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The Preview app seems to work with all kinds of file types, but when you try to open a GIF image in it, it fails. It can’t handle this type of image file correctly. Instead of the animation, you will see all the frames of the picture. how to Play GIFs to your video is a great way to make a boring video more fun. It works like magic a lot of the time to get people’s attention.
So, whether you want to make fun of your friend’s embarrassed smile, make a funny video for YouTube, or make a short in-stream video ad on Instagram or Facebook, etc., adding one or more GIF overlays to your video could be a game-changer to get more views and a higher click-through rate.
In this post, we’ll show you how to easily add a GIF from GIPHY to a video on a PC using an online video editor or Adobe Premiere Pro. You can also directly add a GIF to your video on an iPhone, Android, or iPad.
How to Play GIFs on Windows
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is an expedient way to play GIFs on Windows. You only need to right click on the GIF file on your computer, select Open with > Windows Media Player.
If there is no Windows Media Player option in the list, go to Choose default program > Other programs. Scroll down, find and select Windows Media Player.
Internet Explorer
This is the fastest way to watch a GIF on Windows: Right-click the GIF file and choose “Open with,” then “Internet Explorer.” Then, the animated GIF will play over and over again in the browser. Support for Internet Explorer has ended. Now, you should use Microsoft Edge.
Irfanview
You can also use a tool from a different company to open GIF files. Irfanview is a free graphic viewer for Windows that can play and edit GIFs. You can do more with animated GIFs in this program. For example, you can zoom in and out on a GIF, look at and change the file’s properties, extract frames from the file, and so on.
Play GIFs on Mac
Use the Space bar
The Mac Spacebar on the keyboard is not only used to separate words, but it can also play GIFs and do other things: Click on the GIF you want to play, then press and hold the Spacebar on your keyboard. The animated GIF will be shown in a new window. But if you want the GIF to play in an endless loop, you have to keep holding the Spacebar. This is not a good way to do it for GIFs that are rarely long.
Safari
- You can also figure out how to play GIFs on Mac by using your browser:
- Right-click the file, choose “Open with,” and then choose “Safari.” The animated GIF is now ready to be watched. You can also try this method with other browsers, like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Opera, to see if it works.
How to Play GIFs On Android
- Browse and play animated GIF images on Android;
- View and download hilarious GIFs;
- Search for funny GIFs on Señor Gif and Gif Bin;
- Share your favorite GIFs with your friends.
Steps to Play GIFs On iPhone
The default app for photos
Apple has supported GIFs since iOS 11, so if you have iOS 11 or a later version, you can play GIF images in Photos. Find the animated GIF you want to play in Photos and tap it to open and play it.
Texts or emails
Users with iOS 10 or earlier still need to find other ways, and the most common way to do this without installing a third-party tool is to send the GIF to yourself through Messages or Email, since animated GIFs can be played on the iPhone Messages and Email apps.
FAQ
Can Windows Media Player play GIFs?
Windows Media Player is an expedient way to play GIFs on Windows. You only need to right click on the GIF file on your computer, select Open with > Windows Media Player.Jul 11, 2022
Why won’t GIFs play on my computer?
If your GIF file is not playing or looping, it might be because the file is too large. If it’s more than 1080 pixels high or 1920 pixels wide, you’ll need to reduce the size. There are a number of free, online tools of varying sophistication that you can use.Jan 5, 2020
How do I enable GIFs in Windows 10?
In the Display section, check the box to Play animated GIFs. If you have Outlook for Office 365, version 2008 or higher, use Windows 10 to enable animated GIFs. Click Start and type Show animations. Click the search result and under Simplify and personalize Windows, enable Show animations in Windows.
Why is GIF unsupported?
Why Android shows image file unsupported error? The unsupported file format error occurs when your Android device does not support the image file type. Usually, smartphones support BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIF image formats. If your file type is other than these, it may not open.