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You can play videos from a USB drive on a Roku only if your specific Roku player or TV has a USB port. Connect the drive, open Roku Media Player, select the drive and video, then press OK or Play. Whether a video appears and plays depends on the drive’s file system and the video format supported by your Roku model and firmware.
Before you connect the USB drive
- Check for a USB port. Only some Roku devices have one; confirm yours does before preparing a drive. Roku’s Media Player guide and USB troubleshooting guide describe this limitation.
- Check the video format. Roku lists H.264/AVC video in MKV, MP4, and MOV containers as baseline support. Compatibility can vary with the Roku model, firmware, resolution, and file variant.
- Check the drive’s file system. Roku documentation does not give a consistent answer about exFAT; see the format notes below before reformatting a drive.
How to play a video from USB on Roku
- Connect the drive. Insert the USB drive into the Roku’s USB port. If the drive is recognized, an on-screen prompt may offer to open Roku Media Player. If the app is not installed, Roku may prompt you to add it from the Roku Store.
- Open Roku Media Player. If no prompt appears, launch Roku Media Player from your Roku interface. Select the video media type, then choose the USB drive.
- Find the video. Browse the drive’s folders, highlight the video, and press OK or Play on the remote. Files Roku determines it cannot play may not appear in the list.
- Control playback. Use Play/Pause to pause or resume, and the left or right directional buttons to skip. Press Back to stop playback.
Which USB file systems and video formats work?
Drive file systems
Roku’s US Media Player support page lists FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3, exFAT, and HFS+. However, Roku’s UK USB troubleshooting page lists FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3, and HFS+, and explicitly says exFAT is unsupported. Because Roku’s own pages differ, do not assume an exFAT drive will work on every model. Check the Help information on your Roku; if the drive is not recognized, inspect its file system on a computer before considering a reformat.
Video formats
Roku lists H.264/AVC in MKV, MP4, or MOV as supported video. The formats listed for higher-resolution or newer devices are not universal:
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- Some 4K-capable devices: H.265/HEVC in MKV, MP4, or MOV, and VP9 in MKV or WEBM. Roku also lists AV1 for some devices.
- 8K-capable devices: AV1 and H.265/HEVC in MKV or MP4.
These are format listings, not a guarantee for every file using those extensions. Roku notes that device capabilities, firmware, resolution, and media variants affect playback. For device-specific details, consult Help within Roku Media Player. The Roku TV User Guide 14.0 for U.S., English is another official reference for supported media formats.
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DRM-protected content
Roku Media Player does not support DRM-protected content. A video can therefore remain unplayable even when its file extension looks compatible.
Why won’t Roku recognize my USB drive?
If the Roku does not detect the drive, first check that your model has a USB port. Roku identifies an unsupported file system and insufficient USB power as possible causes. Use the device’s Help information to check file-system compatibility, and inspect the drive’s format on a computer. Since Roku’s published pages conflict on exFAT, avoid reformatting until you have checked what your device supports; reformatting can erase the drive’s contents.
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Why is my video missing from Roku Media Player?
A missing video does not necessarily mean the drive is empty or faulty. Roku Media Player may hide unsupported file types or files it determines cannot play. Check the video’s codec and container against the capabilities of your particular Roku, and remember that DRM-protected content is unsupported. The filename extension alone does not establish that the video’s actual encoding is compatible.
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One option is to convert the file to a format supported by your Roku before copying it to USB; Roku says conversion may be needed for direct USB playback but does not prescribe a particular converter. Another option is to use a local network media server that transcodes video into a format the Roku supports. Roku names Plex, Serviio, WMP, and some Synology devices as examples of servers that can automatically transcode. This is a network alternative, not a requirement for USB playback.
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