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.
MP4 next to the formats it converts with
Where each one plays, what it is for and how heavy it is, so you can pick the target before you open a converter.
MP4
WebM
MOV
AVI
MKV
WMV
3GP
M4V
TS
MPEG
GIF
MP3
WAV
M4A
AAC
FLV
MTS
M2TS
VOB
OGV
ASF
MXF
DV
| Format | Best for | Plays on | File size |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | Sharing anywhere, uploads, web embeds | Every phone, browser, TV and editor | Small for the quality |
| WebM | Web embeds and browser recordings | Chrome, Firefox and Edge; hit and miss elsewhere | Very small at the same quality |
| MOV | Editing on a Mac, footage straight off an iPhone | macOS and iOS natively, patchy elsewhere | Large, especially ProRes |
| AVI | Opening archive footage from the 2000s | Desktop players with the right codec pack | Very large for the quality |
| MKV | Archiving with multiple audio and subtitle tracks | VLC and desktop players; rarely anywhere else | Depends entirely on the codec inside |
| WMV | Legacy Windows workflows and old PowerPoint decks | Windows; almost nothing else | Moderate, but dated compression |
| 3GP | Clips off pre-smartphone handsets | Old phones and some desktop players | Tiny, because the quality is tiny |
| M4V | Video bought or exported from Apple apps | Apple devices; often fine elsewhere after a rename | Same as MP4 |
| TS | Broadcast capture, camcorder cards, HLS segments | Desktop players and streaming servers | Larger than MP4 for the same footage |
| MPEG | DVD rips and old camcorder tapes | Desktop players; not phones or browsers | Very large for the picture quality |
| GIF | Short silent loops in docs, chat and email | Everywhere an image can be shown | Huge for anything over a few seconds |
| MP3 | Podcasts, voice notes, music you need to send | Every device made in the last 25 years | Roughly a tenth of uncompressed audio |
| WAV | Editing, mastering, voiceover work | Every desktop and audio tool; large for phones | About 10 MB per minute in stereo |
| M4A | Voice memos and Apple audio exports | Apple devices natively, most others too | Slightly smaller than MP3 at the same quality |
| AAC | Audio pulled out of video files | Most modern devices; bare streams can confuse players | Similar to MP3, slightly better quality |
| FLV | Nothing new: Flash reached end of life in 2020 | Desktop players only, with effort | Moderate, heavily dated |
| MTS | Footage straight off a Sony, Panasonic or Canon camcorder | Camcorder software and VLC; rarely anything else | Large, and split into chunks |
| M2TS | Blu-ray discs and AVCHD camcorder archives | Blu-ray players and VLC | Very large |
| VOB | Ripping the contents of a DVD you own | DVD players and VLC | About 1 GB per chunk, several per disc |
| OGV | Open-source projects and older HTML5 video | Firefox and Chrome; poor elsewhere | Large for the quality |
| ASF | Legacy Windows Media libraries | Windows Media Player | Moderate, dated compression |
| MXF | Broadcast workflows and professional cameras | Professional editing systems only | Enormous |
| DV | Captures off MiniDV tape | Older editing software | About 13 GB per hour, whatever the content |
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.
An MP4 that plays with no sound usually carries its audio in a codec the player lacks, such as AC-3 from a TV or camera recording. Converting re-encodes the audio to AAC, which everything plays.
YouTube, Instagram and TikTok re-encode every upload, so an MP4 exported at a very high bitrate only makes the upload slower; the viewer never sees the difference.
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 free, and a free account downloads the result. Free exports and share pages include a small REQO badge. Go Pro to remove it. Nothing is installed.
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
Convert it, then keep editing.
Every converter opens the full editor, so you can trim, caption and share without uploading the file twice.