# How to play videos and motion photos > Double-click a video and it plays in the viewer, with Space to pause and M to mute. On Windows, Google and Samsung motion photos play their clip with the L key. Source: https://firelet.media/help/play-videos-and-motion-photos Published: 2026-11-06 · Updated: 2026-11-06 Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux To play a video in firelet.media Gallery, double-click its tile. It opens in the viewer and starts playing, with [[Space]] to pause, [[M]] to mute and a bar to seek. To play motion photos on Windows (the short clip hidden inside Google and Samsung motion photos), open the photo and press the **Motion** button or [[L]]. The clip plays once, muted, over the still picture. ## Finding videos: All media or Videos only Videos sit in the grid alongside your photos. To see them on their own, use the media box on the toolbar: - **All media**: photos and videos together (the default). - **Photos only**. - **Videos only**. ![The grid toolbar with Scan, Map, the search box, the All media box, the date range, orientation, sort and tile size controls](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-toolbar.webp "The media box (All media) switches to Videos only") Hover over a video tile and a muted preview starts playing after a moment, so you can tell clips apart without opening them. The gallery indexes `.mp4`, `.mov`, `.avi`, `.mkv`, `.webm`, `.m4v`, `.wmv` and `.3gp` files. ## Steps: play a video in the viewer 1. Choose **Videos only** in the media box, or just find the video in the grid. 2. Double-click the tile, or select it and press [[Enter]]. 3. The video starts on its own. Press [[Space]] (or **Play**) to pause and resume. 4. Drag the seek bar, or press [[,]] and [[.]] to jump back or forward 5 seconds. Hold [[Shift]] with them for 30 seconds. 5. Press [[M]] to mute, and [[↑]] or [[↓]] to change the volume. 6. Press [[→]] for the next item, or [[Esc]] to close the viewer. The caption line under the picture shows the video's length, size and when it was taken. [[F]] goes fullscreen. When a video ends, it rewinds to the start and stops. The [photo viewer guide](https://firelet.media/help/photo-viewer-guide) covers the rest of the viewer. ## Play motion photos on Windows Many Android phones can save a second or two of video inside the photo. The Windows build plays two kinds, both saved as JPEG: - Google motion photos (Motion Photo and MicroVideo, including Top Shot). - Samsung Motion Photo. To play one: 1. Open the photo in the viewer. 2. Look for the **Motion** button in the toolbar. It appears only on a photo that carries a clip. 3. Press **Motion**, or [[L]]. The clip plays once, without sound, over the still. > [!NOTE] > Apple Live Photos, HEIC motion photos and exporting the clip on its own are not supported. When the free Android companion is available, it plays motion photos on the phone itself, HEIC ones included; see [the Android companion app](https://firelet.media/help/android-companion-app). ## Duration filters and sorting by length To find the long clips eating your disk, or the two-second accidents: - Sort the grid by **Longest first** or **Shortest first**. - Open **Filters** ([[Alt]]+[[2]]) → **Duration (video)** and type a minimum and maximum, in seconds. - Type `kind=video` in the **Advanced query** panel ([[Alt]]+[[9]]) to combine videos with any other condition. - Open **Statistics** ([[Alt]]+[[8]]) for the total video running time and the longest video in the library. More ways to narrow the grid are in [sorting and filtering photos](https://firelet.media/help/sort-and-filter-photos). ## What the player does not do The Windows viewer is built for watching, not editing. It has **no loop, no speed control, no trimming and no frame export**. For any of those, press **Open externally** in the viewer's toolbar to play the file in another app, or right-click the tile and choose **Share and print** → **Open with…**. The Android companion's own player (coming soon) has loop, speed and picture-in-picture, but those are phone features, not PC ones. If a video shows no preview, or the viewer says it can't be played, Windows needs a codec for it. Follow [videos show no preview or won't play](https://firelet.media/help/videos-no-preview-or-wont-play). ## macOS and Linux: FFmpeg The macOS and Linux builds are being finished. There, videos play in the app's built-in browser engine, and the free FFmpeg tool is optional: it supplies each video's length, dimensions and preview frame. Without it, videos are still listed with their name, size and date. Installing FFmpeg does not make HEVC, AVI or WMV files play inside the app. Motion photos are not supported in those builds. The blog looks at the Windows side in more depth in [motion photos on Windows](https://firelet.media/blog/motion-photos-on-windows). ## Questions ### Are iPhone Live Photos supported? No. Motion photos means Google and Samsung motion photos saved as JPEG, and they play in the Windows build only. ### How do I show only videos? Choose Videos only in the media box on the toolbar. All media brings the photos back. ### Can the player loop a video or change its speed? Not on the PC. The viewer plays, pauses, seeks and mutes; for looping or speed control, use Open externally to play the file in another app.