Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: VLC Player: Ignoring faulty playlist items ("main input error: Your input can't be opened" locks up the application)

VLC Player error fix: ignore faulty playlist items with configuration and Lua CLI commands.

Quick Answer: Use the '--ignore-error' option or add a 'error' filter to the Lua CLI command to prevent VLC from locking up on malformed URLs.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. 🎯 Final Words

The VLC Player error 'main input error: Your input can't be opened' occurs when a malformed URL is provided through the 'Open network stream' interface, causing the application to lock up and display an error message. This issue affects users who attempt to play back faulty playlist items, resulting in repeated attempts at playback.

This error can be frustrating for users as it prevents them from accessing their desired content. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to resolve this issue.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is the inability of VLC to open malformed URLs or file paths. This occurs when a user provides an invalid or non-existent URL through the 'Open network stream' interface.
  • Another possible cause is the presence of duplicate entries in the playlist, which can lead to repeated attempts at playback.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Configuring VLC to Ignore Malformed Playlist Items

  1. Step 1: To fix this issue, users can configure VLC to ignore malformed playlist items by enabling the 'Ignore malformed URLs' option in the 'Preferences' menu. To do this, follow these steps:
  2. Step 2: 1. Open VLC and navigate to the 'Preferences' menu.
  3. Step 3: 2. Click on the 'Open Media' tab.
  4. Step 4: 3. Select the 'Advanced' checkbox next to 'Ignore malformed URLs'.
  5. Step 5: 4. Click 'Save' to apply the changes.

Using a Preprocessor Script to Remove Faulty Entries

  1. Step 1: Alternatively, users can use a preprocessor script to remove faulty entries from the playlist before playback. To do this, follow these steps:
  2. Step 2: 1. Create a new file with a `.lua` extension (e.g., `remove_faulty_entries.lua`).
  3. Step 3: 2. In the file, add the following code: `local function removeFaultyEntries() ... end`. Replace '...' with your own logic for removing faulty entries.
  4. Step 4: 3. Save the file and load it into VLC using the Lua CLI command `add` or the '--open' option.

🎯 Final Words

By configuring VLC to ignore malformed playlist items or using a preprocessor script, users can resolve the 'main input error: Your input can't be opened' issue and access their desired content without interruption.

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