How To Open An MXF File?

Table of Contents:

Through the course of this article, you will learn the following things:

• What Are MXF Files?
• How To Open MXF Files On Mac And Windows?
• How To Recover Corrupted MXF Files?
• Endnotes

What Are MXF Files?

In order to properly understand how to open MXF files on Mac, you need to know what an MXF file is to begin with.

Well, MXF files are a standardized container for the sharing of audio and/ or video data between devices. MXF files can be purely video, purely audio, or a mix of both.

MXF stands for “Material Exchange Format”, and the most popular application of MXF files is Material Exchange Format Video.

The biggest advantage of MXF files is the amount of metadata that they can store. Metadata means things like information about the file contents such as creation data, frame rates, sizes, etc.

Also, MXF files have multiple audio and video tracks, which makes them perfect for editing.

If you have Final Cut Pro, Apple has an official article on how to properly use MXF video files, accessible at this link.

Next, we move on to the topic of How To Open MXF Files On Mac.

How To Open MXF Files On Mac And Windows?

The easiest answer to the question of How To Open MXF Files On Mac is to use one of th (free) platforms that are listed below. 

Now, chances are high that you haven't bothered to install a dedicated media player on your Mac. 

If that is the case, then you will still be using QuickTime, which is the macOS default video player.

Unfortunately, QuickTime does not support a whole lot of files, and that includes MXF files.

If you try to open an MXF file with QuickTime, you will get the following error:

So then, How To Open MXF Files On Mac in this situation? 

The answer: Use a dedicated third party video player.

Without any further ado, let’s get into what platforms can open, support, or play MXF files for you.

• VLC Media Player (Free) - Mac and Windows

The number one answer to How To Open MXF Files On Mac (or Windows, for that matter) is to use the VLC Media Player.

It is by far the most popular third-party media player on the market, and for good reason.

Here, the process is for Windows, but is identical on a Mac device, because the VLC player is extremely cross-platform compatible.

Here is the link for the Mac VLC player, and here is the link for the Windows VLC player.

2. Install the VLC Player and open it up.

3. Navigate to Media (Top Left) > Open [Ctrl + O] on Windows or [Command + O] on Mac.

• Adobe Premiere Pro (Paid) - Mac and Widows

If you or your employer are subscribed to Adobe Premiere Pro or Creative Cloud, you can use that to open MXF files too.

Here you have been shown How To Open MXF Files On Mac in Adobe Premiere Pro, but the process is fairly similar on Windows too, so you should have no trouble following along.

1. Open up Adobe Premiere Pro.

2. Create a new project.

3. Open up the Media Browser [Shift + U on Mac].

4. In the Media Browser, navigate to, and select the MXF file you want to open.

5. You can now preview, edit and export your MXF files on Mac and Windows.

• Use Pro Video Formats 2.0.4 (Free) - Mac

You can force MXF videos to run losslessly in QuickTime player 7 and above. 

All you have to do for that is to navigate to this link and download Apple’s released Pro Video Formats Version 2.0.4.

After downloading the codec files, you should be able to open your MXF files without any further hassles.

• Use K-Lite Video Codec Pack (Free) - Windows

The Windows Media Player is not able to play MXF files out of the box.

If you try to open an MXF file with the Windows Media Player, or Groove Media Player, you get the following error message:

However, The K-lite video codec pack enables even legacy versions of the Windows Media Player to play MXF files. 

Simply navigate to this link and download any one of the packs that says “full” or “standard”.

Note: “basic” versions of the codec package might not be able to run the MXF files on certain Windows versions.

The K-Lite Video Codec pack also enables the default Windows Media Player to play MXF files with lossless quality.

The cherry on top is that the K-Lite Video Codec Pack lossless transmission applies to the audio tracks in MXF files as well, and not just the Video tracks.

• More Programs That Support MXF Files, Sorted By Platform

The media pliers that we listed above are the best options, but they aren't available in all regions and countries, sadly.

That is why, here is a list of alternate players that you could install, sorted by platform:

How To Recover Corrupted MXF Files?

If you continue to face issues when attempting to open your MXF file(s), then it is quite possible that your MXF file has been corrupted.

However, corrupted video files are honestly quite commonplace, and so are the tools to fix them.

Every video repair tool promises proper repair of MXF files. But outputs can be distorted, choppy, jerky, flickering, black screen, out-of-sync, or truncated. 

You need a tool that:

• Shows you a preview of your video file, before you actually repair or recover it
• Works on multiple files in parallel if needed
• Works with all formats, including MXF

Also Read: Stellar Repair for Video – A Complete Solution for Corrupted Video File Repair

Stellar Repair for Video is that software. 

• Repairs Multiple Videos Simultaneously: So you can use this for batch repairing MXF files.
• Fixes All Video Corruption Issues: Including pesky issues with the video header, frames, sound portion, and video slider.
• Preview the Repaired Videos: You can verify that your MXF videos are corruption-free before saving them at your desired location.

Note: With Stellar Repair for Video, you can open corrupted video files of any format. Including MXF, MP4, AVI, ASF, and 20+ other formats. 

A word about Stellar

Boasting three decades of industry experience, an array of comprehensive services, prestigious accolades such as the 2017 and 2019 CIO Choice awards, and a steadfast commitment to data security, Stellar is a name you can rely on.

Stellar has a customer base in the millions, across over 190 countries around the globe.
Our experience with knowing how data is stored, and how it behaves, puts us in the perfect spot of knowing how to recover it.

You can trial the software for free, and preview what can be salvaged from your MXF file before saving. 

Get Stellar Repair for Video.

Also Read: How to Get Activation Key of Stellar Repair for Video?

Endnotes

Hopefully, this article has been able to successfully answer your question about how to open MXF files on Mac or Windows devices.

MXF files are quite a game changer because of the video and audio quality that they provide, but they also tend to be quite finicky.

That said, if you cannot get your MXF files to run on a device, you could always try converting the MXF to MP4.

In 99% of cases, this conversion will do the trick.

If it still doesn't work, then of course, you still have the Hail Mary option of using software like Stellar Repair for Video.

If you think you may have corrupted your MXF file(s), please do not hesitate to reach out to Stellar’s team; they are super helpful and will help you find a product to match your data recovery needs.