The following MCI command messages can be used to perform common movie-playback tasks:
| Task | Command Message |
| Open and close movie files | ||||||
| Open a movie file, specify stage-window style, specify color-palette usage | MCI_OPEN | |||||
| Close a movie file | MCI_CLOSE | |||||
| Play movie frames | ||||||
| Play any range of frames, forward or reverse, fast or slow | , MCI_PLAY | |||||
| Play from the current position, one or more frames, forward or reverse | MCI_STEP | |||||
| Stop playback | MCI_PAUSE, MCI_STOP | |||||
| Seek to a specific frame number or to the beginning or end of the movie file | MCI_SEEK | |||||
| Update an invalid rectangle on a stage window | MCI_UPDATE | |||||
| Change playback options | ||||||
| Supply the application-created playback window, change the display state of the window, change the window caption | MCI_WINDOW | |||||
| Specify the location and size of the playback area within the stage window | MCI_PUT | |||||
| Mute sound playback | MCI_SET | |||||
| Get playback information | ||||||
| Get the current frame number, handle to the palette, or handle to the stage window | MCI_STATUS | |||||
| Get the origin and size of the movie frame | MCI_WHERE | |||||
| Get product name, movie filename, or stage window caption | , MCI_INFO | |||||
For a comprehensive list of MCI commands, and their flags and associated data structures, see the Programmer's Reference.