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VLC is Unable to Open the MRL File on Windows 10/Mac? [Solved]

If you are looking for a quite easy solution, here it is: The solution most recommended by us [85%]

How to Solve VLC MRL Error: Cannot Open RTSP, M3U8, DVD or YouTube Files?

Often the case, the "Your input can't be opened. VLC is unable to open the MRL" error message occurs when trying to open a file or a stream that is not physically located on the local computer, but comes from external storage drive, online site or another server. Typically, we may encounter different VLC MRL errors based on the file types like "VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///…'", "VLC is unable to open the MRL 'rtsp://…'" and "VLC is unable to open the MRL 'https://…'". If you are annoyed by these kinds of problems, look no further, here is the best place to offer workarounds.

VLC is Unable to Open the MRL

How to solve "Your input can't be opened. VLC is unable to open the MRL." error on Windows 10 or Mac? Firstly, find out the reasons, and then get the solutions. The VLC cannot open MRL error could be the fault of inaccessible sources, overprotective firewalls or the VLC media player itself, and we will explain them one by one in the following parts.

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How to Solve VLC is Unable to Open the MRL File Problem?

Now that we have known the most three reasons that causes VLC cannot open MRL error, let's come straight to the point, just get the direct solutions here.

Possible Solution 1. Make Sure the Source Video is Working
If the source video is not workable, you are also incapable of doing anything. From VLC Network Stream window, we can see that VLC supports kinds of file streams like http://www.example.com/stream.avi, rtsp://server.example.org:8080/test.sdp, and http://www.yourtube.com/watch?v=gg64x. So, to make sure that your source video is workable, you can paste the video URL into a browser or another video player to see if the source video works fine or not.

Possible Solution 2. Turn off the Firewall & Third-party Antivirus Software
The Firewall or antivirus program may block the path of VLC media player to access the internet source to stream files. Therefore, visit your Firewall options and set all tools to be able to access the internet. Also, you should turn off the firewall of third-party antivirus software or just uninstall the third-party antivirus software to completely solve VLC is unable to open the MRL file error.

Possible Solution 3. Your VLC Media Player Needs to be Upgraded
Often the case, VLC MRL error can be resolved by closing and reopening the VLC media player. But more advisably, you should update VLC media player to the latest version that has fixed several errors and bugs.

Possible Solution 4. Try Best Free VLC Alternative
If you have tried the above solutions but find they don't work for your VLC cannot open MRL problem, you can try the best free VLC alternative – 5KPlayer. 5KPlayer is born to be a 4K UHD video player that combines YouTube download, AirPlay mirroring, DLNA streaming and video cutting into one unit to allow anyone to have an in-depth multimedia experience. To solve VLC MRL error like cannot open DVD, rtsp stream, YouTube videos, etc, 5KPlayer stands out as the best solution.

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  • Play DVD discs, ISO images files, 4K HEVC/H.265, MP4/AVI/FLV, etc files, no choke;
  • Live stream .rtsp and .m3u8 IPTV video files and links, no stutter;
  • Free download vides from YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, etc 300+ sites;
  • DLNA stream video music from Android/iPhone to Mac/PC and computer to smart TV.

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Final Words:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaylee Wood

Kaylee joined 5KPlayer team in 2015 and is always happy to share everything about multimedia experiences & new tech trends you are interested in. Especially do well in discovering flaws from the area of software, hardware and devices, and providing corresponding remedies. Please feel free to contact her for more tech support.

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