Devs blame Windows for VLC media player bug that causes 33-second delay when playing MP3 files — creators allege Microsoft Defender blocking plugin cache is to blame
VLC developers say a Windows 11 issue involving Microsoft Defender can interfere with the media player's plugin cache and cause unusually long playback delays.
The widely-used open-source media player VLC has encountered an unusual issue on Windows 11, causing it to take up to 33 seconds to start playing an MP3 file. This delay stems from a recent change in Windows, which Microsoft Defender seems to be blocking, quarantining the VLC plugins cache file. The VLC developers claim this bug is due to a Microsoft Defender issue introduced through a Windows 11 update, which makes VLC's plugin cache quarantined by Windows.
Reinstalling VLC or regeneration of the plugin cache can fix this, but it's an inconvenient workaround. The easiest fix is to reinstall VLC or regenerate the plugin cache, but this will remove any customized preferences. Alternatively, adding an exception for the VLC installation folder in Microsoft Defender can prevent the issue from recurring, though it's not an ideal solution.
Microsoft has yet to comment on the issue, leaving it unclear if a future Windows Defender update will address the underlying cause.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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