Leah

Leah FAQ

Common questions about Leah, the video player for Mac.

What is Leah?

Leah is a video player for the Mac, made by Tausif Khan. It was built from the ground up for instant seeking and scrubbing. It plays MP4, MOV and M4V files, and MKV and WebM files with lossless surround sound and Blu-ray and DVD subtitles.

How much does Leah cost?

Leah costs $9.99 on the Mac App Store. See Leah on the Mac App Store.

Which Macs does Leah run on?

Leah runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) with macOS 15 or later. It doesn't run on Intel Macs.

Does Leah play MKV files?

Yes. Leah plays MKV (Matroska) and WebM files with H.264, HEVC (H.265), MPEG-2, MPEG-1, VP9 and AV1 video. VP9 plays on Macs with Apple silicon, and AV1 on Macs with Apple M3 or later. See How to play MKV files on Mac and Formats Leah plays.

Does Leah show PGS (Blu-ray) and VobSub (DVD) subtitles?

Yes. Leah shows PGS and VobSub picture subtitles, and SRT, ASS/SSA, WebVTT and MP4 text subtitles. A subtitle file next to the video with the same name shows up on its own, and you can drag any other SRT, WebVTT, ASS or SSA file onto the video. See PGS and VobSub subtitles on Mac.

Does Leah play Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos?

Yes. Leah plays Dolby TrueHD in up to 7.1 channels, exactly as it was recorded. Tracks with Dolby Atmos play as 7.1, with sounds from above mixed into the other channels. See Dolby TrueHD and Atmos on Mac.

Does Leah play DTS and Dolby Digital audio?

Yes. Leah plays DTS in up to 5.1 channels, and Dolby Digital (AC-3) and Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3). DTS-HD and DTS:X tracks play their 5.1 DTS core. DTS Express commentary tracks and Vorbis audio aren't supported. See DTS audio on Mac.

How fast does Leah seek?

In Leah's own tests on 1080p to 4K videos, on a Mac with Apple M1 Pro, a 5-second skip shows the new picture in about 30 milliseconds (the median). Files with long gaps between keyframes, as in some 4K recordings, can take longer. Holding an arrow key keeps skipping, and dragging along the timeline moves the picture with the pointer.

Does Leah collect data or connect to the internet?

No. Leah doesn't collect any data and never connects to the internet. It has no accounts, analytics, advertising or tracking. Your videos stay on your Mac. See Leah Privacy Policy.

Can I make Leah my default video player?

Yes. Click Make Leah your default video player at the bottom of Leah's start screen, and confirm when macOS asks.

Does Leah have Picture in Picture, playlists or plugins?

No. Leah plays one video at a time and keeps its settings few, by design.

Is Leah related to Leawo?

No. Leah, the video player for Mac on the Mac App Store, isn't related to Leawo or its Blu-ray and media players.

How is Leah different from IINA and VLC?

IINA and VLC are free and open source, run on Intel Macs and older macOS versions, and play more formats. Leah is a paid Mac App Store app for Apple silicon, built for instant seeking, with few settings, and it never connects to the internet. See Leah vs IINA and Leah vs VLC.

How do I get help with Leah?

Choose Help > Leah Help in the app, see the support page, or open an issue on GitHub. See Leah Support.