Watching Your Videos in Windows 8.1

You can play your videos in the Videos app, which you can access from the Start screen. When you first open the Videos App, you will be presented with a display showing videos that you can watch or purchase online.

To view your own videos, you should pan left either with a swipe of your finger or by moving your mouse to the bottom of the screen, where you will find the scroll bar. You can also use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move around left and right in Apps.

Your video display will show you your most recently added videos. To view all of your videos, click/touch the My Videos link at the top of this section.

Note: Click or tap the back arrow in the top left of the screen at any time to return to the previous page.

There are several different ways to organize your videos. Near the top left of the screen, you can click/touch on the Date Added link to view your video library in different ways, such as A to Z or by duration. You can click/touch on any video to play it, and you will see play controls appear on the screen, which will fade when you don’t touch the screen or move the mouse for a few seconds, but they will reappear when you do touch the screen or move the mouse.

Note: At any time, you can right-click with your mouse or swipe upward with your finger from the bottom of the screen to open more controls on the App Bar.

You may have videos stored in different folders on your computer or perhaps in a different location, such as an external USB hard disk. To play files in different locations, open the App Bar and click/touch Open File. This will open the folder view where you can look through all your files and folders to view any videos. This also applies to the Music App in Windows 8.1.

Using the Folder View 

The Open File view allows you to view any files you have stored, not just on your own computer, but also in compatible Internet services such as Microsoft SkyDrive on your home network and, if you have a Windows Phone and use the Windows Phone app to connect to your PC, you can also access video you have recorded on the phone as well. You can click/touch on any link that has a view. For example, clicking the Files link will display folders, including your documents, pictures, and even your entire computer and network. Below this are links to other available locations, such as SkyDrive. You move around folders in this view by clicking on them. If you want to move up a folder location, click/touch the Go Up link. Videos can be opened and played by clicking or touching them.