Why will not my video play?

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You tap a video and get a black screen, a spinning wheel, sound with no picture, or a message about a format that is not supported. Here is what is going on.

A video file has two parts

The file type, like MP4 or MOV, is the box. Inside the box are the picture and the sound, each squeezed in a certain way. A device needs to understand the box and what is inside. If it does not, the video will not play right.

The usual reasons

• The device is old. It does not know newer ways of squeezing video.
• The video is very new. Newer iPhones can record in a format many computers and TVs cannot open yet.
• The program is limited. Some apps only open a few file types.
• The file did not finish copying or sending. A partly copied file often will not open at all.

The simple fix

Make a copy that uses the type almost everything understands: an MP4 with the common picture and sound settings. That is what the "play on any phone or computer" option does.

Check first

If the file is much smaller than you expect, or the copy stopped partway, get a fresh copy before you try anything else.