How to Play Videos in Chrome Browser

Author: Michelle
Publish date
Updated on Apr 2, 2025
Play Video in Chrome Browser
  • Chrome can't play your video? Convert the video for smooth playback:
  • 1. Free Download Free Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro.
  • 2. Add your video to the converter.
  • 3. Select a Chrome-friendly format such as WebM, OGV, and MP4.
  • 4. Convert video for Chrome.
Quick Navigation
Before Playing Videos in Chrome...
- Convert videos to Chrome-friendly format
How to Play Videos in Chrome Browser
Explore Chrome Media Playback Features
Wrap-up
FAQs
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Google Chrome is the biggest search engine in the world. That said, if you need a fast media player to open your personal media files, Chrome also offers a direct solution.

Like regular media players, playing local videos in Chrome is also quick and easy, and you can enjoy picture-in-picture mode or further cast the video to your TV.

Wondering how to play videos in Chrome? 🤔 Let me explain it in detail below.

Before Playing Videos in Chrome...

Keep in mind that Google Chrome will play a variety of formats but not all. According to the Chromium Projects, the Chrome browser supports the following codecs and formats:

Container Formats Video Codecs Audio Codecs
MP4
OGV
Ogg
WebM
WAV
VP8
VP9
AV1
Theora
H.264
H.265
MPEG-4
FLAC
MP3
Opus
PCM
PCM μ-law
Vorbis
AAC-LC

Therefore, it your video isn’t supported by Chrome, you first need to convert it to one of the Chrome supported formats.

Convert videos to Chrome-friendly format

For that, you can use a reliable video converter tool WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro to handle the conversion easily. Just download and install download and install the software and follow the conversion steps.

Free download Download for Free
Free download Download for Free

Step 1. Run the software on your PC and open Converter.

Step 2. Select + Add Files to add your unsupported video or drag the file directly into the program interface.

Step 3. Hit the format image on the right to unfold the output format page. Then head to the Web tab and select MP4 (for HTML5), WebM (for HTML5), or OGV (for HTML5) as the output format.

Step 4. Click the ▼ button at the bottom of the program to choose an output folder. Finally, press Run to start the conversion.

Convert Video for Playing in Chrome
Convert Video for Playing in Chrome

Once your video is made Chrome-compatible, you can try the following methods to open and play the video in Chrome browser.

How to Play Videos in Chrome Browser

It’s straightforward to play videos in the Chrome browser. Here are three ways:

Way 1. Drag and drop the video onto the Chrome shortcut

The easiest way to open a video file in Chrome is to drag and drop it to the Chrome shortcut on your desktop. Then the browser will open with your video playing automatically.

Way 2. Open Chrome and drop the video anywhere on Chrome

While your Chrome browser is open, you can directly drag a video anywhere on the browser window, and the video will start to play in a new tab.

Way 3. Right-click on the video and select Open with… > Google Chrome

You can also locate the video you want to play and right-click on it, then choose Open with > Google Chrome. If you can’t find Google Chrome as an option, you need to select Choose another app > More apps, and then find the executable file for Chrome.


🔔 If your video won’t play in Chrome browser, but instead, the browser downloads the video file, it means that the video is using an unsupported format. You’ll need to convert the video to a format accepted by Chrome to enable the video playback.


Explore Chrome Media Playback Features:

In the Chrome media player, you can control the video playback with pause, resume, and play in full-screen. What’s more, you can use several advanced features to improve your watching experience. These are:

🌟 Picture-in-Picture Mode 🌟

You can right-click on the video and select the Picture in picture option. Then the player window will be shrunk to a small floating window to the lower-tight of your screen. You can drag the window to any place on your screen and continue with your other work at the same time.

🌟 Cast to TV 🌟

You can also use the browser to cast the video to your TV for better visual enjoyment. Just right-click on the video and select Cast. It will start looking for compatible devices over the same network. Then click the device you desire and start casting.

🌟 Loop 🌟

It is possible to play the video on a loop, especially when you want to listen to the sound over and over again. Simply right-click on the video and select Loop.

🌟 Playback Speed 🌟

If you want to change the playback speed to play the video faster or slower, you can go over to the lower-right menu button and select Playback speed, then choose your desired video speed.

Wrap-up

It's extremely easy and convenient to use the Chrome browser to play your media files. You can drop the file and start playing immediately. But keep in mind that the video must be supported by Chrome browser or it won’t play. With the video converter introduced in this article, you can easily and quickly convert your video to be compatible with Chrome. Then you will have no problem enjoying your videos on Chrome. You can download the software and try it now:

Free download Download for Free
Free download Download for Free

That’s pretty much all I want to share about how to play local video files in Chrome. I hope this article was useful. Thanks for reading. Have a nice day!

FAQs

1. What video formats does Chrome support for playback?

Chrome supports several container formats including MP4, OGV, Ogg, WebM, and WAV. It also supports various video codecs such as VP8, VP9, AV1, Theora, H.264, H.265, and MPEG-4, along with audio codecs like FLAC, MP3, Opus, PCM, PCM μ-law, Vorbis, and AAC-LC.

2. Why won't my video play in Chrome?

If your video doesn't play in Chrome, it's likely using an unsupported format. You'll need to convert the video to a supported format using a tool like WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro.

3. How can I convert videos to play in Chrome?

  • Download Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro.
  • Run the software and open the Converter module.
  • Add your unsupported video file.
  • Select MP4, WebM, or OGV as the output format under the Web tab.
  • Choose an output folder and start the conversion.

4. What are the different ways to play videos in Chrome?

  • 1️⃣ Dragging and dropping the video onto the Chrome shortcut.
  • 2️⃣ Dragging the video into an open Chrome browser window.
  • 3️⃣ Right-clicking the video file and selecting "Open with" > "Google Chrome".
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