A lot of desktop and laptop users have now upgraded to Windows 10 for free. Almost all apps and software installed in the computer before the upgrade are there. VLC works perfectly with Windows 10. But the thing is, the upgrade changes the default media players from VLC to some other Windows app. All the music files are handled by Groove Music and the default video player is the Movies & TV app.

A lot of us want to switch back to VLC to make it the default media player. It is really good especially for videos. If you want to do it then we can simply set it as the default video and music player app. The option available in the main Settings > System > Default apps gives us the ability to change it back. You do not have to do it on an extension by extension basis while the option is still there. We can make it work for all video and audio files at once. Windows will set back the association to VLC for recognized video and audio files.

Here are the detailed steps to make VLC the default media (video as well as audio) player:

The options are saved immediately after the settings are changed. The next time you open video files, VLC will be the program to open it. You will also see the famous traffic cone icon in the thumbnails of the media files.

Choosing Default Apps by File Type

If you want to assign some video file types like .mp4 to open with VLC and other file types to open with the default media player then we use the option Choose default apps by file type. It is available in the same location Settings > System > Default apps, near the bottom of the page.

Choosing by File Type

Once you click on it, different recognized extensions will be listed. Scroll through the list and once you find the desired extension like .3gp or .mp4 click on the default app. Choose VLC media player from the options listed. The changes will be saved immediately.

Choosing One by One

Changing the Default App while Opening a File

There is one more option that helps you to change the default app to VLC without visiting the settings section. The option is right there when you open a media file.

The media file will open and from now on that extension or file type will be associated with VLC media player. In this example, we chose an MP4 file but it can be done for any type of media file.