How to watch 360-degree videos on Windows

We are going to explain how to watch 360-degree videos in Windows , so that you can see and move through them without needing a virtual reality glasses. This type of video is best enjoyed with the right equipment, but you can also watch it on a conventional screen.

We are going to explain two ways you can do it. First, we will tell you how to use an app pre-installed in Windows 10 to be able to reproduce them without problems. And in the event that it is not enough, or you use an older version of Windows or macOS, we will propose another third-party application that will also serve you.

Use the Movies & TV app: How to watch 360-degree videos on Windows

The easiest method is to use the pre-installed application in Windows to watch videos , the one called Movies and TV . All you have to do is open the video in this application, regardless of whether you have it configured as the native one to watch the videos or not.

Once you have opened the video in this tool, you will see that by default it will appear with the split screen. What you have to do is click on the 360º button that will appear at the bottom right of the application.

When you press this button, the application will play the video as a 360 degree video . Which one looks better or worse depends on how good the video is, and you can move through the video using the mouse , clicking directly on the video and dragging it to move it to one side or the other. At the top right you will have the camera controls, which will allow you to see your orientation and also rotate it more manually.

Using third party apps: How to watch 360-degree videos on Windows

The other alternative is to use third-party applications. One of the best is called GOM Player , and it is available for Windows and macOS . It is downloaded like any other application, but when installing it you must be careful with the added software that will try to slip into the installer it has. Just be attentive to the steps, do not give it to advance all the time to be able to reject the antivirus and the browser that try to install you.

Once you have it installed, open the video with GOM Player . It will begin to play, and by default it will be seen with a split screen. So, what you have to do is click on the 360º button that will appear at the bottom right of the application.

Once you start the video, you can choose the option to view it as a VR video. This will allow you to have two ways to move around the camera , which can be with the mouse or moving with the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Differences between augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality

The difference of this program with respect to the pre-installed Windows application is that, when you start to watch the video in 360 degrees, you will be able to choose the format of the video division . Some 360 ​​video files can be split in different ways, and with the controls on the right of this tool you can choose the one you want.