Does VLC Support Apple Silicon Natively?

This article provides a quick overview of VLC media player’s compatibility with Apple Silicon chips (\(M1\), \(M2\), \(M3\), and \(M4\)). It explains how to check if your version is running natively, how to download the correct version, and the performance benefits of using the native Apple Silicon build over the Intel version running via Rosetta 2.

The Short Answer: Yes

VLC media player fully supports Apple Silicon natively. VideoLAN released native support for Apple’s ARM-based architecture, meaning the software runs directly on M-series chips without needing emulation.

Running VLC natively ensures that the media player utilizes the full processing power and efficiency of Apple Silicon hardware, leading to better performance and reduced battery consumption.

How to Download VLC for Apple Silicon

While VLC does support M-series chips natively, you must ensure you download the correct installation package, as the standard download button on the VLC website sometimes defaults to the Intel version depending on your browser settings.

To get the native version:

• Visit the official VideoLAN website.
• Click the arrow next to the Download VLC button to open the dropdown menu.
• Select Apple Silicon devices from the list.
• Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag VLC into your Applications folder.

How to Check if VLC is Running Natively

If you already have VLC installed and want to verify that it is running natively on your Mac, you can check its application architecture through macOS.

1. Open your Applications folder.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) on the VLC icon and select Get Info.
3. Look at the Kind field under the General section:

• If it says Application (Universal) or Application (Apple Silicon), it is running natively.
• If it says Application (Intel), your Mac is using Rosetta 2 emulation to run it, and you should update to the Apple Silicon version for optimal performance.

Performance Benefits of Native Support

Switching from the Intel version to the native Apple Silicon version of VLC provides several noticeable improvements:

• Lower Battery Consumption: Native code executes much more efficiently, significantly extending battery life when watching high-definition video on MacBooks.
• Faster Rendering and Decoding: 4K and 8K video playback is smoother, with fewer dropped frames, because the software interacts directly with the M-series hardware decoders.
• Quicker App Launch Times: The application opens almost instantly compared to the slight delay experienced when Rosetta 2 translates Intel code.