QuickTime chokes on half the video files people actually keep on their Macs. Hand it an MKV, a 4K HEVC rip, or a clip with an external subtitle track and you get an error or a black window. IINA is the fix. It is a free, open source video player for macOS built on top of mpv, so it plays almost anything you throw at it while still feeling like a native Mac app rather than a port from Linux.
This guide walks through installing IINA the easy way with Homebrew, the manual way from the official disk image, and the small setup steps most people want right after: getting past the first launch prompt, making IINA the default player for your video files, and driving it from the terminal. Every step here was run on an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 26 in September 2026, not copied from the docs.
What you need before you start
IINA runs on any reasonably current Mac. There are two hard requirements worth checking first:
- macOS 12 or newer on Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later)
- macOS 10.15 or newer on Intel Macs
- About 150 MB of free disk space
The app ships as a universal binary, so the same download runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel. You do not need to install mpv, ffmpeg, or any codecs separately. IINA bundles everything it needs.
One caveat for older Intel Macs: the Homebrew cask requires macOS 12 or newer, so a Mac still on macOS 10.15 or 11 has to use the disk image method rather than brew.
Install IINA with Homebrew
If you already use Homebrew, this is the fastest route and the one that keeps IINA updated along with the rest of your tools. Homebrew itself relies on Apple’s command line tools, which most developer Macs already have. One command installs the app straight into your Applications folder:
brew install --cask iinaHomebrew downloads the signed build, moves IINA.app into /Applications, and links a small command line helper called iina-cli so you can open files from the terminal later. When it finishes you will see the success line and can confirm the version that landed:
The cask has auto-updates enabled, which means IINA can update itself in the background. You can still upgrade it through Homebrew by naming the cask, which is covered further down.
The older brew cask install iina syntax you may find in older guides no longer works. Homebrew folded casks into the main command years ago, so brew install --cask is the current form.
Install IINA from the disk image
No Homebrew? The manual route is just as simple. Head to the official IINA download page and grab the disk image. When the .dmg finishes downloading, open it and a standard installer window appears.
Drag the IINA icon onto the Applications folder shortcut in the same window. That copies the app into place. You can then eject the disk image and delete the downloaded file.
Both methods give you the same app. Homebrew is easier to keep updated, while the disk image is handy on a Mac where you would rather not install a package manager.
Open IINA for the first time
Launch IINA from Spotlight or the Applications folder. Because you downloaded it from the internet, macOS shows a one time confirmation asking whether you are sure you want to open it. This is normal for any app that did not come from the App Store. Click Open and you will not be asked again.
IINA opens on a welcome window with buttons to open a file, open a URL, or open the clipboard link. The quickest test is to drag any video file onto that window or onto the IINA icon in the Dock. It should start playing immediately, and the playback controls fade in when you move the pointer over the window. The usual macOS keyboard shortcuts for play, pause, and volume work while a video is open.
Set IINA as your default video player
Installing IINA does not automatically take over from QuickTime. To make every video file open in IINA when you double click it, set it as the default for that file type:
- Right click a video file in Finder and choose Get Info.
- Expand the Open with section and pick IINA from the menu.
- Click Change All and confirm. Every file of that type now opens in IINA.
There is a catch worth knowing: macOS treats each extension separately. Setting IINA as the default for .mp4 does not touch .mkv or .mov. Repeat the steps for each file type you care about, and each one sticks after that.
Play videos from the command line
The iina-cli helper that Homebrew linked lets you open files straight from a terminal, which is handy in scripts or when you live in the shell. Point it at a file and IINA launches with that video loaded:
iina ~/Movies/demo.mp4Run it with --help to see the full set of options. You can open files in separate windows, jump straight into music mode for audio, start in Picture in Picture, or pass any raw mpv option through with the --mpv- prefix:
Passing mpv options through IINA is where this gets powerful. Anything the underlying mpv engine understands works here, so you can set the start volume, disable resume, or force a subtitle track without leaving the command line.
Add subtitles to a video
If a subtitle file sits next to the video with a matching name, IINA loads it automatically. To add one manually, drag the .srt or .ass file onto the playing window and IINA picks it up right away.
For anything without a local subtitle, IINA can search online. Open the Subtitles menu while a video is playing and choose to find subtitles from the built in online source. Matches download and apply in place, and you can switch tracks or nudge the timing from the same menu if they drift.
Update IINA
If you installed with Homebrew, upgrade the cask by name:
brew upgrade --cask iinaBecause the cask updates itself in the background, a plain brew upgrade can skip it, so name the cask when you want to force the check. IINA also checks for updates on its own and installs them from inside the app, so most of the time you never have to think about it. If you installed from the disk image, that built in updater is the simplest way to stay current: it prompts you when a new build is out and applies it for you.
Fix the “IINA can’t be opened” warning
Once in a while, usually on a copy pulled from somewhere other than the official site, macOS refuses to launch the app and shows a message that it cannot be verified or opened. The file is flagged with a quarantine attribute. The Control click and open trick from older guides was removed in recent macOS, so use the settings route instead. Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to the message about IINA. You confirm with your admin password and the app launches.
When even that is blocked, clear the quarantine flag from the terminal and launch again:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/IINA.appThe safest habit is to install from Homebrew or the official download page in the first place. Those builds are signed and notarized, so they open with nothing more than the normal first launch confirmation.
Remove IINA
If IINA is not for you, removing it is a single command when you installed through Homebrew:
brew uninstall --cask iinaInstalled from the disk image instead? Drag IINA.app from the Applications folder to the Trash. Your saved preferences live in the Library folder under your home directory and are tiny, so most people leave them. Delete them too if you want a completely clean slate.
Common questions about IINA
Is IINA really free?
Yes. IINA is free and open source under the GPL. There is no paid tier, no ads, and no account to create. The full source lives on GitHub.
Does it play MKV, HEVC, and 4K files?
It does. Because IINA is built on mpv, it handles MKV, HEVC, VP9, AV1, and high bitrate 4K and HDR video without extra codec packs. This is the main reason people move to it from QuickTime, and it saves you converting files just to watch them.
Is IINA better than VLC on a Mac?
They play the same range of files. The difference is fit: IINA is designed for macOS, so it matches the system look, supports dark mode, Picture in Picture, and trackpad gestures, and feels lighter. VLC is cross platform and does more on the streaming and conversion side. For a Mac native alternative to weigh up, there is also Elmedia Player for macOS. For everyday local playback on a Mac, most people prefer IINA.
Does IINA run natively on Apple Silicon?
Yes. The download is a universal binary, so it runs natively on M series Macs with no Rosetta translation, as well as on older Intel machines.
