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Aug 9, 2026
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MPC AudioSwitcher is the free DirectShow filter from the MPC-BE project that exposes every audio track inside a video file as a switchable option, so a player can move between the original language, a dub and a commentary track mid-playback, and it is free with nothing bundled.
MPC AudioSwitcher is the piece that turns the audio tracks buried inside a video file into a list you can pick from.
A film with an original soundtrack, a dubbed version and a director's commentary holds all three at once, and something has to let you choose between them.
Free, 1.3MB, and it works in any DirectShow player rather than only the two it comes from.
Check Your Player First
Worth saying before you download anything: most players already have a track menu, and if yours works you do not need this filter. In MPC-HC and MPC-BE it sits under Navigate, then Audio Track.
This filter is for when that menu is empty, greyed out, or shows only one track when you know the file has several. That usually means the player is using a filter chain that never exposed the other streams in the first place.
What It Actually Does
The switcher sits in the middle of the chain. A splitter opens the file and pulls out every stream inside it, the switcher decides which audio stream is live, and a decoder turns that one into sound.
It never looks inside the audio itself, which is why it does not care whether the track is AAC, AC3, DTS or anything else - that is the decoder's problem. It only routes.
Our guide on how decoders and renderers divide the work lays out the whole chain if the division of labour is unclear.
Playing a Separate Audio File Alongside a Video
This is the other reason people arrive here, usually with a video that has no sound of its own or a fan dub downloaded separately.
The loading is done by the player, not by this filter. In MPC-HC, go to View, then Options, then Playback, and switch on "Auto-load audio files" - then put the audio file in the same folder as the video with a matching name and it is picked up automatically. Dragging the audio file onto the player window works too.
What the switcher does is make that extra track appear in the same list as the built-in ones, so you can flip between the original audio and the one you loaded without reopening anything.
What It Does Not Do
- It does not decode audio. That is MPC Audio Decoder or, more commonly, LAV Filters.
- It does not open files. Video containers need a splitter, and lossless audio files need MPC Audio Splitter.
- It does not send anything to your sound card - MPC Audio Renderer handles that end.
- It does not fix audio that is out of sync. That is a player offset setting, not a routing problem.
What to Pair It With
LAV Filters is the usual companion, because it covers both opening the container and decoding whatever the switcher hands it, including DTS-HD and TrueHD tracks.
If you want the output stage handled carefully too, MPC Audio Renderer sends audio to your DAC without the Windows mixer resampling it, and MPC Video Renderer does the equivalent job for the picture.
Subtitles usually come up in the same breath as language tracks. MPC SubtitleSource is the current option from the same project, and DirectVobSub is the long-established one.
Older surround material sometimes still wants AC3 Filter, which offers per-channel control that nothing newer quite replaces.
If you would rather not assemble any of this, K-Lite Codec Pack bundles a player and a working filter chain in one installer, with track switching already set up.
Who Actually Needs It
Two groups get real use out of it. People learning a language flip between the dub and the original constantly, often several times a scene, and doing that through a menu gets old fast.
The other is anyone comparing mixes - a theatrical soundtrack against a remaster, or a film against its isolated score - where the point is switching quickly enough to hear the difference.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
The tell is what your file actually contains. If the track menu is empty because the file only ever had one audio stream, no filter will conjure a second one, and you need a different copy of the film rather than a different filter chain.
Run the file through the codec finder before installing anything - it tells you how many audio streams are in there, which settles the question in a few seconds. The rest of the filters are in the audio codecs section.
Version and Compatibility
The filter is a component of MPC-BE and carries the player's version number, which is why 1.9.1 here matches the MPC-BE release of 8 August 2026 rather than following a schedule of its own.
It registers system-wide for both 32-bit and 64-bit players and runs on Windows XP through Windows 11. Any DirectShow player can use it, including PotPlayer and Zoom Player.
KMPlayer will pick it up as well, though it ships its own track handling that most people never need to replace. If you are still deciding between the two MPC players, our MPC-BE and MPC-HC compared guide goes through it.
Quick questions
How do I switch audio tracks in MPC-HC or MPC-BE?
Right-click the video, or open the Navigate menu, and choose Audio Track. If the list is empty or shows only one entry when the file has more, that is when this filter helps.
Is MPC AudioSwitcher free?
Yes. Free with no paid version and nothing bundled with the installer.
Do I need MPC-BE to use it?
No. It comes from the MPC-BE project but registers system-wide, so PotPlayer, Zoom Player, KMPlayer and other DirectShow players can use it.
Can it play a separate audio file with a video?
The player loads the file, not the filter - in MPC-HC that is the "Auto-load audio files" option, or you can drag the audio file onto the window. The switcher is what then lets you flip between it and the built-in audio.
My audio is out of sync. Will this fix it?
No, this filter only chooses which track plays. Sync offset is a setting in your player, usually adjustable with a keyboard shortcut during playback.
Does it work on Windows 11?
Yes, on Windows 11 and every version back to XP, in both 32-bit and 64-bit players.
Download MPC AudioSwitcher 1.9.1 and see whether it fills in the track list, then be the first to review it - nobody has yet.
