QMPlay2 includes useful options within its menus and settings file that are easy to overlook during everyday playback.
These are the ones worth knowing.
Playback controls
- A-B repeat: loops a section, valuable for practising music or reviewing a scene
- Previous and next frame: step through video a single frame at a time
- Faster, slower and set speed: adjust the playback speed, with an option to preserve the audio pitch
- Short and long seek: two jump sizes in each direction
- Continue playback: resume from where you left off
Picture controls
- Aspect-ratio presets: 1:1, 4:3, 5:4, 16:9, 3:2, 21:9 and custom
- Zoom in, zoom out, set zoom, precise zoom and integer scaling
- Reset image settings to undo every adjustment at once
- Gamma correction for OpenGL and Vulkan, added in 26.06.27
Window options
Compact view, always on top, hide on close and start in tray are each valuable when the player runs in the background.
Release 26.08.02 introduced an option to hide the QMPlay2 logo within the empty video area.
Settings-file adjustments
Open QMPlay2.ini and look within the General section:
CustomUserAgentsets your own user agent for network requestsNoCoversCacheset totruedisables the album-cover cache
To display still images, tick Read and display still images within the settings.
Last.fm scrobbling
Navigate to Options → Modules settings → Extensions. In the LastFM box, tick Scrobble, enter your login and apply.
Media keys and MPRIS
Multimedia keys operate on most systems without configuration. On Linux and BSD you may also control the player through MPRIS2 over D-Bus:
dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.QMPlay2 /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPauseSubstitute PlayPause with Next, Previous or Stop. Run QMPlay2 -h for the command-line options you can bind to keys.
Suspend when finished
Suspend after playback is finished places the computer into sleep once the playlist ends. It serves well for late films or lengthy albums.
Explore controls without losing a working setup
QMPlay2 offers enough playback and window controls that it is worth exploring them one at a time. Begin with a local file that already plays correctly and note the current state of the player. Choose one control, test it on a short passage and restore the ordinary view before trying another. This approach makes unfamiliar behaviour easier to explain and prevents several experimental settings from accumulating unnoticed.
Keep a distinction between temporary playback actions and persistent preferences. Pausing, stepping through a frame and changing a window arrangement do not all affect the next session in the same way. After testing an option, close and reopen the player if you need to know whether it is retained. A short note of the setting name and its original value is useful when you revisit an advanced feature after several weeks.
Use repeat controls for a defined passage
Repeating a short passage is useful for studying a musical phrase, checking dialogue or inspecting a visual detail. Select a clear start and end rather than repeatedly clicking the timeline at random. Keep the passage long enough to include the context you need. If the source is an online stream, remember that seeking and repeated access can depend on what the source makes available.
When the study session is finished, clear the repeat state and test ordinary playback. An active repeat mode can make the player appear to ignore later items or return unexpectedly to an earlier point. Check both the passage repeat and the broader playlist repeat setting if behaviour seems confusing. Naming the action you want, such as replaying one phrase or repeating an entire album, helps you select the appropriate control rather than combining modes without a clear purpose.
Inspect frames with realistic expectations
Frame stepping is useful for observing a moment more closely, but it should be tested with a file that can be paused and decoded reliably. Pause near the point of interest and step carefully. Different codecs and sources can respond differently to seeking, especially when a requested position requires decoding from an earlier reference frame. A delay after a large jump is not necessarily a broken shortcut.
Use the same file and passage when comparing controls. If you need to study a motion sequence, avoid changing deinterlacing, scaling and decoder settings during the same comparison. Those choices can affect the displayed result independently of stepping. Return to normal playback afterwards and verify that picture and sound remain aligned. Treat frame inspection as a viewing tool, not as proof that a compressed video provides a direct editable image for every timeline position.
Adjust picture framing for the source
Zoom and aspect-ratio changes can help with an unusual recording, but they can also crop useful picture content or stretch the image. Start from the source's normal presentation and identify the actual problem before changing the framing. Black bars may be part of the video image rather than empty space introduced by the player. Removing them through zoom may also remove material near the edges.
Check a scene containing faces, text and objects near the border after adjusting the view. A setting that looks acceptable in a landscape shot may visibly distort a face or clip subtitles later. If the change is only appropriate for one file, restore the ordinary setting before opening the next item. Keep a known reference video available so that you can quickly recognise whether a persistent framing preference has accidentally carried over to unrelated media.
Make window behaviour suit the task
Always-on-top behaviour can be useful while following a tutorial, while a compact view can reduce the space used by controls. Test these options in the situation you actually need. A window that stays above other applications is helpful for one task and distracting for another. Learn where the option is controlled so you can reverse it without searching through unrelated playback settings.
Tray and close behaviour deserve particular attention. Hiding a window is different from stopping playback or exiting the application. If sound continues after the window disappears, check whether the player is still running in the system tray. Before updating files or editing configuration, close the application fully rather than assuming the window close button ended the process. A clear understanding of these actions prevents accidental background playback and avoids editing settings while the application is still using them.
Edit configuration only with a backup
Advanced configuration is easier to manage when you preserve the original settings file first. Close the player, locate the file used by the installation you are actually running and make a copy in a separate location. Multiple installed or portable copies can use different configuration locations, so editing the first similarly named file you find may have no effect on the active player.
Change one documented value at a time and keep its section and syntax intact. Do not paste an entire collection of unrelated preferences into a working setup. Reopen the application, test the intended result and restore the backup if the outcome is unclear. A visible setting should generally be adjusted through the interface when that is available. Direct file editing is most useful when you understand the specific option and have a simple way to reverse it.
Test media keys in the desktop environment
Keyboard media controls can be handled by the operating system, desktop environment and more than one running application. If a play or pause key controls the wrong program, check which media applications are open before changing player shortcuts. Close competing applications for a controlled test, then inspect desktop shortcut assignments if the conflict remains. The key reaching another application is different from QMPlay2 receiving it but failing to play.
For command-line or desktop integration, test one simple action before building a set of shortcuts. Confirm that the command targets the intended running player and that the same action works from the visible interface. Keep user-specific paths and session details in mind when moving a shortcut to another machine. A small working test provides a better foundation than a large collection of copied commands whose individual effects have not been checked.
Use end-of-playback actions deliberately
An action scheduled for the end of playback should match the way the playlist will actually finish. Repeat modes, queued entries and an ongoing network stream can affect whether an endpoint is reached. Before relying on a suspend action, test with a short local list and confirm the selected behaviour. Save unrelated work first so an unexpected sleep transition does not interrupt another task.
Clear the action when it is no longer needed, especially on a shared computer or before a presentation. Review it alongside repeat and shuffle settings if playback seems to end differently from your expectation. Keep a distinction between stopping one item and completing the whole list. A deliberate end-of-session setup can be convenient, but it should be checked as part of the entire playback plan rather than enabled once and forgotten.
Create a small set of useful personal controls
You do not need to use every available option to benefit from the player. Pick a few that solve recurring tasks, such as returning to a passage, adjusting a difficult subtitle or controlling playback while another window is active. Learn those controls thoroughly and keep the rest at their ordinary settings until a specific need appears. This reduces accidental changes and makes the interface feel more predictable.
Review the setup after an update or after moving to another computer. Confirm that shortcuts still reach the intended application and that persistent preferences match your expectations. Keep a brief record of configuration edits and preserve a working backup. When troubleshooting unusual behaviour, return to the known ordinary state and reintroduce your custom controls one at a time. That makes personalisation a maintained workflow rather than an unexplained set of changes.
FAQs
Why does the player keep returning to the same passage? Check whether passage repeat or a playlist repeat mode remains active. Clear the relevant state and test ordinary playback before rearranging the list. A control enabled during a study session can remain easy to overlook when you later use the player for continuous viewing.
Why is part of the picture missing? Inspect zoom, aspect ratio and framing settings. A setting used for one unusual source can crop a different video. Compare a familiar reference file and restore normal presentation before changing decoders. Also check whether the original video itself contains borders or already-cropped material.
Why does audio continue after I close the window? The close action may hide the application rather than exit it. Check the tray and window behaviour settings. Exit fully before updating application files or editing configuration. Knowing whether the process is still running avoids confusing background playback with a second player instance.
Is editing the settings file necessary? Use visible preferences when they cover the option you need. Direct editing is an advanced route for a particular known setting. Back up the correct file, close the application and change one value at a time. Restore the backup if the effect is unclear or unexpected.
Why do media keys control another application? Several open applications or desktop shortcut rules may compete for the same keys. Test with competing players closed and compare the visible playback control. A key-routing conflict should be investigated in the desktop environment before assuming that the media file or decoder is responsible.
Why did an end-of-playback action not run? Check whether the playlist actually reached its end. Repeat modes, additional queued items or an ongoing stream can change that condition. Test the action with a short local list, save unrelated work first and clear the action afterwards if it is not needed for normal sessions.
Conclusion
QMPlay2 advanced controls are most useful when each one has a clear purpose and a known way to reverse it. Learn repeat, frame inspection and picture framing with familiar local media, then check window behaviour and desktop shortcuts in your normal environment. Back up configuration before direct edits and test end-of-playback actions with a short list. Keep only the adjustments that solve recurring tasks. This gives you convenient personal controls while preserving a stable baseline for everyday playback and future troubleshooting.