How-To Geek
10 Great Skins That Make VLC Media Player Look Awesome
VLC media player is terrific for playing all kinds of media files on your system but you may not care for the native look. We have a great collection of skins to help get you started on removing the “blah factor” and make VLC a lot more fun to look at.
Default Skins & Adding New Ones
When you install VLC Media Player it has a basic, native look to it. If you are just interested in functionality then it is not a problem, but if you like something with a bit more attitude then a few minutes work will terminate the problem.
The first step is to navigate to VLC’s Program Files folder and access the skins subfolder. You will see the .vlt file for the default skin included with your VLC installation.
Note: Unless you changed the folder name for VLC when installed (as shown here), look for a folder named VideoLAN.
Simply drag and drop the skins that you have downloaded into this folder. Now for the next step.
Go to the Tools Menu and access Preferences.
When the Preferences Window opens go to the Interface Settings section (it should display by default). Select the Use custom skin setting and click Save. You will need to restart VLC for the changes to take effect.
As you can see the default skin has a nice, clean look to it but now you get to start having fun.
Right click on the top bar, go to Interface, then Select skin, and choose the skin you would like to use. That is all there is to it.
Note: You will not need to manually restart VLC for the change to take effect.
Recommended Skins
Note: Most of the download links open the VLC Skins Homepage but others are off-site.
Alienware Darkstar
TRANSFORMERS vlc skin
Note: The skin will need to be extracted from a .rar file.
SilentVLC
Note: The skin will need to be extracted from a .zip file.
VLC Darkness
Glow Part 2
Inspired
Blissta
ShiftieVLC
Crux
my_PSP-purple
VLC Website Download Details
The available skins will be laid out in a grid format. To see the details or download a skin click on the appropriate thumbnail. A popup window will open.
The popup window will show an enlarged view of the skin, show the versions that it is compatible with, and let you rate it. The download links for the skins are in the lower left corner.
If you are the adventurous type and just want to try them all at once there is a download link at the top of the page. Note that the mega pack is updated daily.
Note: If you do choose this option keep in mind that some of the skins may not be totally compatible (as experienced on our system).
More VLC Goodness
Here are some more great articles about VLC media player for you to look through.
Fix for VLC Skipping and Lagging Playing High-Def Video Files
Help Prevent Stutter in Video Streams in VLC & Windows Media Player
Take Snapshots of Your Favorite Movie Scenes in VLC
Set a Video as Your Desktop Wallpaper with VLC
Enable DreamScene in Any Version of Vista or Windows 7
Stupid Geek Tricks: Watch Movies in Your Linux Terminal Window
Stream Media from Windows 7 to XP with VLC Media Player
Rotate a Video 90 degrees with VLC or Windows Live Movie Maker
Got Feedback? Join the discussion at discuss.howtogeek.com
Comments (13)
Akemi Iwaya (Asian Angel) is our very own Firefox Fangirl who enjoys working with multiple browsers and loves 'old school' role-playing games. Visit her on Twitter and Google+.
- Published 08/19/10
I don’t know what you’re smokin’ but these skins are just so 90′s. Have a look at the minimalistic aero skin on splayer or even windows media player 12. That IS a good skin not these. anyways…
This is one of those things I knew was available, but never got around to doing – thanks for the reminder!
Meh, what good are skins in full screen mode on a 42″ screen.
Love this! Thanks Geeks!
Thanks, from the many who are not as cutting-edge as “Ivan K” :)
.
nice! , ty
nice work geeks…………weldone and keep it up this nice work…………!!! A1
“Your first step is to navigate to the VLC Programs File Folder and access the skins subfolder.”
Well…if I knew how to do that I wouldn’t be here, would I?
wow wow dis is awesome, really great
nice work
mcishmael
Ivan K. and marcishmael: just because you have an opinion/comment/butthole doesnt mean you need to let everyone hear/see/smell it. STFU. This site is called “howtogeek.com”. The “howto” part means move on if you already have the knowledge or don’t like the content. Geeks don’t bash other geeks, you would know this if you were truly out of the “90′s”.
I love the Silent Night skin for VLC. Nice and minimalistic.
it’s toooooo coollllllllllllllllllll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love It
thanks greek keep it up
Nice dude