How to Play WMV on Mac OS X (Lion included)

Part 1.How to convert WMV to MOV format on Mac
Part 2.How to play WMV on Mac (Mac OS X Lion included)

Let's face it, Windows and Mac will never fully get along. Playing WMV (Windows Media Video) on Mac is no execption. So if you're looking to play WMV on a Mac, this article has the four most trusted ways to play WMV video on Mac (Mac OS X Lion included),

Part 1. How to convert WMV to MOV on Mac (Mac OS X Lion included)

If just want to play WMV on Mac, go to Part 2. But if you want the ability to manage WMV on iTunes, transfer to iPhone for playback or edit in iMovie, etc. you'd better convert WMV to MOV or some other Mac comaptible formats for a change.

And for converting WMV videos, a video conversion program is a more sensible option. iSkysoft Video Converter for Mac then might be a good choice with its excellent performance in conversion: super fast conversion speed, loss-less video quality and easy to use interface etc. It supports all video conversion on Mac, including convert WMV to MOV, MP4, iTunes, iMovie, etc. Detailed info: User Guide of Video Converter for Mac.

Download Intel version

Part 2. How to Watch WMV on Mac (Mac OS X Lion included)

Note: The following methods are only for you to play WMV on the Mac i.e. you are unable to import WMV to iMovie, orgnize WMV files via iTunes, sync to iPhone via iTunes etc.

VLC Media Player (Highly Recommended, Compatible with Mac OS X)

playing wmv on Mac， vlc-media- player

Mac users can use VLC media player to play WMV files--WMV videos look great on it. VLC is an open source, free media player developed by the VideoLAN project. It supports a wide range of video and audio formats, as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs and streaming protocols. Moreover, it can performs well on different platforms, with versions for Microsoft Windows OS, Mac OS, Linux, Syllable, BeOS, BSD, Solaris, MorphOS and Sharp Zaurus.

Windows Media Player 9 for Mac

windows media player for mac snow leopard

Windows Media Player 9 for Mac can play both local and streamed WMV and WMA files. It's free of charge. But there is no plan to provide upgrade any more.

In general, this player meets your needs to play WMV files on Mac. However, the discontinue upgrade decision did caused trouble for Mac users. This player supports Apple Mac OS X version 10.5 or later. when it was released in 2003. Some Snow Leopard OS users find it is really a headache to unzip the player 9 download or to get this player to work normally. So if your system does not support this player, turn to other solutions.

Flip 4 Mac ( Flip4Mac WMV Beta supports Mac OS X Lion )

play wmv mac, flip for mac snow leopard

As mentioned in the above that Microsoft won't upgrade windows media player 9, Microsoft did offer an alternative for Mac users: Windows Media Components for QuickTime Flip4Mac, which is developed by Telestream. With this QuickTime component, you can play both WMV and WMA files directly using QuickTime Player and watch streamed WMV videos.

BChomica 2012-01-31 22:45
Good info. Just a note that Flip4Mac doesn't work with GotoMeeting or GotoWebinar recordings.
shkhdf 2011-12-05 02:31
You can download the version for 32/64 Intel Mac.
pugdesign 2011-12-03 20:10
How do I determine which VLC media player to download. Brand-new macBook Pro, with Lion 10.7.2.

Play WMV on Mac