Launched in 2010 and developed by Google, WebM is a royalty-free audiovisual format intended for HTML5 websites. As its name suggests, it's a web-oriented format and is an alternative to the patented H.264 and MP4 (MPEG4) formats.
However, since it's a relatively new file format, not every OS and default media player supports it, with Mac users having a lot of trouble opening and playing this type of file.
Therefore, today's article will teach you how to open WebM files on Mac and show you some of the top Mac WebM players you can use.
In this article
Why You Need a WebM Player for Mac
Although the included QuickTime media player on macOS is decent and supports a wide range of video formats, WebM isn't among them. You'll need a different and reliable third-party video player to open and play video files of the WebM format directly on your Mac, so stay with us as we'll soon discuss the top seven options.
How to Open a WebM File on Mac Without a Player
While it's undoubtedly better to get a proper WebM video player for Mac devices, there are ways to open these files without one. As WebM is a video format often associated with the internet, most modern browsers can play these files without issues.
Since WebM is Google's video format, the Chrome web browser has supported the WebM format the longest. Opera and Firefox included the necessary VP8 and VP9 video codecs for playing the HTML5 video format shortly after Chrome, while Microsoft Edge and Mac's own Safari were the last to add support.
Right-clicking and opening your WebM files with these web browsers will play the video without issues as long as your browsers are updated. You can also use WebM Project's detect feature to determine whether your browser is supported.
Best WebM Players for Mac
There are dozens of video apps, tools, and options for users who want a dedicated media player instead of playing WebM videos through their browser. After all, dedicated media players undoubtedly offer more advantages, such as:
- Specialized playback features
- Hardware acceleration and efficiency
- Offline playback
- Interface customization options
- Better file format compatibility
While including them all would be impossible, we've tried and tested many dedicated video players compatible with WebM to bring you a list of the top seven of these, which you can learn more about below.
VLC Media Player
VLC is an open-source media player developed and maintained by VideoLAN. It supports most file formats and has all the necessary codecs to play WebM files, including VP8, VP9, AV1 video codecs, and Vorbis and Opus audio compression codecs.
Tech Specs
VLC Media Player supports all widely-used file formats, including WebM, MP3, MP4, MKV, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, AC3, WMA, Vorbis, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MOV, OGG, MXF, and more.
User Comments
Most reviews regarding VLC are positive, with users praising VLC as the best media player. However, some users also report bugs with the newer 3.xx versions, including the "continue playback" feature not working.
👉Try it now
5KPlayer
As one of the best-looking video players for Mac, the 5KPlayer supports almost all file formats, allowing users to play virtually any video type. Opening and playing WebM video files is also incredibly straightforward. You can even download videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.
Tech Specs
This free, intuitively designed video player supports WebM, MKV, AVI, MP4, MTS, MP3, FLAC, ALAC, OGG, AC3, WMA, AAC, and many other file formats.
User Comments
On top of user reports saying that 5KPlayer is causing lags, many others are unhappy with spam, while some call the media player a virus app. On the other hand, most users are happy with the 5KPlayer, praising its performance and ability to handle mixed media files.
👉Try it now
Elmedia Player
Featuring hardware-accelerated decoding, Elmedia Players makes it easy to open WebM files, and there's also support for 22 audio, 48 video, and 12 subtitle formats. The player has a fantastic interface, and the app has various video and audio playback features, a built-in subtitle search, and streaming capabilities.
Tech Specs
Elmedia supports MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAW audio and AVI, MP4, VOB, FLV, MOV, MKV, M4V, and WebM video formats.
User Comments
Apple's Mac App Store comment section is filled with mixed reviews. Some users state there's a lack of support and no streaming-site downloads, while most people love the codec and format support.
👉Try it now
KMPlayer
With a sleek and intuitive user interface, KMPlayer is one of the most elegant Mac WebM players. The free video player is available in 42 languages, includes over 35 codecs, and supports a massive range of audio and video formats, with WebM being one of these.
Tech Specs
There's support for 3GP, AVI, DIVX, FLV, MOV, MP4, MTS, OGV, TS, VOB, WebM, WMV, AAC, AC3, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAVE, WMA, and many other audio and video formats.
User Comments
Most negative reviews are related to KMPlex, a system that rewards you points for playing media, which you can exchange for rewards. On the other hand, when it comes to video playback, most users are satisfied.
👉Try it now
IINA
As a free, open-source video player in over 20 languages, IINA is an excellent choice for playing WebM files in that exact Mac style. Since it's a macOS exclusive, it seamlessly integrates with Mac features like Force Touch, Touch Bar, Dark Mode, etc.
Tech Specs
The IINA player supports major file formats like MP3, M4A, AAC, M4A, MOV, WebM, MKV, etc.
User Comments
MacUpdate's comments about IINA are primarily positive, with users loving the modern UI, simplicity, and VLC-like features. Still, some users report the app not working or getting pixelated playback.👉Try it now
Vidmore Player
Known for its ISO file, DVD, and Blu-ray capabilities, Vidmore is a fantastic alternative to Apple's built-in QuickTime. There's support for advanced audio decoding technology, various audio and video file formats like WebM, and numerous playback and subtitling features. Moreover, you can adjust the video effects, including brightness and saturation.
Tech Specs
On top of DVD, Blu-ray, and ISO files, Vidmore losslessly plays MP3, MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, MPEG, WMV, and many other file formats.
User Comments
With a 4.5/5 star rating on G2, most users are satisfied with video and audio playback but dislike that features like GIF maker are only available in the pro version.
👉Try it now
Cisdem Video Player
Known for its lightweight build and high-quality playback, Cisdem is a top QuickTime alternative for playing WebM files. Thanks to its hardware acceleration, the video player lets you enjoy smooth 1080p, 4K, 5K, and 8K video playback. It also has various playback features like Incognito and Separate Mode.
Tech Specs
Cisdem Video Player supports MP4, AVI, MKV, WMV, M4V, 3GP, FLV, ISO, DIVX, MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV, OGG, AC3, and other file formats.
User Comments
While Trustpilot users aren't satisfied with Cisdem as a company, its video player app is rated at 4.1/5 stars on the Mac App Store, with most users appreciating the lightweight build, 8K capabilities, and advantages over the built-in QuickTime player.
👉Try it now
Bonus: How to Ensure Your WebM Files Don't Get Lost
Opening WebM files with unsupported video players and editing apps is known to cause file corruption. On top of that, there's always the possibility of losing data through failing SSDs/HDDs, interrupted downloads or transfers, system crashes, etc.
However, there is a solution to these problems, and that's where advanced data recovery apps come in. They're an excellent way to protect your WebM files from corruption or data loss, and Wondershare Recoverit is a prime example of such a tool. Using it is also incredibly straightforward.
Here's how you can recover lost WebM files with Wondershare Recoverit:
- Open Wondershare Recoverit on your Mac and choose the Hard Drives and Locations option.
- Select the disk where you save media files. Wondershare Recoverit will immediately start scanning the disk drive for lost files.
- You can help the app locate your media files with file filters and keywords.
- When it finds files, the app will let you preview them to verify their integrity before recovering them. If you're satisfied with the previews, tap Recover to save the files to your Mac.
With support for over 500 data loss situations like accidental file deletion, interrupted transfers, formatted disk drives, and system crashes, Wondershare Recoverit makes data recovery a piece of cake. It can retrieve over 1,000 file types, including documents, music, videos, and photos.
Conclusion
As a relatively new Google-backed video format, WebM is unsupported by many default video players like QuickTime on macOS. Fortunately, alternative playback apps like VLC, KMPlayer, 5KPlayer, and IINA exist, and we've tested the top seven tools to help you find the best Mac WebM player for your needs.
On top of these video players, WebM videos can be opened through a web browser. At the same time, dedicated data recovery tools like Wondershare Recoverit can safeguard your WebM files and ensure they don't get lost or corrupted.
FAQ
How to open WebM files on a Mac?
While third-party WebM media players are undoubtedly the way to go for Mac users, there is a way to open these files without installing a video player. Namely, since macOS 11.3, Apple has brought WebM support to Safari, and here's how you can use it to open WebM files:1.Launch Safari and hit CMD + . on your keyboard.
2.Browse and open your local WebM video files.
3. Safari will play your WebM videos.
Remember that this only works on macOS Big Sur and later versions.
Is VLC best for Mac?
Although its older user interface might not match your Mac's sleek style, VLC is undoubtedly among the top contenders for best Mac WebM players. With support for almost all video and audio file formats, a relatively customizable interface, and an open-source mentality, VLC is worth checking out.What is the best iOS WebM player?
Users with iPhones and iPads will also find it challenging to play WebM videos as iOS doesn't natively support it. Nonetheless, there are solutions to this issue: choose and install reliable third-party video players. Apps like VLC, PlayerXtreme, KM Player, and GOM are all worthy contenders and among the best iOS WebM players.
