What Is Syncplay and What Does It Do?

Syncplay is free software that synchronizes media playback across multiple media players, so a group of people who each have the same video file can watch it together from different locations. It synchronizes pausing, unpausing, and seeking over the Internet, giving everyone in the same virtual room a shared viewing experience. It does not stream video itself — each participant plays their own local copy, and Syncplay keeps those copies in step. It is typically used alongside voice software such as Mumble or Skype, since Syncplay handles playback sync, not conversation.

How It Works

The core mechanism is a shared virtual room backed by a Syncplay server. Each participant connects their media player to the Syncplay client and joins the same room. When one person pauses, resumes, or seeks, that action is sent through the server and applied to everyone else's player.

Because the video file is never transmitted, every participant must already have the same file locally. Syncplay's own framing captures the problem it solves: before it existed, groups had to shout things like "3..2..1.. Play! ...No wait, pause! ...No wait, argh!" to stay roughly in sync.

For example, if four friends in different cities each own the same movie file, they can join one room, and when one of them pauses to answer the door, everyone else's playback pauses too.

What You Need to Use It

• A supported media player. Syncplay 1.7.6 supports mpv, mpv.net, MPC-BE, MPC-HC, VLC 3, IINA, and memento. The project recommends mpv (or mpv.net on Windows) for best compatibility.
• The same media file on each participant's machine.
• The Syncplay client, available for Windows, Linux, *BSD, and macOS (version 15+ for the macOS disk image).
• A server to connect to. You can use public Syncplay servers or run your own; the site documents a server-only package for Linux and a "Running a server" guide.
• Optionally, voice software like Mumble or Skype for talking during the session.

Supported Platforms and Players at a Glance

Public Servers

The official public Syncplay servers are hosted in France and listed as:

• syncplay.pl:8995
• syncplay.pl:8996
• syncplay.pl:8997
• syncplay.pl:8998
• syncplay.pl:8999

Common Setup Issues

• Syncplay won't launch on Windows. The site notes you likely need the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable Package — specifically the 32-bit version (vc_redist.x86.exe). The command-line version, SyncplayConsole.exe, is an alternative.
• Windows 11 UI problems. The site explicitly warns not to run Syncplay as Administrator on Windows 11, as this can cause UI issues.
• Installation help. Linux tarball users who aren't sure how to sudo make install are pointed to the installation instructions; the site also has a client troubleshooting/FAQ page.

Where to Get It and Report Problems

Syncplay 1.7.6 is available from the release page at https://syncplay.pl/syncplay-1-7-6-release/, with source code on GitHub at https://github.com/Syncplay/syncplay. Bugs can be reported at https://github.com/Syncplay/syncplay/issues or by email to [email protected] — though the site suggests checking the Support section first in case the problem is already covered.