How do I open an .m2v file?

.M2V File Extension

MPEG-2 Video

Developer	Moving Picture Experts Group
Popularity	3.0 \| 7 Votes

What is an M2V file?

An M2V file is a video file encoded using MPEG-2 compression. It contains only video data and does not contain any audio or subtitles. M2V files are commonly used by DVD-authoring applications, which pair M2V files with audio files (such as .M2A and .WAV files) to create movies.

More Information

Screenshot of a .m2v file in Apple QuickTime Player — M2V file open in Apple QuickTime Player

While most video files created using MPEG-2 compression (such as .MPG and .MPEG files) contain both video and audio data, M2V files contain only video. M2V files are most often used to create DVD movies, because many DVD-authoring tools require users to import separate video and audio files.

Some video-editing programs, such as Adobe Premiere and After Effects, allow users to export their videos in the M2V format. Users can then use DVD-authoring applications, such as DVD Flick and CyberLink Power Director, to combine their M2V file with an audio file and produce a finalized movie.

How to open an M2V file

You can open and play an M2V file in most common media players, including:

Note that some media players, such as Media Player Classic, can play a corresponding audio file alongside an M2V file. For this feature to work, the audio file must use the same filename as the M2V file and reside in the same folder. For example, if an audio file named FileInfoExample.wav is located in the same folder as FileInfoExample.m2v, and you play FileInfoExample.m2v in Media Player Classic, Media Player Classic will also play FileInfoExample.wav.

If you want to use an M2V file and a corresponding audio file to create a DVD, you can do so in DVD-authoring programs such as DVD Flick (Windows) and CyberLink Power Director (Windows, Mac, Android).