{"id":457,"date":"2026-09-23T11:57:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T03:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robocartv.com\/blog\/?p=457"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:57:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T03:57:27","slug":"how-to-loop-a-video-in-mpv-4dd6-733ac3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.robocartv.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/23\/how-to-loop-a-video-in-mpv-4dd6-733ac3\/","title":{"rendered":"How to loop a video in MPV?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve spent any time around media enthusiasts, content creators, or even folks who just need a reliable tool for watching clips for work or personal projects, you\u2019ve likely heard of MPV. For those of us who live and breathe MPV technology as a leading supplier, it\u2019s not just another media player\u2014it\u2019s a workhorse that\u2019s flexible enough for everything from looping a 10-second product demo on a loop for trade show displays to reviewing hours of raw footage without burning through extra software. One of the most common questions we get from new users (and even some long-time ones who just need a quick refresher) is: \u201cHow do I loop a video in MPV?\u201d It\u2019s a deceptively simple task, but once you nail it down, it will change how you use the player forever. MPV<\/a><\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s start with the basics to make sure we\u2019re all on the same page. MPV is an open-source, cross-platform media player that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and even iOS. It\u2019s lightweight, doesn\u2019t come packed with bloatware, and is highly customizable\u2014two big reasons our customers, from small creative agencies to large event production teams, swear by it. Loop functionality is one of its most useful features, especially for anyone who needs to review content repeatedly, display promotional clips non-stop, or perfect a short video edit by watching it on loop while making adjustments. Whether you\u2019re a total beginner or someone who\u2019s dabbled with MPV but hasn\u2019t explored all its tricks, this guide will walk you through every method to loop a video, no matter what setup you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n

First up, the quickest way to loop a single video in MPV, no extra settings needed. When you open a video file, you\u2019ll notice a small icon in the MPV toolbar that looks like two curved arrows (it\u2019s labeled \u201cLoop\u201d if you hover over it). A single click here will toggle the loop for just that video\u2014meaning it will play from the start to the end, and then jump back to the beginning automatically, over and over, until you click the icon again to turn it off. If you prefer using keyboard shortcuts (and let\u2019s be real, keyboard shortcuts make everything faster), the one for single-video loop is simple: on most systems, it\u2019s Shift+L. Pressing it once turns single-video loop on, and pressing it again turns it off. That\u2019s it\u2014no menus, no digging through settings, just a two-second action to get your clip looping. I use this all the time when I\u2019m testing MPV for our suppliers and customers; if I need to show how well a product demo plays on loop, I open the clip, hit Shift+L, and it runs non-stop while I walk through other features. It\u2019s perfect for quick demos that keep people engaged without needing to rewind manually.<\/p>\n

But what if you\u2019re not just looping one video? What if you have a whole playlist\u2014say, a set of product tutorials for our latest line of media playback devices\u2014and you want the entire playlist to loop, repeating every clip until you stop it? That\u2019s where the next method comes in. Again, it\u2019s easy, but it\u2019s a setting that trips up a lot of new users. When you open a playlist in MPV (you can do this by dragging multiple video files into the MPV window, or by opening a media file that\u2019s part of a playlist, like a .m3u or .pls file), you\u2019ll need to adjust the loop setting to cover the full playlist, not just the current video. The keyboard shortcut for this is Shift+Ctrl+L. One press here will turn on playlist loop, so every video in your list plays in order, and when the last one ends, it goes back to the first and starts over. Press it again to turn playlist loop off. Alternatively, if you want to access this through the menu, you can go to View > Playlist, right-click anywhere in the playlist, and select \u201cLoop Playlist\u201d from the dropdown. We\u2019ve found this super useful for our customers who run small in-store displays; they can load a playlist of our product highlights, set it to loop 24\/7 on a tablet or small PC running MPV, and it runs without needing anyone to reset it. No extra software, no expensive licensing, just MPV doing exactly what it\u2019s supposed to.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about some more advanced loop settings that come in handy for more specific use cases. For example, what if you only want to loop a part of a video, not the whole thing? Maybe you\u2019re editing a short clip and need to focus on a 10-second segment to fix a transition, or you\u2019re testing a small section of a long recording for a work project. MPV has a hidden loop segment feature that most users don\u2019t know about, and it\u2019s surprisingly easy to use. The process is: first, play your video and pause it at the start of the segment you want to loop. Press the keyboard shortcut i (that\u2019s the letter I, not the number 1) to mark the start point. Then, skip to the end of the segment, pause again, and press Shift+i to mark the end point. Now, MPV will loop only that marked section, over and over, until you either clear the markers or turn loop off. To clear the segment loop, just press i again when you\u2019re at the start or end, and the markers will disappear. This is a game-changer for content creators who use MPV to review footage\u2014we had a customer last year who was editing a series of social media ads, and they used segment loop to tweak each ad\u2019s opening 5 seconds for hours without having to rewind manually every time. It\u2019s small features like this that make MPV stand out from other media players, because it\u2019s built for people who need precision, not just basic playback.<\/p>\n

Another advanced tip: saving your loop settings so you don\u2019t have to adjust them every time. If you\u2019re someone who always uses loop when they open MPV, or if you regularly use playlist loop for work, you can tweak MPV\u2019s config file to make loop a default setting. This is a bit more hands-on, but it\u2019s worth it if you use MPV consistently. The config file is usually located in your user folder\u2014on Windows, it\u2019s C:\\Users[Your Username]\\AppData\\Roaming\\mpv\\mpv.conf, on Mac, it\u2019s ~\/.config\/mpv\/mpv.conf, and on Linux, it\u2019s ~\/.mpv\/mpv.conf. If the file doesn\u2019t exist, you can create a new plain text file and name it exactly mpv.conf. Once you have it open, add the line loop-file=inf to make single-video loop the default for every file you open. If you want playlist loop as default instead, use loop-playlist=inf. The \u201cinf\u201d just means \u201cinfinite,\u201d so it will loop forever until you turn it off. We recommend this for anyone who uses MPV for continuous playback\u2014like our clients who use it for trade show displays or retail promotions\u2014because it removes the need to adjust the shortcut every time you launch the player. It\u2019s a quick change, and it saves a ton of time in the long run.<\/p>\n

Over the years, as a MPV supplier, I\u2019ve seen a lot of users make small mistakes when setting up loops, so let\u2019s go over some common troubleshooting tips to keep you from getting frustrated. First, if your loop isn\u2019t working at all, double-check that you\u2019re using the right shortcut for your setup. Some older versions of MPV might use slightly different shortcuts\u2014for example, on some Android devices, the loop icon might be in a different place, or the Shift+L shortcut might not work, so checking the toolbar is always a good backup. Another common issue: if you\u2019re opening a video from a network drive or a USB drive, make sure the file is fully loaded before you try to enable loop. MPV plays files as they load, so if you try to loop a clip that\u2019s still buffering, it might not work correctly, or it might jump back to an earlier part of the file. If you\u2019re using segment loop, make sure you mark the start and end points correctly\u2014sometimes I\u2019ve accidentally marked the end point before the start when I was rushing, so double-checking the time code at the top of the MPV window (it shows you the current time in the video) is a good way to avoid that.<\/p>\n

Now, I want to circle back to why this matters, especially since we\u2019re MPV suppliers. MPV isn\u2019t just a casual media player\u2014it\u2019s a tool that works for professionals, creators, educators, and small business owners alike. We\u2019ve supplied MPV licenses and customized setups to everyone from independent film editors to local museum displays, and time and again, the loop functionality is one of the features our customers rave about. For a small bakery that wants to loop a 2-minute video of cupcakes being made on their in-store TV, MPV is free, easy to use, and reliable. For a production team that needs to review raw footage on set, segment loop lets them focus on exactly the part they need without extra software. For a trade show booth that needs to run promotional content all weekend, playlist loop ensures there\u2019s no gap in the display. That flexibility is why we stand behind MPV as a product, and why we\u2019re here to help you use it to its full potential.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve tried any of these methods and still have questions, or if you\u2019re looking to set up a custom MPV solution for your business\u2014whether that\u2019s a display system for your store, a tool for your content team, or anything else that needs reliable media playback\u2014we\u2019re here to help. Our team works with all kinds of clients to tailor MPV setups that fit your specific needs, whether that\u2019s adjusting default loop settings, adding custom shortcuts, or integrating MPV with other hardware you use. We don\u2019t just supply MPV products; we partner with you to make sure you get the most out of every feature, including loop functionality.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re ready to learn more about how MPV can work for you, or if you have questions about setting up loops, custom setups, or anything else related to MPV, we encourage you to reach out to our team to connect for procurement discussions. Whether you\u2019re a small business owner looking for a simple playback solution or a large organization needing a scalable media system, we\u2019re here to help you every step of the way.<\/p>\n

SUV<\/a> References<\/p>\n

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  1. MPV Official Documentation: Playback Controls. mpv.io, accessed 2024.<\/li>\n
  2. MPV User Forum: Common Loop Functionality Questions. forum.mpv.io, accessed 2024.<\/li>\n
  3. Cross-Platform Media Player Comparison: MPV vs. Alternatives. PCMag, 2023.<\/li>\n
  4. MPV Configuration Guide for Custom Playback Settings. opensource.com, 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

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