Open / update your VLC player with a security patch!
My Story:
VLC media player is a great -if not the best – video player alternative to Windows media player. I have used it for possibly as long as it has been around. I will admit to using the Windows media player most of the time. But I use VLC when I get a format WMP does not support, I need to control captions, or WMP freezes while trying to fast forward or something…
Since I listen to several tech-based podcasts, I heard there was a security patch that any VLC user should install. Luckily, VLC even prompts you to install it when it is opened. Great pro-activity on VLC’s part. They don’t just say there is an update, they specify a security update!
I have always thought the look of VLC could be a little better, more modern. Especially these days when all apps and websites focus on looking good. So I looked into skins. I did a quick Google search and found VLC’s Wiki and article on How to switch to the Skins interface.
While following the directions, I found it was a little off. So I thought I would be a good internet citizen and try to update their wiki. Unfortunately, I couldn’t join. After spending some time looking around the site I found a “Join the project” link, but it only lead to a documentation page on what you could do as a member. After spending even more time, I finally found on that same page at the bottom a “create an account” link under “Edit the Wiki”. I think it is a little hidden, since why would you look any further down a page when you see a big section for members and a Join link…
Anyway, that ‘create an account” link returned an error saying that you had to be an Administrator.
I then went to their forum to see if there were any posts on this. No. I thought about joining the forum to ask, but I decided I didn’t what to create yet another account I would probably only use once and decided to write this post instead.
The How-to:
Their wiki documentation is 99% right, and may just need
updated because one of the recent updates.
This is for Windows 10 users with recent VLC versions as of June 2019.
You can find their skins here to download all or just the one(s) you want.
Save, move, or unzip the skin(s) to C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\skins.
With VLC open, click on Tools> Preferences.
Make sure Interface is highlighted, and click the “Use custom skin” selection circle.
You will notice the options below change & offer a field to point to the
skin location called “Skin resource file”. Click on “Choose…” and point it to
your desired skin.
Click “Save” at the bottom of the window and restart VLC.
To change from one skin to another:
Right click anywhere in the VLC window> Interface> Select skin> your skin choice.
Techbreakdown 