How Can You Fix “Can’t Play Recorded Video” Error

Are you having trouble with a recorded video that fails to play on your system’s media player? Worry no more as this is a pretty common occurrence that can be fixed and prevented using the tips discussed in this article.

Don’t we all enjoy videos of past cherished moments with family and friends? That nostalgia takes us back to the time of large camcorders and cameras that ran on cassettes and reels. But things have changed dramatically in the present day and age. 

Today, the capability of smartphone cameras to record video files has become a boon, with high- definition video capturing being a common feature. What’s more, there’s no wastage of space because of incorrectly recorded videos or wrong focus and exposure. You can capture hundreds of moments (thanks to huge smartphone storage space) and delete the ones you don’t need with just one click.

And the real fun begins when you sit with the family to watch the captured moments. Typically, to play videos recorded with your phone, you need a media player on your computer. Now, if a video plays normally on double-clicking, all’s well. But what do you do if you come across an error, saying “can’t play recorded video”? This can be utterly disappointing. 

Well, there’s no need to worry because you can fix this error with a few simple steps. But before going to the solutions, let’s understand the root cause of the problem.

Why don’t video files play?

There are numerous reasons why video files fail to play.

• Recorded video files can get corrupted due to virus attacks or malware.
• Unsafely ejecting an external hard drive or USB when the recorded video file is in use can damage the file, leading to this error.
• If you were recording a video and your device abruptly shut down due to low battery or other technical issues, you might find it difficult to access the recorded video file.
• Incomplete/improper transfer of recorded video files can lead to failure when opening on the media player.
• Abruptly removing the SD card of the camera or video recorder can damage the recorded video file and make it inaccessible.

Now that you know the reasons that may have caused the issue, let’s go ahead with the fixes!

How to fix the error?

There are quite a few tricks you could try out.

Fix corrupted recorded files

If the error is caused due to corrupted video files, repairing them can fix the “can’t play recorded video” error. To repair corrupted video files, you can use reliable video repair software such as Stellar Repair for Video. 

Stellar Repair for Video can be used to repair damaged video files of any video format, including popular formats, such as MKV, MOV, MP4, etc. It has a simple user interface, which enables you to easily fix and export video files. The software is compatible with Windows as well as macOS. 

Let’s take a look at how you can use this software.

1. Click on the “Free Download” link on the product page of Stellar Repair for Video.
2. After the file has been downloaded, double-click to install the application.
3. Once the installation is completed, launch Stellar Repair for Video and follow these steps to repair your corrupted video files:

From the software’s home screen, click on Add File to add the video file that needs to be repaired. You can also add multiple files here.

After adding the files, click on the “Repair” button to start the repair process. A progress bar will be displayed to show how much of the process has been completed.

After the video files have been repaired, you can preview them before saving them to your computer.

Now that you have repaired the corrupted video files, you can play them using any compatible media player. Ideally, the “can’t play recorded video” error won’t show up and you should be able to view your video with no issues. But in case you still face it, try one of the alternative solutions mentioned next.

Update and restart your computer

This is a preliminary method to fix any issue. If there’s a system error that might be causing this issue, restarting the system can do the trick. If you run Windows, check for the latest updates and update all the drivers, especially audio and video drivers. If you have a Mac, check for the latest macOS updates. After updating, restart your computer and try playing the recorded video again. If the problem persists, move on to the next fix.

Change your media player settings

You could try playing around with your media player settings to see if it changes anything. If you use VLC as your default media player, follow these steps:

1. Disable Hardware decoding

Users who have disabled this option have reported that it fixes video stuttering issues.

1. In VLC, press Ctrl + P to open Preferences or navigate to Tools > Preferences.
2. In the pop-up window, select the Off option at the bottom-left prompt that says Show Settings.

In the search bar, type Hardware Decoding. This will lead you to the video codecs part where you have to access the FFmpeg option and disable the Hardware decoding option.

2. Change chasing values

Users have reported that lowering chasing values has helped with playback issues.

Go to “Show Settings” from the Preferences as indicated in the steps for the previous option. Then in the search bar, type Access Modules. Thereafter, navigate to File and change the chasing value to a lower number.

Convert the recorded video file

There might have been some issues with the video file format when you recorded it. Converting the file to a different format might help. Follow these steps to convert the video file using VLC media player:

1. In VLC, navigate to Media > Convert/Save.
2. In the pop-up window, click on Add to import the video file that needs to be converted. Then click on the Convert/Save button.

•   In the next media window, select the format and codec that you want to use to convert the video file and the destination on which you want to save the converted video. Then click on Start.

The progress bar will show the conversion process, and after it’s done, the converted file should be saved to the destination path you specify. Check the recorded video file by playing it on a media player and ideally, it should work.

To Conclude

The “can’t play recorded video” error can arise due to multiple reasons, including format issues, virus issues, or even file corruption. We hope the above-mentioned fixes will help you overcome the error easily. In case the manual fixes don’t work, you can always use a reliable solution like Stellar Repair for Video to fix video file errors.