client Media Player, has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The app now boasts things like Chromecast support and 360-degree video views. This versatile little open-source player can handle any media file you throw.

Now, if you use VLC on a Windows computer, you should know that it does more than just play media files. We’ll look at some of the best VLC Media Player features you may not know about.

1. Use VLC as a Video Downloader for YouTube

There are several capable free downloaders available for YouTube. Few know this, but VLC actually has this feature built-in. It's not a one-click downloader, but it works.

  1. Click on Media > Open Network stream.
    How to stream a video on VLC.
  2. Paste the YouTube URL and click the Play button in the player.
    Streaming a YouTube video on VLC.
  3. VLC Media Player starts streaming the video.
    Playing a YouTube video on VLC Media Player.
  4. Now, click Tools > Codec Information.
    Obtaining the codec information for the YouTube video.
  5. At the bottom of the window, you will see a Location box. Copy the long URL in the box and paste this into your browser's address bar.
    The URL needed to download from YouTube.
  6. The browser will now start playing the video file. You can download the video file to your desktop by right-clicking on the video and selecting Save Video As. You can also choose to record the video.

2. Convert Videos to Any Format

Converting a video to another format is another of our favorite VLC hidden features.

  1. From the toolbar, click on Media > Convert / Save.
    Convert / Save on VLC Player.
  2. In the Open Media dialog box, click the Add button and choose the media file you want to convert. Then, click on the Convert / Save dropdown and choose Convert.
    Converting a file on VLC Media Player.
  3. Click the dropdown menu for Profile and select the file format you want to convert your file.
    Choosing a file format on VLC Media Player.
  4. Click on Browse and select a location to save the converted file. Then, click Start.

3. Remove Audio From Any Video

There are plenty of online tools that help you remove audio from video. But the process might be lengthy if you want to edit a large video or you're dealing with low internet speed.

Fortunately, you can remove audio from video using the VLC media player. Keep in mind that you can’t revert the change, so it’s best if you make a copy of the video before editing it.

4. Use VLC as a Graphic Equalizer for Your Music

The Adjustments and Effects window in VLC Media Player.

You may be using VLC as a video player exclusively, but VLC is actually a cross-platform, standalone media player boasting fully-fledged audio effects and playlist support. VLC not only displays cover art; it also offers a pretty good graphic equalizer.

You can call it up with the shortcut keystrokes Ctrl + E (Or go to Tools > Effects and Filters > Audio Effects). Adjust the sound quality of your media file with the available presets, or fine-tune it with the Equalizer, Compressor, and Spatializer tabs.

5. Activate Audio Normalization to Protect Your Ears

Normalizing the volume in VLC Media Player.

Your general audio settings are located under Preferences. One of the best features of VLC is called Audio Normalization. This setting helps you adjust the volume of any media by a fixed amount and improve the sound quality.

Go to Tools > Preferences > Audio and enable Normalize Volume To. The value you set here adjusts the decibel levels of dialogue, music, explosions, gunshots, and any other loud noise in the file. Restart VLC after enabling the setting to lock it in.

6. Play Internet Radio and Podcasts in VLC

One of VLC's most underrated features is definitely its ability to find and play internet radio stations. Sure, there are many websites to listen to radio online, but the VLC player can fill all your audio needs: it can stream radio and play podcasts.

Use VLC to Listen to Radio

  1. Launch VLC and open the Playlist sidebar with Ctrl + L. Make sure that the Playlist view mode is set to List (go to View > Playlist View Mode > List).
  2. Under Internet, you can browse through the two radio servers—Jamendo and Icecast—and choose a station by clicking on it. Reggae fusion, anybody?
    Internet radio on the VLC Media Player.
  3. If your favorite internet radio station is not on the list, use the station's URL to stream it via VLC. Go to Media > Open Network Stream. Enter the URL and press Play to listen in.

Use VLC to Listen to Podcasts

You can manage your favorite podcasts via the same Playlist interface. To play podcasts in VLC:

  1. Go to Playlist, and under the Internet section, select Podcasts.
  2. As soon as your cursor hovers over the Podcasts section, click the plus sign.
  3. Copy and paste the RSS feed URL of the podcast that you want to listen to and click on OK. The podcast will be added to the sidebar, and you can pick any episode you like.

7. Stream Videos to Chromecast

If you’re planning a movie night with your friends, having a big screen is a must. Now, there are several ways that you can use to stream videos from your computer to your TV. But if you want to do it wirelessly, you can connect VLC with your Chromecast, as VLC supports the Google streaming device.

8. Loop a Section of a Video or Audio File

Most media players can loop an entire video or a soundtrack. With VLC, you can also loop a specific section of a media file.

  1. Open the video or audio file with VLC. Go to View > Advanced Controls.
  2. Now, a few more buttons will be displayed above the normal play and stop controls.
    The Advanced Controls in VLC Media Player.
  3. To start the loop from a specific part of the video, move the playhead to the part of the media where the loop should start (Point A).
  4. Click the loop button once. The "A" mark on the button will turn red. To finish the loop, take the video to the endpoint and click on the same button again. You will see both the A and B points of the button are red.
  5. Now, play the video, and the section will loop. Click the loop button once again if you want to switch it off.

9. Add Features With VLC Add-Ons and VLC Extensions

VLC's default suite of features might be enough for everyday use. If you're looking for enhanced functionality, there's an entire catalog of add-ons that you can install alongside the program. Remember, VLC has a huge open-source community behind it. They've created extensions, skins, playlist parsers, and other tools for users everywhere.

These extensions are more "secret" features that can be added to the player, such as tools that will help you search for subtitles.

  1. Visit the VLC add-ons page and browse through what's available.
  2. Click the Download button on each add-on page and download the ZIP file. Extract the file. (VLC add-ons use the LUA extension.)
  3. Place the LUA files in this Windows directory:
                C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\vlc\lua\extensions folder.
        
  4. Restart VLC. You can access all of your installed extensions from the View menu.

If you don't know where to get started, some of the best VLC extensions include:

VLC Is Full of Cool Features to Try

There's no question that VLC Media Player is one of the best tools out there. It can handle nearly every video file you might imagine, and it's chock-full of great features to boot.

Customizing your VLC experience has never been easier or more exciting. No matter what you have to do on VLC Player, wherever there's a will, you'll certainly find a way.

Now, if you want to edit a video and VLC can’t get the job done, you could try free editing software for Windows.