Avoiding Malware: Downloading Safe and Gratis VLC on Apple Devices

How to Download VLC Player for Free and Safe on Mac?[Step-by-Step]

Ollie Mattison

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

Do you want to VLC player on your Mac device but worried about malware? Malware infections and potentially unwanted programs are an outcome of downloading from an unreliable source. There are many websites that specialize in dispersing malicious payloads by providing the downloader with something legitimate or bundling the required installer with some extra programs.

There are many threat initiators who look for the terms that are gaining popularity in the search results and seek out the terminated software downloads. Thereafter, they try to attract searchers to the website. These people use SEO techniques for ranking higher in the search engines. As a matter of fact, they might also spend a few dollars to show up in the search engine’s sponsored section. These sites hide their malware in the malvertising as downloads.

The threat actors just make sure that the searchers believe that they have found what they are looking for. If they are convinced, they are going to download and install the infected driver all by themselves. The threat actor just uploads the malware under a file name that will be convincing enough for attracting visitors to the website.

Section1. How to Assess a Website?

Section2. Tips to Filter Malware from the VLC Download Files for Mac

Section3. Top Websites to Download VLC Player for Mac for Free

Section4. How to Download and Install VLC Player on Mac? [Step-by-Step Guide]

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Section 1.How to Assess a Website?

Here are a few ways to understand if a site from where you are downloading VLC player for Mac is malicious or not.

• Check the Green Padlock

Checking the green padlock presence is a good start. This shows that the site has got a security certificate. However, this isn’t a guarantee that the website is safe for downloading the VLC player software.

SSL certificates come at a cheap price and a cybercriminal knows where they can get them almost for free. So, click on the green padlock to find out who has issued the certificate. You can also check the other sites that have received their SSL certificate from this particular authority.

• Use a Browser Extension or a Trusted Anti-Virus Software

There are many free applications and browser extensions that will warn you about shady sites. This software can alert you when you try to open a site that they know to be the home of scammers and malware. Install such software or add it to your browser to recognize malicious sites and domains.

• Read Third-Party Reviews

There are some websites where you will find reviews on the download domains and sites. Albeit, some of these sites are reputable, they might fall behind when it comes to adding new users. Cybercriminals can dump a new domain just like that when it gets too many bad reviews and then purchase a new site from where they can run their scheme. So, when you are reading reviews, make sure that you are choosing sites that have been around for some time.

In case a site doesn’t have reviews, it means it has only started operating and it might be up to no good.

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Section 2.Tips to Filter Malware from the VLC Download Files for Mac

There are a few methods that you can use to weed out the malware from the downloaded files.

• Check The Digital Signature Of The File

The digital signature of a file can be verified after you have downloaded it. This shows if the downloaded file has been signed by the particular party.

Every cybercriminal has one thing in common. They know how to trick people. Hence, you should just accept a website to be trustworthy and download the VLC file simply because it features the logo of a trustworthy company on the homepage. Logo images are available online and they can be planted on a malware site.

• Compare the Checksum To The Actual File

A checksum is actually a sequence of letters or numbers used for checking data for errors. In case you know that the checksum is an original file, compare it to the file that you have downloaded. Mac has built-in options for calculating the file’s checksum.

• Run A Malware Scan

You can also use an anti-malware scanner. This can double-check if you are downloading an infected file.

Section 3.Top Websites to Download VLC Player for Mac for Free

In case you are looking for a website to download VLC player on your Mac, check out these top choices given below.

• VideoLAN.org : This is the official site to download VLC media player for free.

• CNET: This is one of the trustworthy websites offering the VLC player for free. It provides you the latest version of the software.

• Softonic : On this website, you can enjoy a free and fast VLC player download. It is tested and is virus-free.

• Uptodown : The site offers the latest version of VLC players and is easy to download.

• Mac.filehorse.com : It is a legitimate site to download VLC media player easily.

Section 4.How to Download and Install VLC Player on Mac?

VLC Media Player can be downloaded from several platforms. It is free to download and is available for all Mac users. However, you need to download different versions of the VLC player for different Mac OS X versions.

If you don’t know how to download and install this software, follow the instructions given below.

Step1. Go to the website from where you would like to download the software.

Step2. On the website, you will find the download link. Click on it.

Step3. Now, locate the file that you have downloaded from your Mac device.

Step4. Next, open the file and verify the contents of the file using the techniques given above. If it is a legitimate one, open it.

Step5. Drag the VLC icon to the Mac Application folder and then release it.

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Step6. The file will be copied to the Application folder.

Step7. Double click on the VLC player icon and provide the permissions if the Mac devices ask for it.

Step8. VLC player is going to launch for the first time. Use it for playing your favorite movie or video any time you want.

Conclusion

VLC Media Player is feature-packed and easy to use software. It can play a wide range of image, audio, and video files. With the help of this, you will be able to play multi-media files directly from Mac. All you have to do is make sure that you are not downloading a malicious file.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

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