Media Players for Windows
Five video players and codec tools and three music players, read from each developer's own pages on 23 October 2026. K-Lite is a codec pack, not a player, and it is listed here because it changes what other players can open. Several pages omit a version, price or licence, and the table says so.
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Versions, licences and Windows floors for players
| Program | Latest version | Released | Licence | Windows | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLC media player | 3.0.24 | 22 Sep 2026 | Open source (various) | XP SP3 to 11 | Free |
| PotPlayer | Not printed | Not printed | Not stated | 7 to 11 | Not stated |
| MPC-HC | 2.8.2 | 17 Sep (year not printed) | GPL v3 | 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 | Free |
| mpv | 0.41.0 | 21 Dec (year not printed) | GPL/LGPL (libmpv builds) | Not stated | Not stated |
| K-Lite Codec Pack | 20.1.0 | 18 Oct 2026 | Free (terms not read) | 7 to 11 | Free |
| foobar2000 | 2.26.1 | 9 Oct 2026 | Freeware (foobar2000 license) | 7 or newer | Free |
| MusicBee | 3.6.9668 | 20 Jun 2026 | Not stated | 7 to 11 | Free (home page) |
| AIMP | 5.40.2727 | 8 Sep 2026 | Not stated | Vista+ | Not listed |
Scope: figures are copied from the eight Media Players program pages, each of which lists its sources. Where a developer's own pages disagree, the program page shows both values.
Choosing between video and audio players
For video, VLC states the widest Windows range (XP SP3 to 11) and plays most codecs without a pack. MPC-HC is a GPL v3 Windows player that the maintainer calls mature. mpv is a command-line player whose Windows builds are all third-party except the project's testing builds. PotPlayer lists Windows 7 to 11 and does not state a version, price or licence on the pages read.
For music, foobar2000 and MusicBee state Windows 7 as the floor and AIMP names Vista. K-Lite suits someone who uses a DirectShow player and needs more codecs; the Standard variant includes MPC-HC.