> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/mpv-player/mpv/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# mpv — Command Line Media Player

> A free, open-source media player for the command line. Supports virtually every video and audio format, with powerful scripting, GPU rendering, and embedding APIs.

mpv is a free and open-source media player built for the command line. Powered by FFmpeg and libplacebo, it plays virtually any video or audio format with high-quality GPU-accelerated rendering. Extend it with Lua or JavaScript scripts, control it remotely via JSON IPC, or embed it in your own application using the libmpv C API.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Install mpv on Linux, macOS, or Windows
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Play your first file and learn the essentials in minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="sliders" href="/usage/configuration">
    Set up your config file and customize mpv to your workflow
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scripting" icon="code" href="/scripting/lua-scripting">
    Automate and extend mpv with Lua or JavaScript scripts
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What you can do with mpv

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Basic Playback" icon="play" href="/usage/basic-playback">
    Play local files, URLs, streams, and playlists from the terminal
  </Card>

  <Card title="Keyboard Controls" icon="keyboard" href="/usage/keyboard-controls">
    Master the default key bindings and create your own
  </Card>

  <Card title="Video Output" icon="display" href="/av/video-output">
    Configure GPU-accelerated video drivers and rendering options
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audio Output" icon="volume-high" href="/av/audio-output">
    Select and tune audio drivers for your platform
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hardware Decoding" icon="microchip" href="/av/hardware-decoding">
    Enable VDPAU, VAAPI, NVDEC, and other hardware decode paths
  </Card>

  <Card title="IPC Protocol" icon="plug" href="/scripting/ipc-protocol">
    Control mpv externally via the JSON IPC socket interface
  </Card>

  <Card title="libmpv Embedding" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/embedding/libmpv">
    Embed mpv as a playback backend in your own application
  </Card>

  <Card title="Options Reference" icon="list" href="/reference/options-overview">
    Browse the full command-line options reference
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Get started quickly

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install mpv">
    Download mpv for your platform from the [installation page](/installation). Packages are available for all major Linux distributions, macOS via Homebrew, and Windows.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Play a file">
    Open a terminal and run:

    ```bash theme={null}
    mpv video.mkv
    ```

    mpv will auto-detect the best video and audio output for your system.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure your setup">
    Create `~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf` to persist your preferred settings:

    ```ini theme={null}
    vo=gpu-next
    hwdec=auto-safe
    sub-auto=fuzzy
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Explore scripting and automation">
    Drop a `.lua` or `.js` file into `~/.config/mpv/scripts/` to extend mpv with custom behavior, key bindings, and integrations.
  </Step>
</Steps>