Linux MPV Guide - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Linux MPV Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to MPV on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, configuration, and advanced playback features.

Table of Contents

  1. MPV Installation
  2. MPV Configuration
  3. Basic Usage
  4. Advanced Features
  5. Troubleshooting

MPV Installation

Install MPV

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install MPV
sudo pacman -S mpv

# With GUI
sudo pacman -S mpv mpv-mpris

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install mpv

Fedora:

sudo dnf install mpv

Launch MPV

Start MPV:

# Play file
mpv video.mp4

# Or from file manager

MPV Configuration

Configuration File

Create config:

# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/mpv

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf

Basic Settings

Common settings:

# Video output
vo=gpu

# Hardware acceleration
hwdec=auto

# Subtitle settings
sub-auto=all
sub-file-paths=subs

# Audio
audio-device=auto

Basic Usage

Playback Controls

MPV controls:

  • Space: Play/Pause
  • F: Fullscreen
  • M: Mute
  • Arrow keys: Seek
  • Q: Quit

Playlists

Play directory:

# Play all videos in directory
mpv /path/to/videos/

# Shuffle
mpv --shuffle /path/to/videos/

Advanced Features

Hardware Acceleration

Enable GPU:

# In config
hwdec=auto

# Or command line
mpv --hwdec=auto video.mp4

Subtitle Management

Load subtitles:

# Auto-load subtitles
mpv --sub-auto=all video.mp4

# Load specific subtitle
mpv --sub-file=subtitle.srt video.mp4

Troubleshooting

Playback Issues

Check codecs:

# List codecs
mpv --list-codecs

# Check hardware acceleration
mpv --hwdec=help

Performance Issues

Use hardware acceleration:

# Enable GPU decoding
mpv --hwdec=auto video.mp4

Summary

This guide covered MPV installation, configuration, and usage for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.