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System requirements

Before installing, confirm your system meets the minimum requirements:
  • OS: A not-too-ancient Linux (latest distribution releases are actively supported), Windows 10 1607 or later, or macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.
  • CPU: A reasonably capable CPU. If the CPU is too slow to decode video in real time, enable hardware decoding with --hwdec.
  • GPU: A capable GPU. mpv uses shaders for video rendering and scaling rather than GPU fixed-function hardware. On low-power GPUs, use --profile=fast for smoother playback. On Windows, keep graphics drivers up to date.
mpv does not go out of its way to break on older hardware, but development is not done with it in mind. Compatibility with older setups is not guaranteed.

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Install mpv

mpv is packaged by all major Linux distributions. Install it through your system package manager.
sudo apt install mpv
Distribution packages may lag behind the upstream release. For the latest version, check your distribution’s backports repository or build from source using mpv-build.
After installation, verify mpv is on your PATH:
mpv --version

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Build from source

If you need the latest development version or a custom feature set, you can build mpv from source. mpv uses Meson as its build system.
1

Install dependencies

You need a C compiler (gcc or clang), FFmpeg libraries, libplacebo, libass, zlib, and iconv as essential dependencies. On Linux you will also need X11 or Wayland development headers and audio library headers (ALSA or PulseAudio).
2

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv.git
cd mpv
3

Configure and build

meson setup build
meson compile -C build
To view all available build options:
meson configure build
4

Install

meson install -C build
For a convenient way to build mpv along with FFmpeg and libass from source, use the mpv-build wrapper. It compiles FFmpeg and libass first, then statically links them into mpv.

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Next steps

Quickstart

Play your first file and learn the essential controls.

Configuration

Set up your mpv.conf and customize playback behaviour.

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