Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC) is a free and open-source video and audio player for Windows. It is famous and loved for its simple and effective user interface, providing an excellent user experience. It offers a huge amount of functionality. Being a DirectShow player, it also allows flexibility and extensibility through third party filters.
Publisher’s description
What is MPC-HC?
MPC-HC is an open-source video player program for Windows from MPC-HC Team. It ranks 4th by popularity among video players in this catalogue. It is written in C++.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and 32-bit as EXE (Inno Setup). Installation asks for administrator rights. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is 2.8.4, released on October 18, 2026. 63 versions are listed since March 30, 2021, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 11 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 193,593 times. The source code on GitHub (clsid2/mpc-hc) has 15,983 stars. On Windows it registers 126 file types, including .mp3, .mp4, .wav, .ts and .avi. Similar programs include VLC media player, QuickTime and MPC-BE.
Project description on GitHub: “Media Player Classic”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Frequent updates (about 11 a year)
- Opens 126 file types
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: MPC-HC is an open-source video player tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is MPC-HC safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
8340EB8847006EE1EFE154E3172E324565F05659439E31579CE9DFF9BB6816B8· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 63 versions ›63 versions over 6 years · about 11 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.8.4Latest | October 18, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.8.3 | October 8, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.8.2 | September 17, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.8.1 | August 22, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.8.0 | August 10, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.7.4 | July 20, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.7.3 | June 16, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.7.2 | June 4, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id clsid2.mpc-hc -echoco install mpc-hc-clsid2 -yscoop install extras/mpc-hc-forkMPC-HC.2.8.4.x64.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- MPC-HC Team
- Category
- Video players
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/clsid2/mpc-hc
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Version
- 2.8.4
- Released
- October 18, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 63
- Updates / year
- 11.3
- Chocolatey downloads
- 193,593
- GitHub stars
- 15,983
- GitHub forks
- 664
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- clsid2.mpc-hc
- Chocolatey package
- mpc-hc-clsid2
- Scoop package
- extras/mpc-hc-fork
File types it opens (126)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to MPC-HC
See all ›-
VLC media player3.0.24VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files, and various streaming protocols.Open source22.6M ↓ -
QuickTime7.79.80.95A powerful multimedia technology with a built-in media player, QuickTime lets you view Internet video and personal media in a wide range of file formats. And it lets you enjoy them in remarkably high quality.Proprietary2.1M ↓ -
Open source136.3K ↓ -
MPV (Official CI build, MSVC)0.41.0A free (as in freedom) media player for the command line. It supports a wide variety of media file formats, audio and video codecs, and subtitle types.Open source288.4K ↓ -
Proprietary13.4K ↓ -
Free5M ↓ -
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Frequently asked questions
Is MPC-HC free?
Yes. MPC-HC is open-source software under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Is MPC-HC safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install MPC-HC with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can MPC-HC be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does MPC-HC run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of MPC-HC?
The versions page lists all 63 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.
What are alternatives to MPC-HC?
VLC media player, QuickTime, MPC-BE, MPV (Official CI build, MSVC) and Audacious. The alternatives page compares them.
