open-mpv is a fast, simple photo and video viewer for GNOME. Open a file and browse the photos and videos in its folder, all in one window. Move the pointer when you need the controls; they stay out of the way while you view.
Your files stay where they are. There is nothing to import, no media library to manage, and no tracking or network access.
- View photos, animated images, SVGs and videos.
- Zoom in, move around an image, rotate the view or go fullscreen.
- Pause videos, seek, change speed and volume, and choose audio or subtitles.
- Move unwanted files to trash and use Undo to bring them back shortly after.
- Save a rotation in supported image formats. JPEG rotations keep the original image quality.
- Use Quick Markup to draw boxes and arrows on a still image, then copy the result to the clipboard.
Viewing and Quick Markup leave the original file unchanged. Files change only when you choose to save a rotation, move them to trash or restore them.
Currently supported on Fedora 44 Workstation, GNOME, Wayland and x86-64. Other distributions and desktops are not supported yet.
Previously installed from source? Follow the source-to-RPM migration guide first so an old binary or desktop launcher does not hide the RPM.
Install the latest release:
sudo dnf install https://github.com/TheRealShek/open-mpv/releases/latest/download/open-mpv-fedora44-x86_64.rpmTo update, run the same command when a new release is available. Updates are
manual: the usual dnf upgrade command will not find new GitHub releases.
To uninstall:
sudo dnf remove open-mpvInstalling open-mpv leaves your default apps unchanged. To use it as the default for a file type, right-click a file in Files, choose Open With, then select open-mpv as the default.
Start open-mpv and choose Open File or Open Folder. You can also open a file with open-mpv from Files, or drag one into the window.
Opening a file lets you browse the other supported photos and videos in the same folder. Opening a folder starts with its first supported file. Folder and automatic subtitle discovery run in the background so an already open window stays responsive while storage is busy. The latest open request wins. Edits made by another application refresh the current image after file-change notifications settle. Cached neighbors are invalidated too. Refreshing resets the image view and clears any transient Quick Markup. The window starts at a size that fits your display and keeps that size as you browse. Rapid navigation keeps image-loading work bounded and gives the current photo priority over preloading neighbors. Opening another folder releases cached images from the previous folder. Switching between photos and videos keeps playback controls responsive.
If you prefer the terminal:
open-mpv ~/Pictures/photo.jpg
open-mpv ~/Videos/video.mp4
open-mpv ~/PicturesMove the pointer to show the controls. Right-click the photo or video, or
click the three-dot button, for more options. Press ? for all shortcuts.
Hold the scroll-wheel (middle) button and drag to move the window at any
zoom. A middle-click without dragging switches between fit and actual size.
Left-drag pans when the image or video extends beyond the window; it does
nothing when the media fits. A grab cursor shows when panning is available and changes
to grabbing during a pan. Panning stops at the media edges; drag back to move
again. Window borders still resize, and Quick Markup uses left-drag to draw.
| Key or gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
Ctrl+O / Ctrl+Shift+O |
Open a file / folder |
Ctrl+Alt+F / Ctrl+Alt+O |
Show in Files / Open With… |
Right / Left |
Next / previous file; move around the image when zoomed in |
| Scroll / pinch | Zoom in or out |
| Left-drag | Pan overflowing media; draw in Quick Markup |
| Middle-drag / middle-click | Move the window / switch fit and actual size |
0 / 1 / Z |
Fit to the window / actual size / switch between them |
R / Shift+R |
Rotate right / left |
S |
Save the rotation, if the format supports it |
Delete |
Move the file to trash |
Ctrl+Z |
Undo a markup change or restore the file while Undo is available |
Space |
Pause or resume a video or animation; next file from a still image |
J / L |
Go back / forward 10 seconds in a video |
A |
Start or cancel Quick Markup |
F / F11 / double-click |
Enter or leave fullscreen |
Escape |
Cancel the current mode, leave fullscreen or quit |
The three-dot More menu keeps Open File…, Open Folder…, and Keyboard Shortcuts directly accessible. File contains Show in Files and Open With…; View contains Fit to Window and Actual Size; Navigate contains First File and Last File. Rotation and Quick Markup stay in the bottom toolbar and right-click menu. Quick Markup appears only for supported decoded static raster images. Video audio-track and subtitle options remain contextual in both menus.
The More menu's File submenu and the right-click menu offer file handoff. Show in Files reveals the source file in its folder. Open With always asks for an application and requests writable access where your permissions allow it. It sends the original file, without saving pending view rotation or changing video or animation playback. Both actions are unavailable during Quick Markup or while a handoff request is pending, but work for existing files that cannot be decoded. Cancellation is silent; launch failures appear as a brief message. To assign shortcuts, see Custom key bindings.
Images: JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIF/HEIC, JPEG XL, TIFF, SVG, GIF and more,
depending on the installed image loaders. Animated GIF, WebP and PNG files
play automatically and loop. Press Space or the play/pause button to pause
an animation and resume from the same frame.
Videos: MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV and AVI. Playback depends on the codecs installed on your system. open-mpv uses hardware decoding when compatible hardware and drivers are available.
You do not need a configuration file to get started. To change defaults or keyboard shortcuts, follow the configuration guide.
If images do not open, check that glycin-loaders is installed. If a video
will not play, you may need additional codecs. The optional
gstreamer1-plugin-libav package adds software decoding for more video formats.
The troubleshooting guide explains how to check video support, understand configuration failures, and capture crash backtraces. If you opened the app from Files, you can read its logs with:
journalctl -b _COMM=open-mpvWant to build from source or help with development? See CONTRIBUTING.md.
MIT.