VLC can play local media files, YouTube videos, and videos from any streaming website. But sometimes, you may occasionally run into the Your input can’t be opened issue while attempting to open a media file. Although the causes are different, this issue might happen when you try to stream a YouTube video and local media files; the most frequent sources of this problem are LUAC files. You can try to fix the Your input can’t be opened VLC error on Windows by trying out the fixes in this article.
What Causes Input Can’t Be Opened VLC Error?
This error with VLC can be due to many factors, including a faulty link to the video. Check out the list of potential causes of the error below if you are sure that the video link is functional.
- YouTube script error– Correcting a few minor details in the script can immediately cure your issue. Fortunately, a functioning script is readily replaceable as it is readily available on GitHub.
- Video ownership– If the issue only affects one or a few videos from the same source, there are likely problems with the ownership of the videos. To fix this, you should take ownership and provide everyone ownership of the videos.
- VLC issues– You can try resetting the options or completely reinstalling VLC if there is a problem with any settings you have modified inside or with the installation itself.
How To Fix Your Input Can’t Be Opened VLC Error on Windows
Given below are five methods to resolve the issue of the VLC error on your Windows PC:
- Reinstall VLC Media Player
- Reset VLC Preferences
- Replace YouTube LUA Script File
- Disable Windows Protection Apps
- Change the Owner of the File Not Playing in VLC Player
Make sure to try them one by one and figure out what is working for you.
1] Reinstall VLC Media Player
Sometimes, the VLC app may have problems, which can cause errors. Try uninstalling and reinstalling VLC to see if that resolves the issue. Here is how you do it:
- Open Settings and click on the Apps option from the left pane.
- Click on the Installed Apps option on the right and search for the VLC app
- Click on the three-dots menu beside the VLC media player and click on the Uninstall option from the context menu. Click on Uninstall again when prompted.
- After the VLC app is uninstalled, go to the VLC media player download page, download the app again, and check whether it works.
2] Reset VLC Preferences
Many users have reported that this method worked for them and that resetting their preferences is relatively simple. Remember that after installing VLC, all settings you have made will be lost, so you must modify them again. Follow the steps listed below:
- Open the VLC media player, click on the Tools tab at the top of the VLC window, and click on the Preferences options from the context menu.
- Click the Reset Preferences button at the bottom in the Simple Preferences window. Click OK when the Are you sure you want to reset your VLC media player preferences message pops up.
Check and see whether the Your input can’t be opened error message still appears.
3] Replace YouTube LUA Script File
When you are using VLC to watch YouTube videos and get the Your input can’t be opened error, there is a helpful script you can find on GitHub to fix the problem. The script needs to be copied and should replace the old script. To fix the issue, follow the directions below:
- To view the functioning YouTube LUA script required for the application, open your browser and go to the GitHub page for YouTube. Luac file.
- Click on the Copy raw contents button to copy the entire script.
- Type VLC into the Windows search bar, right-click on the result, and choose the Open file location option from the context menu.
- In the file location, spot the VLC media player icon, right-click, and choose the Open file location option.
- Locate the LUA folder and open it.
- Open the Playlist folder from the next page.
- From the next page, locate the Youtube LUAC file, right-click on it, and select Open with > Notepad or another text file editor to open the file.
- Press Ctrl + A to select all the file contents and press the Delete key. Now, paste the script you copied from GitHub.
- Press Ctrl + S and press Yes to save the changes.
Launch VLC after saving the file to see if the issue has been fixed. If not, try using the above script to generate a new text file and save it as youtube.luac in the download folder. Next, delete youtube.luac file in VLC\lua\playlist and then move the above youtube.lua file to the VLC’s PlayList folder.
To check if the issue has been fixed, attempt to stream any YouTube video using VLC.
4] Disable Windows Protection Apps
The antivirus software on your system can bring on the error on your VLC media player. You can disable it through Windows Settings. Here is how you do it:
- Open Windows Settings and click the Privacy & Security option on the left pane. Click on Windows Security on the next page.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on the Manage Settings link.
- Toggle off the Real-time protection setting to turn off the antivirus software. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
Play a video on your VLC media player and check whether the error message appears.
Note: Turn the Real-time protection on once you are done watching the video.
5] Change the Owner of the File Not Playing in VLC Player
If the error occurs when playing a local file, consider taking ownership of the videos before opening the problematic videos in VLC. This will provide VLC with additional permissions. To claim ownership of the videos, perform the steps listed below:
- Navigate to the location where the problematic video is located. Right-click on the video and choose the Properties option from the context menu.
- Click on the Security tab on the Properties window and the Advanced button.
- Click the Change link next to Owner in the Advanced Security Settings window.
- In the Enter the object name to select field, type your user account name and click Check Names. If f the user is found, click OK.
- Click Apply and OK to save the changes. Open VLC and check if the error disappeared.
Conclusion
VLC can play a variety of media files both online and offline. You can resolve the issue if it arises while playing a local media file by renaming it or relocating it to a new folder. This error on VLC appears to be frequently caused by a file naming issue. You will need to edit the Youtube LAC file and enter the new code to make the problem disappear so you can resume streaming YouTube videos.
I hope the Your input can’t be opened VLC issue is no longer a problem for you. One of the proposed techniques ought to resolve the VLC input file error, allowing you to resume enjoying seamless playback in VLC Media Player.
