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In this article we will show you how to Play MP3, Other Audio Files on Mac. If you want to play a single audio file on your Mac without adding anything new, you can do so in a number of ways with apps that come with your Mac. There are a few ways to do this. One way lets you play an audio file in an iTunes playlist without adding it to the iTunes music library. This works on both Mac and Windows versions of iTunes.
Two other ways let you play audio files and mp3s on a Mac without using iTunes at all, by using Quick Time or Quick Look instead. This way, you never add those audio files to iTunes or any playlist. These tips can help with music files that you only want to listen to once and don’t want to keep on your computer.
It could be a shared voice memo from an iPhone, a podcast you don’t want to save or listen to again, a shared message from an iPhone, or an audio file you need to hear but don’t want to save. Even though MP3 is the most popular format for audio and video files, you may not be able to play MP3s on your music player. The problem is that Apple products don’t handle as many multimedia containers and codecs as other products do.
How to Play MP3, Other Audio Files on Mac
Playing the files in iTunes without adding them to iTunes Library
The first way is to play the audio file through iTunes, but without putting it to the iTunes Library. Here’s how to get this job done:
- Launch iTunes on the Mac
- In the Finder, locate the audio file you wish to listen to
- Hold down the Option key on the Mac keyboard, then drag and drop the audio file into iTunes.
This process adds the audio file to the iTunes playlist so it can be played, but it doesn’t copy the file to the iTunes media library. This works by making a soft link (alias) between iTunes and the file’s original address on the Mac. You can remove the file from the iTunes playlist at any time by right-clicking the “song” and choosing “Delete from Library” from the menu that appears. From the menu bar, choose Song > Delete from Library, or you can click on the file, then press the Delete key, to pick it and delete it. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Apple Support site.
Use QuickTime Player on the Mac
QuickTime Player is one of the most flexible video and audio apps on the Mac. It can play back a range of file types without having to use iTunes. Let’s say you used AirDrop to send a voice memo from your iPhone to your Mac. Here’s how to listen to it through QuickTime instead of iTunes:
- Launch QuickTime Player from the Applications folder
- Drag and drop the audio file onto the QuickTime Player Dock icon or into the QuickTime app
- Click the play button.
- One useful thing to remember is that QuickTime Player lets you play your files in the background while other work is being done on the Mac. This can be useful if you need to manually transcribe a voice memo.
- There another way to play audio files in QuickTime Player from the Finder: Right-click on the file, then select Open with QuickTime Player.
Use Quick Look on the Mac
- From the Finder, locate the audio file you wish to listen to
- Click once on the audio file to select it, then press the space bar on the Mac keyboard
- The Quick Look preview window appears and plays the audio file automatically. Once again, you can quickly move to another window on the Mac to do work and Quick Look continues to play the audio file.
Imagine that someone sent you an MP3 audio file or you downloaded a show you want to listen to on your Mac, but you don’t have a way to play it. What do you need to do? If you don’t know how to play this MP3 audio file on your Mac, you can use the usual apps and other programmes that come with your Mac to do so.