Why Is VLC Player Lagging? Here’s How to Fix It

If you've ever been in the middle of watching your favorite movie or listening to an important presentation on VLC Media Player, only to have the video start lagging or stuttering, you know how frustrating it can be. But don’t worry – you're not alone. Many VLC users have experienced lagging issues, and the good news is that they can usually be fixed pretty easily.

In this guide, we will explain why VLC Player might be lagging and how you can fix it with quick fixes.

GUIDE LIST

Part 1. Why Is VLC Player Lagging

Part 2. How to Fix VLC Player Lagging with a Few Clicks

Part 3. How to Fix VLC Player Lagging [Conventional Ways]

Part 4. FAQs

Part 1. Why Is VLC Player Lagging

There are a bunch of reasons why VLC might be lagging or freezing during video playback. Here are some common culprits:

Corrupted Video Files

Sometimes the file itself is the problem. If the video file is damaged or corrupted, VLC may struggle to play it properly, resulting in lag or stutter.

Outdated VLC Version

If your VLC Media Player is out of date, it might not be able to handle newer video formats or codec updates, causing playback issues like lag.

Hardware Limitations

If your computer or device doesn’t have enough resources (like RAM or processing power), VLC may have trouble running smoothly. This is especially true with high-quality or high-resolution videos.

Too Many Background Apps

Having too many programs running in the background can eat up your system's resources, leaving VLC with little power to perform at its best.

Incorrect Settings

Sometimes, the default settings in VLC are set in a way that makes it hard for the player to run smoothly. For example, the hardware acceleration feature might be disabled or misconfigured.

Part 2. How to Fix VLC Player Lagging with a Few Clicks

If you’re looking for a quick and effective fix for your VLC lagging issues, that's because the video file is lagging or choppy. There's a super-easy solution: ArkThinker Video Repair.

This tool is designed to repair corrupted video files, which could be the root cause of your lagging VLC playback.

ArkThinker Video Repair is a user-friendly software tool that helps you repair damaged or corrupted video files, including those in formats like MP4, MOV, and AVI. It’s perfect for when your videos won’t play smoothly on VLC and you suspect they might be the problem. I tried this tool myself, and it worked like a charm! The interface is simple, and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to fix your files.

Here's how you can use it to fix VLC lag in just a few clicks.

Open the tool and choose the corrupted video file you want to repair. You’ll notice an option to Add Video, and just click it and select the video that’s giving you trouble from the left side.

For the right side, you need to add a sample video that is from the same source as the choppy or lagging video file.

In this way, you can easily fix MP4, 3GP and mor video files.

I was skeptical at first, but after using ArkThinker Video Repair on a few files that weren’t playing properly in VLC, I was amazed at how well it worked. The process was quick and simple, and the repaired videos played flawlessly without any lag. The only downside? Sometimes the software might take a minute or two to process large video files, but other than that, it’s a solid fix for lagging VLC playback.

Part 3. How to Fix VLC Player Lagging [Conventional Ways]

While ArkThinker Video Repair is a super helpful tool, it’s not the only solution. Here are a few more conventional ways to fix VLC lag:

Update VLC to the Latest Version

One of the easiest things you can do is update VLC to its latest version. Sometimes bugs in older versions can cause performance issues, including lag. To update:

This is an universal solutions to fix media player not sound, media player black screen, and more.

Adjust VLC’s Video Output Settings

Changing the video output settings in VLC can help improve playback performance. Here’s how you can do it:

Enable Hardware Acceleration

Enabling hardware acceleration can offload some of the processing from your CPU to your GPU, making VLC run smoother. To enable this:

Close Background Apps

If your computer is running multiple apps or processes, it could slow down VLC. Try closing unnecessary applications and see if that improves playback.

This solution works when your VLC, Windows Media Player, GoPro video playback is choppy.

Adjust System Performance Settings

If you're using Windows, you can tweak your system’s performance settings to improve overall performance, which may also help VLC run smoother. To do this:

Part 4. FAQs

Conclusion