He opened VLC. Tools. Preferences. Show settings: All. Input/Codecs. Scrolled. There it was: Hardware-accelerated decoding . Automatic. He changed it to Disable .
Unlike Windows, the macOS version of VLC is compiled with complete software decoding for HEVC. If a video isn't playing, the issue is likely . install hevc codec for vlc
If the video is present but choppy, your system may be struggling with the heavy processing requirements of 4K HEVC content. Use these settings to improve performance: How to Play HEVC Files in VLC Media Player (2026 Guide) He opened VLC
is a popular solution because it supports most codecs out of the box without requiring external packs. Show settings: All
If your computer struggles to load high-bitrate HEVC files smoothly, increasing the buffer cache can help: Go to > Preferences . At the bottom left corner under Show settings , click All . In the left sidebar, click directly on Input / Codecs . Scroll down to the Advanced section on the right.