Creating a Media Library in VLC Player

Follow these steps to build out your VLC media library

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on June 22, 2022
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What to Know

  • Configure VLC: Go to Preferences > Show All > Playlist. Select the Use Media Library check box and then select Save.
  • Transfer music to create your library: Select Media Library > Add Folder. Navigate to your music folder and select Select Folder.
  • Or, add music piece by piece: Click and drag the folders or files you want from their original location into the VLC playlist.

This article explains how to set up your media library in VLC Media Player so you can play back your song collection.

How to Set Up VLC Media Player

It's a good idea to configure VLC to automatically save and reload your media library every time the program is started.

  1. Select the Tools menu tab and select Preferences. On a Mac, select VLC from the menu bar and then Preferences.

  2. Switch to the advanced menu by selecting All or Show All in the Show settings section.

  3. Select Playlist from in the sidebar on the left.

  4. Select the check box next to Use Media Library and then Save.

How to Create a VLC Media Library

Now that you've set up VLC Media Player it's time to add some music.

Make sure the media library is in view. If it's not already, select View > Playlist. Alternatively, press CTRL+L on a PC or Command+Option+P on a Mac.

  1. Select Media Library from the left sidebar in the main playlist view.

  2. Chances are you've got all your music in one main folder on your computer or external hard drive. If this is the case, and you want to add everything in one go, then right-click anywhere on the main part of the screen and select Add Folder.

    Alternatively, navigate to your music folder using a Windows Explorer (PC) or Finder window (Mac), and simply click and drag the folders or files you want into the VLC playlist.

  3. Navigate to where your music folder is located, highlight it with the left mouse button, and then select Select Folder.

    If you have multiple files or folders you would like to add, then simply repeat these steps until all the media has been added to the VLC playlist.

Before you begin, make sure you have the latest version of VLC installed on your computer. The program automatically checks for updates every two weeks, so if you already have the program then it's likely up to date. You can run the update checker anytime by selecting Help > Check For Updates.

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