This article explains what exactly is .WebM file, what are its applications, and how you can easily open it in Windows 10 or Mac.
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What is WEBM File?
WebM is a media file which stores both audio and video. The structure of WebM is similar to the MKV file format which also stores both audio and video.
It is designed as royalty free (Royalty free means that the developers who work with the codecs have to pay for it, but the customers can view it for free) to be used in HTML5 video and audio as alternative for other formats like H.264.
Google sponsors the development of WebM and is distributed under a BSD license.
Related File Extensions:
Uses of WebM
WebM is a video format which has the features to rewind and seek in the video with sound and is used to serve videos online.
WebM can compress a lot and very little computer power is required to unzip the files which makes online streaming very easy.
WebM has similar compression and quality characteristics to other video formats. WebM video format is also used by YouTube for videos, from 360p to higher resolutions.
Softwares to Open WebM Files
WebM files can be opened by most browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge because they are used by HTML5 to stream videos on the web.
Windows Media Player (with DirectShow Filters installed), KMPlayer, VLC Media Player can be used to open WebM files.
For Mac, Elmedia Player can open WebM files as well as the media players mentioned above which are available for mac.
Methods to Open WebM File in Windows 10
Method # 01: Opening WebM File with Browser
As mentioned above, WebM files can be opened without installing any software, with most of the browsers. Here, we are going to demonstrate how to open a WebM file with Chrome.
- Make sure that the file format is WebM.
- To check the file format, Right Click on the item and select Properties from the menu. The file type will be written next to Type of File.
- In this case, WEBM File (.webm). Then open Chrome.
- Press Ctrl + O buttons to bring up the Open window.
- Navigate to the directory where the WebM files is located and selected it.
- Then, click Open. You can also drag and drop the WebM file in the browser window to open it.
Opening WebM files with other browsers is almost the same as with Chrome.
Method # 02: Using VLC Media Player
- Open VLC Media Player.
- Press Ctrl + O. Then navigate to the location where the file is located and select it.
- Then click the Open button.
- You can also drag and drop the WebM file to the VLC window to open it.
How to Open WebM files in macOS
Elmedia Player is the best way to play WebM files on mac. Elemedia Player can also be used to open many other formats.
- Open Elmedia Player and navigate to File > Open. Select the WebM file you want to open.
- You can also drag and drop the file to the Elmedia Player Window.
- Another way is to select the file from the Finder, right click it and open it with Elmedia Player from the menu options.