Celluloid
Close matchFreeThe closest feel. A small plain window that opens a file and plays it, with a playlist if you want one.
Your files: Plays the same video files and picks up subtitle files sitting beside them.
Does Media Player Classic run on Linux?
Verdict: No
No. Media Player Classic is a Windows-only program. Linux has its own light, fast players that do the same job, and they are free too.
MPC-HC is built for Windows and runs on Windows 7 through 11. The project does not make a Mac or Linux version, because it is built on DirectShow, a Windows video system that does not exist elsewhere.
What made it worth using, a small window that opens instantly and plays the file without fuss, is easy to get back. Celluloid and mpv start just as fast, use very little memory, and are the usual choice on older machines for exactly that reason.
Format support is not a worry. Where MPC-HC often needed a codec pack alongside it, Linux players handle the awkward files themselves.
Your video files and subtitle files are not affected. Copy them across and they open the same way.
What to use instead of Media Player Classic
mpv
Close matchFreeEven lighter, with almost no interface at all. The best choice on an old or slow computer.
Your files: Plays the same files and subtitle files.
VLC
Close matchFreeHeavier than MPC-HC was, but it has the settings, the streaming and the conversion tools if you used any of that.
Your files: Plays the same files and subtitle files.
This doesn't have to stop you
One stubborn program doesn't have to decide the whole question. You can keep Windows on the same PC and restart into it only when you need Media Player Classic. Everything else you do can move.
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