Troubleshooting VLC on Ubuntu: What to do when it won’t open

VLC Troubleshooting

VLC is a popular media player that’s widely used on Ubuntu and other Linux-based operating systems. While VLC is generally reliable, there are times when it may not open for reasons that can be difficult to diagnose. If you’re experiencing this issue, don’t worry. There are a few things you can try to get VLC working again. In this article, we’ll discuss some common solutions.

Update your system:

The first thing you should do when VLC won’t open is to make sure your Ubuntu system is up to date. You can do this by opening a terminal and running the command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This will update all the packages installed on your system, including VLC. Once the update is complete, try opening VLC again to see if the issue has been resolved.

Reinstall VLC:

If updating your system doesn’t work, the next step is to try reinstalling VLC. To do this, open a terminal and run the command:

sudo apt-get remove vlc && sudo apt-get install vlc

This will remove the existing VLC installation and then install it again. Note that this will also remove any settings and preferences you may have set for VLC, so you’ll need to set those up again once the installation is complete.

Check for dependencies:

VLC may not open if it’s missing some dependencies. To check if this is the issue, open a terminal and run the command:

sudo apt-get install vlc-plugin-base

This will install the base plugin that VLC needs to run. If there are any other dependencies that are missing, you’ll need to install those as well.

Check for errors:

Sometimes, VLC may fail to open due to errors that are difficult to diagnose. To see if this is the issue, open a terminal and run the command:

vlc -vvv

This will start VLC in verbose mode and show any errors that may be preventing it from opening. If you see any errors, try searching for them online to see if there’s a solution.

Try a different media player:

If none of the above steps work, you can try installing a different media player, such as MPV or SMPlayer. These players are similar to VLC and may be able to play your media files without issue. To install MPV, for example, run the command:

sudo apt-get install mpv

Conclusion

If VLC isn’t opening on your Ubuntu system, don’t panic. There are a few things you can try to get it working again. In this article, we’ve discussed some common solutions, including updating your system, reinstalling VLC, checking for dependencies, checking for errors, and trying a different media player. By trying these solutions, you should be able to get VLC working again and enjoy your media files.