Why can I only hear and not see a video I downloaded?

Updated: 01/24/2018 by Computer Hope
No noise

Sometimes, after downloading a video from the Internet, you cannot view it even though you can hear the audio. There are many causes for this issue, some of which are listed in the following sections.

Codec issue

Videos may be encoded in a certain to reduce their file size. Consequently, media players must have the correct codec installed to play them. Often, this particular issue is caused when the computer does not have the required DivX or XviD codec. If the location from which you downloaded the file did not contain a link to the necessary codec, we suggest looking at our codec information page for help finding them.

Video type is not supported

Sometimes, video files require specific video players. Verify the video format you are attempting to view is supported with your player, or try viewing the file with a different one.

File is corrupt

If you have verified the steps above and are still unable to view the video, the video may be corrupted or have other errors. Try downloading the video file again.