4K means more pixels, clearer image, more details on the screen than 1080P standard HD. With the advent of 4K, an increasing number of devices start to deliver 4K resolution, like YouTube 4K smart video, 4K TV, 24-inch iMac (M3), iPhone 16, etc.
But not all computers support the smooth playback of 4K videos. If you want to watch 4K videos on your Mac, you’d better get a Mac 4K player installed firstly.
The best 4K video player for Mac can help you play 4K Ultra HD movies in any format with the highest picture quality and accuracy delivered. So what is the best 4K video player for Mac? This article will give you the most satisfactory reply. Go on reading and find suitable apps to play your favorite Ultra high definition movies.
Cisdem Video Player
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
| Program | 4K | 8K | Who can use it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisdem Video Player | √ | √ | Want to convert 4K video to other popular formats without losing quality | Need $19.99 to active conversion feature |
| VLC | √ | Playback stuttering | want a open source 4K player with many setting options | Free |
| IINA | √ | √ | Strive for the ultimate playback experience on macOS | Free |
| Elmedia Player | √ | √ | Often need to cast 4K video to TV | Many advanced features need to pay, $19.95 |
| 5KPlayer | Not work with 4K AV1 video | Black screen | Desire to use AirPlay & DLNA for free | Free |
| PlayerFab | Supported except for 4K video encoded in AV1 | Black screen | Want to play 4K Blu-ray discs and Dolby Vision movies | Play Blu-ray, UHD discs, and video from subscription streaming services for $169.99 |
Note: The above software is free to play 4K videos.
If you have a few 4K movies on hand and they are in various formats, to play the movies, you can’t miss out Cisdem Video Player . It’s categorically one of the best free video players for Mac.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
It supports 200+ formats without extra codec packs installed. Additionally, there is an in-app purchase option for 4K video conversions. And that means you can convert your current 4K movies, music videos to different formats and optimized devices, like MP4 HEVC, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Android, etc.
Cisdem 4K player for Mac is a pretty stable, flexible and lightweight audio and video player around. The software works perfectly with the help of the well-organized interface and automatic codec updates. You can play 1080P/4K/5K/8K video files without bugs or artifacts. All images, actions, still or moving of the videos, are delicately displayed. Throw favorite movies at it, and start to play virtually any video & audio file in a snap, you will get much joy from watching.
VLC Media Player, an open-source multimedia solution, is developed by the VideoLAN project. As a well-known, non-profit program, this free 4K player for Mac is hugely popular. It gives you the ability to play media from your computer or a disk or to stream it from the Web.
Also, it supports a large range of codecs, enabling you to play virtually multiple media formats. You can convert you 4K videos to a compressed file format, but the outputs are extremely limited, not as many as Cisdem video player.
VLC in version 2.1 or later has been updated to support 4K playbacks. You can now use the free 4K video player to enjoy your favorite 4K movies. However, when playing some large 4K videos, you may encounter an unpleasant experience as it will show you poor playback such as shadow in the screen.
IINA is compatible with Force Touch, Touch Bar, Smart Subtitles, Playlists, Bookmarks, and Picture-in-Picture mode, making it a highly customized 4K player for Mac. It provides a modern media playback experience.The blend of features and interface is excellent in this piece.
In addition, this Mac 4K video player uses libmpv's C API to offer more stable and fast rendering and control. Rendering in native screen resolution gives it high picture quality and clarity. It can read most media files and play videos directly over the Internet. During playback, it will fetch subtitles from the Open Subtitles database.
Elmedia is another sought-after 4K video player for Mac. With hardware accelerated, it also reduces the burden on the processor and avoids video playback freezes or audio and video out of sync.
Although the “Open Online Video” feature is built-in, it won't open videos by typing in the URL of videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and so on. Instead, it will only open videos with formats such as https://xxxxxxxx.mp4.
If you want to wirelessly stream 4K video to Apple TV, Chromecast Ultra, etc., upgrade to the Pro version. This version can also save subtitles for 4K movies on opensubtitles.com.
When it comes to 4K player for Mac, we must have to mention 5KPlayer, which is a good free video player for 4K video files. It highlights with the support for 4K/5K movies, along with the feature of AirPlay/DLNA/Miracast streaming video from an iPad or iPhone to Mac.
5KPlayer is a toolbox of free UHD video player, music player, AirPlay media streamer and online video downloader. It is designed for playing 4K/5K/1080p HD videos, DVDs and radio with a revolutionary design. It lets you get the awesome playing results.
PlayerFab has four editions: Ultra HD player, Stream player, DVD player, and free video player. There is no doubt that it is the best Blu-ray media player software and the superior 4K Video Player for Mac available in cyberspace. The all-in-one version plays back almost all video formats you can image, including the HEVC (H.265), 4K videos, DVD/Blu-ray, UHD discs, ISO image and Netflix videos.
In a word, DVDFab 4K player for Mac helps you play all kinds of media on Mac, from Dolby Vision, HDR to 4K discs. Hence, you are permitted to enjoy all-assorted videos with ease via PlayerFab.
All 4K players motioned above are of great help in playing 4K videos on Mac. Among these players, Cisdem Video Player stands out as the best 4K video player for Mac because of its powerful features, simple operation and stable performance. So, let’s see the step-by-step guides about how to play 4K videos on Mac with Cisdem Video Player to witness how powerful and easy to operate it is.
Step 1. Download and install the latest version of Cisdem Video Player on your Mac.
Step 2. Open the program, add desired 4K video to Cisdem interface. Then it will automatically play the 4K video on Mac with smooth playback and stunning image.
Step 3. If needed, you can choose to convert the playing video to other formats by clicking convert section on the top menu bar (Optional).
Besides, there are 3 ways for you add 4K videos to choose from.
1. Simply drag-n-drop the 4K video into the program. (Easiest way)
2. Click 
on the middle right side of the interface, then click 
on the top right corner to select a desired video in the drop-down window.
3. Click “File > Open” in the top menu bar to upload targeted 4K videos.
Can all kinds of Macs play 4K videos?
The answer is no. If your Mac version is too old to officially support 4K displays, you have to buy a new one. Check the requirements that your Mac needs to meet to play 4K videos: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587
Does QuickTime play 4K?
It depends on what codec the video uses. QuickTime does not support 4K videos encoded with AV01 and VP9. If it is 4K HEVC, it can only play its audio. QuickTime fully supports 4K AVC playback. But if it is 8K AVC, there will be flashbacks or black screens, and sometimes you can't see the text in the video correctly.
Jenny is a technology editor who has been blogging since she was a student. Since joining Cisdem, she focuses on writing articles about video software and how-to guides. She loves exploring new tools and techniques.
