If a media file doesn't open or play on your Apple device
Older or specialised audio, video or image formats may not be supported on your device, or may require different software.
Apple apps such as Photos, iMovie, Safari, Keynote and QuickTime Player work with many media formats. Some apps prefer specific formats, but most formats work in most apps without additional software. Older or specialised formats might not work as expected if your device, its operating system or the app you're using to view or play the file doesn't support the file's format.
Install all available Apple software updates for your device, such as updates for your Mac or updates for your iPhone or iPad. After updating, if you still don’t have an app that supports the media format used by the file, search the internet or App Store for an app that does.
You can search by the name of the format or by the filename extension, which is shown at the end of the file’s name, such as .avi, .wmv or .mkv. On Mac, you may be able to identify the format by selecting the file in the Finder, then pressing Command-I to open an Info window. The format may appear after the label “Kind”, such as “Kind: Matroska Video File”.
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