Install VLC Media Player on Ubuntu 18.04: Snap Setup Guide

VLC is one of the most popular open-source multimedia players in the world, developed by the VideoLAN project. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and several other platforms. More than just a video player, VLC can handle virtually every media format in existence — MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, WebM, Blu-ray, DVD, and Audio CDs — without requiring extra codec packs. It also supports multiple streaming protocols including HLS, RTSP, and MMS, making it equally useful for local playback and live streams.

Beyond basic playback, VLC includes an audio equalizer, video filters, subtitle sync adjustment, a built-in media converter, and a streaming server you can use to broadcast media over a local network. All of this is available for free, with no ads and no paid tiers.

This guide shows you how to install VLC on Ubuntu 18.04, set it as your default media player, and manage updates and removal.

<strong>Prerequisite:</strong>&nbsp;You need sudo access.

Install VLC on Ubuntu via Snap

Ubuntu’s default repositories include a VLC deb package, but it often lags several versions behind the current release. The recommended approach is to install VLC as a Snap package. Snaps are self-contained application bundles managed by the Snapcraft store. They ship with all their own dependencies and update automatically in the background, so you always have the latest stable release with the newest codec support and security patches applied.

Install VLC with:

bashsudo snap install vlc

The installer downloads the full VLC snap, including all built-in codecs, optical media drivers, and streaming support. Once complete, you will see confirmation in the terminal:

vlc 3.0.6 from VideoLAN✓ installed

Launch VLC from the command line by typing vlc, or open it from the application menu via Activities > VLC Media Player.

The first time you open VLC, a privacy policy dialog appears asking about network access and metadata retrieval. Read through it and pick your preferred settings. If you accept, VLC can automatically fetch album art, subtitles, and media metadata from online services.

Set VLC as the Default Media Player

After installing VLC, Ubuntu still uses its existing default media application to open audio and video files. To change this, open the Activities screen and search for Default Applications, then click on it to open the settings panel.

In the Default Applications window:

• Under Music, select VLC media player from the dropdown to use VLC for audio files
• Under Video, select VLC media player to handle all video formats

Your files will now open in VLC automatically whenever you double-click them from the file manager.

Update and Uninstall VLC

Snap packages update automatically in the background, but you can manually trigger an update at any time:

bashsudo snap refresh vlc

To remove VLC from your system completely:

bashsudo snap remove vlc

This uninstalls both the application and all of its snap-managed data in one step.

VLC is now installed on your Ubuntu 18.04 desktop. With support for virtually every media format, built-in streaming, and automatic Snap updates, it is one of the most complete media players available on Linux. Visit the VideoLAN documentation to explore VLC’s full feature set. Leave a comment below if you run into any issues.