VLC freezes when playing local MP4 videos on iMac

Question

VLC freezes when playing local MP4 videos on iMac

I have digital copies of films on my external hard drive (films I own that I ripped into mp4 just for my own use, not downloads or torrents etc). I try to watch them through VLC on my imac (M4, 24GB, 2024) and it constantly freezes after a few minutes when watching. Even a half-hour tv show freezes after a few minutes.

Films also freeze if I move the file onto the desktop of the imac, so

it's not the external hard drive issue. Might be 3 minutes, might be 7

but it still freezes at least 6-10 times every time I run a 45 minute tv

show.

I know it's not the external hard drive, I know it's not the Mp4s because I can play this on my macbook air (M4, 2025) for entire films with no issues whatsoever. I haven't had it skip once for 2 hour films on the macbook air, but it's constant on the imac.

Would welcome advice on how to resolve this-- or at least suggestions on what to look at in order to track down why this is freezing?

thank you

iMac 24″

Posted on Jan 14, 2026 1:10 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Jan 14, 2026 6:23 PM in response to HeatedBlanket

>> the problem is definitely the imac

i may suspect macOS bug, corrupted install, or player conflicts before the iMac hardware — but what are you suggesting, bad ram, bad SSD, bad GPU, bad hub or keyboard?

do the mp4 files error if you drag them into an open web browser window and play from web browser

is it possible to boot into an External Sequoia SSD to see if the problem follows — I’m guessing you are currently running Tahoe… it shouldn’t take that long to Erase a FAST SSD and install/update another macOS, and VLC player to test— and I would think there lies your answer…

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Answer 2

Rudegar

Level 10

180,528 points

Jan 14, 2026 2:37 PM in response to HeatedBlanket

suppose if it was me then I would test them with another computer, mac or otherwise to verify that the files themselves were not a factor.

of cause I would also test the files with other players than vlc

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Answer 3

Jan 14, 2026 4:15 PM in response to Rudegar

Thank you for the reply. As I said, the files work perfectly from my external hard drive on my macbook air. The files are absolutely fine, and can be used easily.

They will not play for more than a few minutes on my imac before freezing. The problem is my imac.

I also tried it with Quicktime, but it does the same thing-- freezes. (Also I detest Quicktime, and shouldn't have to use it when VLC works perfectly on my macbook air.

The macbook air and imac are both M4s. I do not understand why it freezes constantly on the imac and runs perfectly on the macbook air.

thanks for trying to help, I appreciate it. But the problem is definitely the imac. Just trying to figure out what that might be to resolve it.

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