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foobar2000 for Windows

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 1.6.13
  • 4.3

    (535)
  • Security Status

Softonic review

A free, light, fast audio player that focuses on functionality

Audio players usually feature a sophisticated multimedia interface full of buttons, lights and other types of eye-candy. But there's always an exception to the rule; in this case, it's foobar2000.

foobar2000 is exactly the opposite of what you would expect in an audio player. It features the simplest, most minimalistic interface you'll ever see in this kind of program. But don't get me wrong, because this doesn't mean you don't get any interesting functionality.

To begin with, foobar2000 is extraordinarily fast – it hardly took half a minute to index my huge music library – and extremely light on resources. You simply won't notice it's running. Also, as foobar2000 can be controlled with customizable keyboard hotkeys (or media keys, if your keyboard has them) you don't really to open the program's window.

Like I said, foobar2000 hides a bunch of interesting features under its simple appearance. It plays a dozen formats (the list of which can be easily expanded with additional components), features gapless playback, supports full Unicode, includes advanced tagging functionality and even lets you rip audio CDs and convert files from one format to another, provided you install the necessary plug-ins.

In all, foobar2000 would never win a design contest, but it's undoubtedly one of the lightest, fastest and most functional audio players you'll find. However, if you are still not convinced you can also try other alternatives such as AIMP or Winamp.

If you value lightness and functionality over appearance in an audio player, don't hesitate: foobar2000 is the program you're looking for.

Added support for the IETF Opus codec.Improved compliance of ReplayGain tagging for Opus files (beta 2).More robust handling of ID3v2.3 TDAT frames (beta 2).Added Opus encoding support in Converter (requires external opusenc.exe binary) (beta 3).Fixed a deadlock when reading strange/corrupted zip files (final).Fixed a rare deadlock related to updating tags on the file being currently played.Fixed a rare deadlock related to starting/stopping playback.

Changes

  • Added support for the IETF Opus codec.Improved compliance of ReplayGain tagging for Opus files (beta 2).More robust handling of ID3v2.3 TDAT frames (beta 2).Added Opus encoding support in Converter (requires external opusenc.exe binary) (beta 3).Fixed a deadlock when reading strange/corrupted zip files (final).Fixed a rare deadlock related to updating tags on the file being currently played.Fixed a rare deadlock related to starting/stopping playback.

PROS

  • Very light on resources
  • Extremely fast
  • Can be controlled with keyboard shortcuts or media keys
  • Includes tools to rip CDs and convert files
  • Support for all popular formats
  • Optional portable installation
  • Also available on Android

CONS

  • Not suitable for eye-candy lovers!

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


foobar2000 for PC

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 1.6.13
  • 4.3

    (535)
  • Security Status


User reviews about foobar2000

  • Anonymous

    by Anonymous

    Pity it ain't for mac, but works on windows and android pretty well.
    I wish I could find skins for it. it's a bit old fashioned since spotify th More

  • Anonymous

    by Anonymous

    Great Sounding Audio Player But Too Basic For Most.
    foobar2000 is the Miranda of audio players. Out of the package it's very bare bones and can  More

  • Anonymous

    by Anonymous

    Best audio player.
    foobar2000 is light, but powerful audio player, simple to use, but kinda hard to configure. Average users who got used to Win More

  • Anonymous

    by Anonymous

    Best of the best .
    This player means business: quality over flashy buttons, performance over eye candy.
    A must have for all hardcore  More

  • Anonymous

    by Anonymous

    Disappointingly bare.
    foobar2000 appeared like a viable alternative to other more famous players like iTunes or Winamp, but I found it a complet More


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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.