Parole is a lightweight graphical media player designed to fit naturally into the Xfce desktop. Its interface keeps the emphasis on straightforward playback rather than library management or a large collection of secondary tools.
The application uses the GStreamer multimedia framework, so format support depends on the plugins available on the Linux system. This keeps Parole itself relatively small while allowing it to work with a broad selection of audio and video formats when the appropriate GStreamer components are installed.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Plays local audio and video files using the codecs and demuxers provided by the installed GStreamer components.
- Supports video subtitles and lets users select the available subtitle stream during playback.
- Handles DVD, audio CD and other disc-based playback through the appropriate GStreamer support.
- Opens live and network media streams alongside ordinary local files.
- Provides playlist handling for organising a sequence of audio or video files.
- Includes full-screen playback, seeking, volume control and the expected keyboard-driven playback commands.
- Integrates with Xfce libraries and follows the desktop’s GTK-based appearance and interaction conventions.
- Supports plugins, allowing additional functionality to be added without expanding the core player unnecessarily.
- Includes an MPRIS plugin for interaction with Linux desktop media controls and compatible controller applications.
- Can display notifications and media metadata when the relevant desktop integration components are available.
Website: gitlab.xfce.org/apps/parole
Support:
Developer: Xfce Development Team
License: GNU General Public License v2.0

Parole is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
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|---|---|
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| clapper | GNOME media player built using GJS with GTK4 toolkit |
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| QtAV | Cross-platform multimedia framework based on Qt and FFmpeg |
| SparkPlayer | Terminal-based media player for local music and video collections |
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Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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