IINA – Modern Media Player for macOS

Experience Native Video Playback with IINA for Mac

IINA represents the modern media player that macOS deserves, combining the powerful playback capabilities of mpv with a beautifully designed native interface that feels completely at home on Apple’s platform. This open-source project addresses the longstanding frustration of Mac users who found VLC functional but visually jarring, and QuickTime Player attractive but severely limited in format support.

The application emerged from a developer’s desire to watch videos with a player that matched macOS aesthetic standards while handling every format thrown at it. Building on mpv’s robust playback foundation while wrapping it in genuine Cocoa interface elements, IINA achieves what many thought impossible: a media player that’s both powerful and beautiful. The result has earned devoted users who consider it essential Mac software.

Native macOS Experience

Interface Design

IINA’s interface follows macOS Human Interface Guidelines rather than imposing cross-platform design patterns. The on-screen controller uses translucent materials matching system aesthetics. Menus, preferences, and dialogs feel native because they are native, built with AppKit rather than ported toolkit abstractions.

Dark mode support adapts to system appearance settings automatically. The player window integrates with macOS window management, supporting full screen, split view, and Mission Control properly. Touch Bar support on equipped MacBooks provides playback controls and seeking. These integration details accumulate into an experience that feels designed for Mac rather than adapted to it.

Picture-in-Picture

Native Picture-in-Picture support enables floating video windows that stay visible across desktops and full-screen applications. The implementation uses Apple’s PiP API for proper system integration, including positioning controls and behavior consistency with other PiP-capable applications. This feature proves invaluable for following video content while working.

System Integration

IINA integrates with macOS features including Force Touch trackpad support for variable speed scrubbing, Now Playing integration for media key handling, and proper handling of system events like display sleep and screen recording. The application behaves as a well-behaved macOS citizen rather than fighting the system.

Playback Capabilities

Format Support

Built on mpv and FFmpeg, IINA plays virtually any media format without requiring codec packs or additional software. Container formats like MKV, MP4, AVI, and WebM open without issue. Codec support includes H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1, and countless others. Audio formats from FLAC to AAC to obscure legacy codecs play correctly.

This comprehensive format support eliminates the frustration of encountering unsupported files. Users can download or receive media from any source with confidence that IINA will handle it. The contrast with QuickTime Player’s limited format support makes IINA essential for anyone dealing with diverse media sources.

Hardware Acceleration

IINA leverages macOS hardware decoding for efficient playback of supported formats. H.264 and HEVC content decode through Apple’s VideoToolbox framework, minimizing CPU usage and power consumption. This hardware acceleration enables smooth playback of high-resolution content even on portable Macs.

High Resolution and HDR

Support for 4K and higher resolution content delivers full quality playback for modern media. HDR content displays correctly on compatible displays, with tone mapping for SDR displays when needed. These capabilities ensure IINA handles contemporary high-quality content appropriately.

Audio Features

Audio output supports multiple channel configurations from stereo through surround sound. Volume boost exceeds 100% for quiet recordings. Audio delay adjustment synchronizes misaligned audio tracks. These audio features address common playback requirements beyond basic stereo output.

Subtitle Support

Built-in Subtitles

Embedded subtitle tracks in MKV and other containers display automatically with track selection through simple menus. Multiple subtitle formats including SRT, ASS, and VobSub render correctly. Styling options adjust font, size, color, and position for readability.

External Subtitles

External subtitle files load automatically when named matching the video file. Manual loading handles non-matching filenames. Subtitle timing adjustment corrects synchronization issues without modifying source files.

Online Subtitle Search

Integration with OpenSubtitles enables searching and downloading subtitles from within the player. The search interface presents available subtitles for the current video, downloading and loading selections instantly. This feature eliminates manual subtitle hunting for foreign films or unclear audio.

Customization

Keyboard Shortcuts

Comprehensive keyboard shortcut customization adapts controls to personal preferences. Every action can have shortcuts assigned or removed. Import and export of shortcut configurations enables sharing setups. The default bindings follow common conventions while remaining fully adjustable.

On-Screen Controller

The floating controller bar customizes which buttons appear and their arrangement. Users can include playback controls, volume, subtitle selection, and other functions. The controller adapts to workflows ranging from minimal to feature-complete.

mpv Configuration

Advanced users can access mpv’s configuration system for settings beyond IINA’s graphical interface. Configuration files enable sophisticated playback adjustments, shaders, and behaviors. This escape hatch provides mpv’s full power for users who need it while keeping the default experience simple.

Browser Extension

Online Video Playback

Browser extensions for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox enable opening online videos in IINA. Links to video pages or direct video URLs open in the player rather than browser, providing IINA’s superior controls and features for web video. This capability proves particularly valuable for videos on sites with poor web players.

yt-dlp Integration

Integration with yt-dlp enables playing videos from YouTube and numerous other sites by URL. IINA handles the download and playback transparently, providing a better viewing experience than web players offer. The integration supports playlists and quality selection.

Library and Organization

Recent Files

The recent files list provides quick access to previously played media. The list integrates with macOS recent files system while maintaining IINA-specific history. Clearing history addresses privacy concerns when needed.

Playlist Support

Playlist files open and play sequentially. Manual playlists build by adding files during playback. Folder playback treats directories as playlists, playing contents in order. These features support both curated playlists and casual sequential viewing.

Music Mode

A compact music mode interface suits audio playback without video window overhead. The miniaturized interface provides essential controls while minimizing screen presence. This mode addresses the use case of playing audio files in a video player.

Performance

Efficient Resource Usage

IINA maintains reasonable resource consumption despite powerful capabilities. Memory usage scales with video resolution and buffer settings rather than growing unboundedly. CPU usage during hardware-accelerated playback remains minimal, preserving battery life on portables.

Startup and File Opening

Application startup completes quickly without extended splash screens or initialization delays. File opening begins playback promptly, avoiding the waiting common with heavier media players. The responsive feel matches expectations for native macOS applications.

Open Source Development

GitHub Repository

IINA’s development occurs openly on GitHub under the GPLv3 license. Source availability enables security review and community contributions. Issues and feature requests process through GitHub’s collaborative tools.

Community

Active community involvement has contributed localizations, bug fixes, and feature implementations. The translation efforts support numerous languages beyond the original English and Chinese. Community engagement ensures IINA improves continuously through collective effort.

Regular Updates

Development continues with regular updates addressing bugs, adding features, and maintaining compatibility with macOS updates. The project’s health reflects sustained developer commitment and community support.

Installation

Download

The official website provides direct downloads of the latest release. The application bundle installs by dragging to Applications folder. Auto-update functionality maintains current versions after initial installation.

Homebrew

Homebrew cask installation offers alternative installation through brew install –cask iina. This method integrates with broader Homebrew-based system management.

IINA demonstrates that open-source software can match and exceed commercial alternatives in user experience while maintaining the ethical and practical benefits of free software. For Mac users who value both aesthetic quality and functional capability in their media player, IINA provides an experience that neither Apple’s own player nor cross-platform alternatives can match.