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VLC Pixelated Video [MKV, AVI, MP4]: 5 Quick Fixes
Get rid of video artifacts once and for all
3 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
VLC pixelation issues are coming when using the popular media player.
The video plays perfectly at first, but if you switch to full-screen mode, the video becomes pixelated or gets pixels flashing. This issue occurs even if your video card drivers are up to date.
You’d have thought that the VLC pixelated MP4/MKV is from the video, but it’s not. This is because the video plays fine in full screen on other players, such as Windows Media Player.
The following solutions have fixed the VLC pixelation issues for other users.
How can I fix the VLC pixelated video issue?
1. Fast forward or backward the playback
You can fixVLCpixelation issues by simply jumping a few seconds back or forward.
This solution will not fix the issue permanently, but it will clear theVLCpixelated gray screen for the moment.
To jump front or back, simply click on the progress bar and dragging the indicator back or front a couple of seconds.
You can also click on the time you want to jump to instead of dragging the indicator to that point.
Alternatively, you can use theShift+ directional keys combination to fast forward or fast backward the playback.
2. Disable hardware-accelerated decoding
3. Change the VLC buffer settings
4. Enable OpenGL video output
5. Use a different player
If you didn’t manage to fix the pixelation problem in VLC, try reinstalling the app orinstalling a better video codec pack.
There is also the option of using adifferent video playeraltogether and enjoying the video for the time being.
Apart from theVLCpixelation issues, another common problem with this media player is when yourvideos lag on Windows 10.
There’s no official fix forVLCpixelated videos, but the solutions in this guide will resolve the problem quickly.
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
