Convert to and from MP4, free.
MP4 is the closest thing video has to a universal format: an MPEG-4 container that almost always holds H.264 video and AAC audio, which every browser, phone, TV and social platform can play without a plugin.
Convert something else to MP4
Pick what you have. Each page opens the editor with MP4 already selected as the output.
Convert MP4 to something else
Pick where it is going. MP4 is already the safest format, so the usual reason to convert away from it is a specific destination that wants something else.
What MP4 actually is
MPEG-4 Part 14
H.264 video, AAC audio
Sharing anywhere, uploads, web embeds
Every phone, browser, TV and editor
Small for the quality
Plays natively on every phone, browser, TV and editing app with no extra codecs.
Every upload form accepts it, from YouTube and LinkedIn to Slack and email.
H.264 keeps files small enough to send while still looking sharp at 1080p.
MP4 is already the safest format, so the usual reason to convert away from it is a specific destination that wants something else.
Questions about MP4
What is an MP4 file?
MP4 is the closest thing video has to a universal format: an MPEG-4 container that almost always holds H.264 video and AAC audio, which every browser, phone, TV and social platform can play without a plugin. It is the MPEG-4 Part 14 container, usually holding H.264 video, AAC audio.
Is converting MP4 free?
Yes. Convert and preview for free, then create a free account to download the result. Nothing is installed and there is no watermark on the file itself.
Will converting to MP4 lose quality?
Some, whenever the codec changes: every re-encode discards detail. Where the container can simply be rewritten around the existing streams it is lossless, and where it cannot the default settings are chosen so the loss is not visible at normal viewing size.
Other formats
Converters
Convert it, then keep editing.
Every converter opens the full editor, so you can trim, caption and share without uploading the file twice.