Play the videos Windows won't
MKV, HEVC, MOV, and the rest. No codec pack to buy.
A quiet player for the files Windows pretends it can't open. It stays in the folder you opened, so the next video is one key away.
Free · Windows 10/11 · Microsoft Store
Early access. If you hit an issue, use Help in the app to submit a support ticket.
v2026.10.1
What's new
Open a video, swipe to the next one in the same folder. That is the product.
New in 2026.10.1
- • Delete video: press Del to send the video you're watching to the Recycle Bin and go straight to the next one.
- • Copy to folder: right-click to copy the video to a folder, then Ctrl+Shift+C sends the next one to the same place. Existing files are never overwritten.
- • Select several videos in File Explorer and open them to play just those.
- • Smoother 4K playback, and "Make Vantage Player the default…" in the right-click menu.
Play a folder, not just a file
- • Open a video and swipe or arrow to the next file in the same folder.
- • Slide-out folder browser with thumbnails of every sibling.
- • Drag a file or a whole folder onto the window.
Plays the files you actually have
- • HEVC, MKV, MOV, MP4, WebM, AVI, and the rest. No extra codec packs.
- • Hardware decoding on by default. Turn it off in Settings if a file tears.
Stays out of the way
- • Auto-hiding control bar. Resume, auto-play next, or repeat.
- • Fit, Fill, Stretch, plus Force 16:9 and Force 4:3 when the container lies.
- • Ctrl+S saves the frame on screen to Pictures\Vantage Player.
Privacy and defaults
- • Your videos never leave this PC. File and folder names are never sent.
- • Set as your default video app from Settings. Windows still has to confirm it.
- • Optional usage data is a Settings toggle. Crash reports stay on so we can fix decoder failures.
What's new in each release → · First release notes · Privacy policy
Windows Makes Video Annoying
Phone footage in HEVC. Camera files in MKV. iPhone clips in MOV. And the built-in player demands money from the Store before it'll touch them.
Codec Packs Cost Money
The Microsoft Store wants $0.99 for HEVC extensions on a machine that already has the hardware to decode it.
Folders Don't Browse
Open a video, finish, back to Explorer, find the next file, double-click. There has to be an arrow key.
Big Players Are Heavy
Most "good" Windows players ship with a giant feature surface. Vantage Player is the small fast one in the middle.
Built For Watching Things
Plays Everything
- ✓ HEVC / H.265, no Store extension needed
- ✓ MP4 / H.264, MKV, MOV, WebM, AVI
- ✓ The VLC engine, embedded, same compatibility, no separate install
- ✓ Native libraries ship next to the .exe
Folder-Swipe Navigation
- ✓ ← / → arrow keys jump to previous / next file in the folder
- ✓ Mouse drag-swipe, drag right for next, left for previous
- ✓ On-screen ◀ ▶ buttons in the control bar
- ✓ No playlist UI to manage, the folder is the playlist
- ✓ Delete video: Del sends it to the Recycle Bin and plays the next one
- ✓ Copy to folder, then Ctrl+Shift+C sends the next one to the same place, never overwriting
Keyboard-First
- ✓ Space = play / pause, F = fullscreen, Esc to exit
- ✓ , / . to seek −10 s / +10 s, ↑ / ↓ for volume
- ✓ Ctrl+O to open a file dialog
- ✓ Single-click = play/pause, double-click = fullscreen
Stays Out Of The Way
- ✓ Auto-hiding control bar, appears on mouse move, fades after ~2.5 s
- ✓ Cursor hides during playback too
- ✓ Open files via dialog, drag-and-drop, or double-click in Explorer
- ✓ Per-user "Open with" registration, no admin required
What you need
Open it, watch it, swipe to the next one.
Free, small, and plays the videos Windows pretends it can't.
Get it from Microsoft StoreFree, uses LGPL'd LibVLC under the hood, full attribution in the install folder.
Windows 10/11 · Early Release · Microsoft Store
Vantage Player is one of the free tools we build at LTC Labs. The rest of the time we modernize and rebuild business software →