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Linux VLC Guide

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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux VLC Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to VLC Media Player on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, configuration, and advanced features.

Table of Contents

  1. VLC Installation
  2. VLC Configuration
  3. Playback Features
  4. Streaming
  5. Troubleshooting

VLC Installation

Install VLC

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install VLC
sudo pacman -S vlc

# With all codecs
sudo pacman -S vlc vlc-plugin

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install vlc

Fedora:

sudo dnf install vlc

Launch VLC

Start VLC:

# Launch VLC
vlc

# Or from application menu

VLC Configuration

VLC Settings

Configure VLC:

  1. Tools → Preferences
  2. Video → Output: Automatic
  3. Audio → Output: Automatic
  4. Input/Codecs → Hardware decoding

Hardware Acceleration

Enable GPU acceleration:

  1. Tools → Preferences → Input/Codecs
  2. Hardware-accelerated decoding: Automatic
  3. Video codec: H.264, H.265

Playback Features

Playback Controls

VLC controls:

  • Space: Play/Pause
  • F: Fullscreen
  • M: Mute
  • Arrow keys: Seek

Subtitles

Load subtitles:

  1. Subtitle → Add Subtitle File
  2. Select .srt or .vtt file
  3. Adjust timing if needed

Streaming

Stream Media

Stream to network:

  1. Media → Stream
  2. Add source file
  3. Stream → Next
  4. Destination: HTTP or RTP
  5. Configure settings

Troubleshooting

Playback Issues

Check codecs:

# Install codecs
sudo pacman -S gstreamer gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly

Audio Not Working

Check audio:

# Restart PulseAudio
pulseaudio -k
pulseaudio --start

Summary

This guide covered VLC installation, configuration, and usage for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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