View source for Command-line interface

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{{See also|VLC command-line help|Console|label2=Console interfaces|Documentation:Command line}}

This page describes how to access the terminal and start VLC in it.

A terminal is a text-based way to run programs. It is normally pre-installed on your computer. The command prompt may also be called the "Command Prompt", "Console", "Terminal", "MS-DOS Prompt", or something similar.

Running VLC from the terminal gives you access to many commands and features in VideoLAN which you would not otherwise have: see the [[VLC command-line help]] page to find out more about options from the command line.

Note that '''<samp>%</samp>''' is used on many of the examples on the VLC Wiki to represent the prompt, so you don't need to type that in.<br>
Depending on your [[operating system]], the prompt could appear as a <samp>&gt;</samp>, <samp>%</samp>, <samp>$</samp> or <samp>#</samp> symbol. Read on for a detailed explanation.

Tip: For extended command-line work (or play) it may be worth changing to the directory of VLC. Most command-line interpreters will understand <code><nowiki>vlc</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki>vlc.exe</nowiki></code> to be the program in that directory.

== Windows ==
In Windows, this is called the '''command prompt'''. To open the command prompt:
* Click on the Start Menu and select Run.
* In the Run box, type '''<kbd>cmd</kbd>''' (or '''<kbd>command</kbd>''' for older versions of Windows) and press enter.
The command prompt will look something like this:
 C:\>
To run VLC, you will need to know where you installed VLC; the default is '''<code>{{Path to VLC|windows|dir=y}}</code>'''. So to start VLC, type the full path to VLC and the options:
 {{Path to VLC|windows}} ''options''
replacing ''options'' with the name of the file to play and its options.

== macOS ==
You can run VLC on [[macOS]] using a terminal application, such as '''Terminal.app''' in '''/Applications/Utilities'''. In the terminal window type
 {{Path to VLC|mac}} ''options''
replacing ''options'' with VLC options, commands, the name of the file to play, and so on.

To suppress the launch of any Mac-like interface, <u>you have to add</u> the Option <code>-I</code> or <code>--intf</code> followed by the interface you want to use instead.<br>
Available interfaces are:
* ''rc'' (remote control)
* ''ncurses'' (command-line-gui)
* ''http'' (web interface, usually on [[port]] 8080)—this interface will prevent VLC from appearing even in the Dock.

In older versions you could replace the "VLC" at the end of the path with "clivlc" to suppress the launch of any Mac-like interface.

== Linux/Unix ==
How to get a Linux terminal varies by distribution (for any desktop setup it will be somewhere in the applications; these are merely shortcuts). If you use Ubuntu or Linux Mint, gnome-terminal can be opened with the key combination <kbd>Ctrl+Alt+T</kbd>. If you use RHEL/Fedora/CentOS, gnome-terminal can be opened by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting <samp>Open terminal</samp>.

By convention:
* The '''standard user''' prompt may appear as <samp>$</samp> or <samp>%</samp> or something else.<br>
* The '''root user''' prompt is represented with a <samp>#</samp>. This is an indication that you must either log in as root (potential security risk) or prefix the command with <code>sudo</code> and enter your password.<br>
To run VLC, you can normally type
 {{Path to VLC|linux}} ''options''
replacing ''options'' with the name of the file to play and its options.

[[Category:Documentation]] [[Category:Coding]]