Does Windows 11 have a built-in way to loop a video?
Yes. The Media Player app has a repeat button in its playback controls. Turn it on and the open video restarts every time it ends.
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How to loop a video on Windows
Windows 11 can replay a clip on its own in Media Player, and Clipchamp can turn it into a longer file. Here is when to use each, and what to do when neither fits.
To loop a video on Windows 11, open it in Media Player and switch on the repeat button in the playback controls, then press play: the clip starts again each time it reaches the end. That is a playback setting, so the file itself stays exactly as it was.
When you need a file that already contains the repeats, for a TV, a shop screen, an upload or a colleague, use Clipchamp, the video editor Microsoft makes for Windows: duplicate the clip on the timeline as many times as you need and export it as an MP4. Both methods are covered below, along with their limits.
If you want the repeats added for you, a set running time such as an hour, or a smoother join, you can also loop the video in your browser with loop.video. It is free and the file never leaves your PC.
Play a video on repeat in Media Player
Open the clip in Media Player
Double-click the video in File Explorer. If a different app opens it, right-click the file, choose Open with and pick Media Player.
Find the repeat button
Move the pointer over the video to show the playback controls along the bottom. The repeat button sits among them; hover over it and its tooltip tells you whether repeat is on or off.
Turn repeat on
Select the repeat button until the tooltip shows that repeat is on. With a single video open, the clip goes straight back to the beginning each time it finishes.
Play it, and check again next time
Press play and switch to full screen if you like. Media Player may go back to Repeat: Off after you close it, so check the button each time you open a new clip.
Make a looped video file in Clipchamp
Media Player only repeats what is on your screen. To get a file that plays the clip several times in a row on any device, build it in Clipchamp. Search for Clipchamp from the Start menu; if it is not on your PC, you can download it from the Microsoft Store or use it in a browser. These steps follow Microsoft’s Clipchamp help for personal accounts; the work version uses slightly different wording for the first steps.
- Select Create a new video, then the Import media button, and choose your clip.
- Add it to the timeline with the green + button, or drag it down onto the timeline.
- Select the clip on the timeline and press Ctrl+D, or right-click it and choose duplicate. The copy lands directly after the original and keeps any trims or filters.
- Repeat until the timeline is as long as you need. To duplicate several copies at once, select them all with Ctrl+A first.
- Select Export at the top right and choose a resolution. 480p, 720p and 1080p are free; 4K needs a paid plan.
Clipchamp saves an MP4 at 30 frames per second. Footage shot at 60 fps will be converted, which is fine for most uses but worth knowing if smooth motion matters.
Looping just one section of a clip in Clipchamp
Sometimes only a few seconds deserve repeating: a chorus, a dance move, a product turning on a stand. Clipchamp handles this with the split tool before you duplicate.
- Move the seeker to where the repeated part should begin and press S (or select the split button).
- Move to where it should end and split again, so the section is its own clip.
- Drag the final piece of footage to the right to make room on the timeline.
- Select the middle section and duplicate it as many times as you want; each copy is placed immediately to its right.
- Drag the final piece back to the left so no gap remains, then play it through before you export.
Splitting by eye rarely lands on the perfect frame, so the cut back to the start can show a small jump. For practice material that is fine. For anything people will watch closely, see how to loop part of a video with frame-accurate handles.
Repeat playback or a looped file: which one you need
- Watching on your own PC: repeat in Media Player is quicker and costs no disk space. Nothing is re-encoded and the original file is untouched.
- Sending, uploading or playing on another screen: the repeats must be inside the file. Most players, phones, TVs and websites play a file once unless told otherwise.
- A slide in a presentation: PowerPoint has its own loop setting; see how to loop a video in PowerPoint.
- A section you want to drill: VLC can repeat between two points without changing the file; see looping in VLC.
A file with the repeats built in also avoids the short hitch some players show when they restart a clip, because playback runs straight through from one pass to the next.
If Media Player is missing or will not open the file
- On Windows 11, Microsoft recommends the Media Player app for modern video. The older Windows Media Player Legacy is still available in some editions as an optional feature under Settings → System → Optional features.
- N editions of Windows ship without media components. Installing the Media Feature Pack restores them.
- If Media Player plays the sound but shows no picture, the file probably uses a codec Windows does not have. Converting it to MP4 (H.264) usually fixes this.
- Media Player has no setting to make repeat the default, according to answers on Microsoft Q&A, so a kiosk that must loop all day is better served by a file that is already long enough.
Another option: loop it in Edge or Chrome
loop.video runs in the browser on your PC and works on the file locally: nothing is uploaded, there is no account and no watermark. Edge and Chrome open the widest range of formats: MP4, MOV, WebM, and MKV where the browser can decode it.
- Select Select video, or drop the file onto Drop a video to loop.
- Under Repeat, choose Number of times for a set count, or Length for a running time such as 10 minutes or an hour. Files are capped at three hours.
- For a smoother join, select Find the best loop to let it pick the start and end, or switch the join to Crossfade.
- Select Export video, then Download video. The result is an MP4 (H.264 and AAC) that plays on almost anything.
The export is normally re-encoded; the original frames are copied untouched only when the join is a Cut, the shape and size are left at their originals, Quality is Standard and the loop starts on a key frame. It cannot change speed or loop a video that is still on a website. For long background files, see loop a video for an hour.
Looping videos on Windows: common questions
Why does Media Player stop repeating after I reopen it?
Media Player does not reliably remember the repeat setting between sessions, and there is no option to make it the default. Turn repeat on again when you open the clip, or save a file that already contains the repeats.
Does turning on repeat change my video file?
No. Repeat only affects playback in Media Player. The file is unchanged and plays once in any other app.
How do I make a video play 3 times in one file on Windows?
In Clipchamp, add the clip to the timeline, select it and press Ctrl+D twice, then export. Or use loop.video and set Number of times to 3.
Can I repeat only part of a video on Windows?
Not in Media Player, which repeats the whole file. In Clipchamp, split the clip at both ends of the section with S and duplicate just that piece. VLC can also repeat between two points while you watch.
Is Clipchamp free for looping a video?
Duplicating clips and exporting at 480p, 720p or 1080p is free. 4K export needs a Microsoft 365 personal or family subscription or a Clipchamp paid plan.
How do I loop a video on Windows without installing anything?
Use Media Player for playback, since it comes with Windows 11. For a file, Clipchamp also runs in a browser, and loop.video works in Edge or Chrome with nothing to install.