How to Play USB Movies and Music on Roku TV

Can Roku Play Media Files from USB

Yes.

Roku devices with USB ports can connect to an external USB to display video files, music, and photos.

You can check if there is an available USB port on the back or side of your Roku TV. Then you can follow the steps below to try to watch your USB media files on Roku.

Step-by-step: Play Videos and Music in Roku Media Player

Step 1: Connect USB to Roku TV

Plug your USB drive into the USB port on your Roku TV.

Step 2: Open Roku Media Player

Once the USB is plugged in, you will be prompted to launch Roku Media Player.

If you don't already have the media player installed, you will be prompted to install the app, or you can manually add it from the Roku website or the Roku Channel Store. If you already have the Roku Media Player app open, the USB device will show up.

Step 3: Select the Media and Enjoy

In the media player, select the first icon labeled All and then select your USB drive. All the media files in your USB will be listed here.

Alternatively, you can select other options like Video, Audio or Photo to access the corresponding files. Browse the files, select the one you want to play and start enjoying.

While playing, you can pause and resume using the Play/Pause button on your Roku remote, or fast forward and rewind by pressing the right/left buttons. Press the Back button to stop playback.

Solutions to Roku Can’t Read Your USB Drive

Your Roku TV may not recognize the USB drive if:

🔍 The Roku TV cannot provide the power required by the USB.

Please note that different USB devices have different power requirements. Some devices may require an external power adapter to work.

🔍 The Roku TV does not support the USB format.

Roku supports USB drives formatted with FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3, exFAT, and HFS+ file systems. If your USB is not formatted with the above formats, you will need to use a USB converter to convert it to a supported format.

Solutions to Media Files Not Showing Up in Roku Media Player

Roku will only display and play videos that it supports. If your media file does not appear, it's not supported.

In general, Roku supports the following media formats:

Video Formats	Video Codec	Audio Codec
.MKV .MP4 .MOV	H.264/AVC H.265/HEVC (4K Roku device) VP9 (4K Roku device)	AAC MP3 FLAC PCM/WAVE AC3 E-AC3 DTS ALAC Vorbis

If your video is not supported by Roku, you can convert it to one of the above formats.

For this, you can use a free and reliable video conversion tool, WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory, which can help you easily convert videos to various TV formats, including Roku, in just a few clicks.

Follow the steps below to convert your video to Roku video format:

Step 1: Open Free HD Video Converter Factory on your PC. [Quick download the software Quick download the software]
Step 2: Select "Converter" and add the unsupported videos to the program.
Step 3: Click the format icon on the right side of the converter. Open the "Video" category and select "MP4" as the output format. Or you can select "H.264" directly.
Step 4: Open "Parameter settings", choose "H264" as the video encoder and "AAC" as the audio encoder. Next, click "OK" to save the changes.
Step 5: Click "Run" to start the conversion.

Convert and Play Video from USB on Roku TV

After the conversion, you should have no problem playing the video on your Roku TV from USB.

FAQs

1. Can I play movies from USB on Roku TV?

Yes. You can play movies from USB on Roku TV using the Roku Media Player app.

2. Why won’t my Roku TV play videos from USB?

It may be because the USB drive or video is unsupported.

3. Is VLC available for Roku TV?

No. VLC isn’t available for Roku TV. You can only use Roku Media Player to play media files.