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Play media files from the terminal with `mpv`

The lightweight player that opens any format instantly — and whose playback keystrokes nobody ever remembers.

LinuxvideoaudiompvplayerLow risk
Run `mpv file.mkv` to play a file; use space to pause, `q` to quit, and `--no-video` (e.g. `mpv --no-video music.flac`) to play audio without opening a window.

01Command

Command
$ mpv video.mkv

02What it does

mpv detects terminal playback and can even render video as ASCII in a plain tty (`--vo=tct`), which makes `mpv --no-video` the perfect SSH music player. The forgotten but valuable flags: `--start 01:30 --end 02:00` plays just a clip, `--loop=inf` repeats forever, and `--speed=1.25` adjusts playback rate. Keyboard arrows skip 5 seconds, `<`/`>` move through playlist entries, and `o` shows the seek position.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
RequirementsRequires mpv (apt install mpv / dnf install mpv); add --no-video for audio-only over SSH

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • mpv(1) — a media player
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents CLI playback, --no-video, --loop, --start/--end trims and keyboard controls (space, q, arrows)

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Media