If a media file doesn't open or play on your Apple device
If the media file is using an older or specialist audio, video or image format, it may not be supported on your device, or it may require different software.
Apple apps such as Photos, iMovie, Safari, Keynote and QuickTime Player work with many media formats. Some apps prefer specific formats, but most formats work in most apps without additional software. Older or specialised formats might not work as expected if your device, its operating system or the app you're using doesn't support the file's format.
Install all available software updates for your device, such as macOS updates for Mac and iOS or iPadOS updates for iPhone or iPad. If you’re using a media app that you downloaded from the App Store, you can check the App Store for updates to that app.
After updating your software, if you still can’t view the file and you’re sure that the file is undamaged, search the internet or App Store for a different media app that supports the file's format. To help you find such an app, you can search by the name of the media format, if you know it. Or search by the filename extension, which is the letters shown at the end of the file's name, such as .avi, .wmv or .mkv. On Mac, you may be able to identify the format by selecting the file in the Finder, then pressing Command-I to open an Info window: the format might appear after the label Kind, such as ”Kind: Matroska Video File”.
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