HEVC to MP4 (H.264) converter

iPhones and many Android phones record HEVC (H.265). It saves space but fails on older PCs, Firefox, some TVs and web apps.

Takes a while: the HEVC is re-encoded on your device, so expect minutes rather than seconds for long or 4K clips.

Drop a HEVC file hereThe converter loads in your browser.

What happens to your HEVC

The HEVC video is decoded and re-encoded to H.264 on your device. Decoding HEVC works in the in-browser engine; encoding to HEVC does not (see below).

Tip: HEVC decoding is heavy. A 1-minute 4K clip can take several minutes and a lot of memory, so try "1080p" in the options for faster results.

How to convert HEVC to MP4 (H.264)

Drop your HEVC file on the box above, or tap it to pick one. The engine (about 31 MB) loads once per visit.
The converter reads the file's streams and shows which codecs are inside.
Keep the defaults, or pick a quality and resolution.
Press the button, wait for the progress bar, then download your MP4 (H.264).

Prefer the command line?

This is the FFmpeg command the converter runs for a typical HEVC (hevc + aac). Paste it into a terminal with FFmpeg installed for batch jobs or files too big for a browser tab:

ffmpeg -y -i input.mp4 -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -sn -dn -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -crf 23 -pix_fmt yuv420p -movflags +faststart -c:a aac -b:a 160k output.mp4

This re-encodes, so expect it to take a while on long files. Your own file may contain different codecs; the converter above detects them and adapts. For other jobs, ask the FFmpeg command helper.

Questions

Can I convert H.264 to HEVC here?

No. The x265 encoder does not run reliably in single-threaded WebAssembly, so we don't offer it. Use HandBrake or desktop FFmpeg for HEVC output.

Will the file get bigger?

Usually yes, around 1.5 to 2 times at similar quality, because H.264 is less efficient than HEVC.

Is HEVC the same as MP4?

No. HEVC (H.265) is a video codec; MP4 is a container file. An MP4 can hold HEVC or H.264 video. "HEVC to MP4" in practice means an MP4 with H.264 video inside, which every device can play.

Why does my HEVC video only play sound, or a black screen?

The player can read the container and the AAC audio but has no HEVC decoder for the picture. Converting the video to H.264 fixes it.

Can I keep it HEVC and just change the file to MP4?

Yes: choose "Keep HEVC (fast)". The stream is copied into MP4 with the hvc1 tag Apple devices need, losslessly and in seconds. It will still only play where HEVC is supported.

Is my HEVC file uploaded?

No. The HEVC is read from your device by FFmpeg running as WebAssembly in the page, and the MP4 (H.264) is written back to your device. No server ever receives it.

Is there a size limit for HEVC to MP4 (H.264)?

We set none. The practical limit is browser memory: roughly 2 GB of output on a computer, and much less on phones.

The formats

HEVC	A codec, not a container. It halves bitrate vs H.264 but plays poorly on older PCs, Firefox and many web apps. Usually: H.265 video in any container
MP4 (H.264)	H.264 + AAC. Plays on almost everything: phones, TVs, browsers, editors, social apps. Written as: H.264 + AAC

Other files to MP4 (H.264)

Why some conversions are instant and others take minutes

Will your HEVC file play? A quick check

HEVC (H.265) is a codec, not a file type, so an iPhone clip can be a perfectly normal .mov or .mp4 and still refuse to play. Whether it works depends on the device's decoder, not on the file extension:

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Where you want to play it	HEVC as-is	What to pick here
iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple has supported HEVC since iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra)	Plays	Keep HEVC: a fast copy into MP4
Windows 10/11 Films & TV or Photos app	Only with Microsoft's paid "HEVC Video Extensions" installed	H.264 (plays everywhere)
Chrome and Edge	Only where the computer's GPU can decode HEVC	H.264 if you share the link with others
Firefox	Limited, and depends on the operating system and hardware	H.264
Older smart TVs, set-top boxes, projectors	Often fails or plays without sound	H.264
Web upload forms, LMS and CMS sites, email previews	Often rejected or shown as a black frame	H.264
Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut	Imports, but can be slow to scrub on older machines	H.264 for smoother editing

Not sure what this browser can decode? The formats page tests HEVC, H.264, VP9 and AV1 support live.

H.265 to H.264: what changes

File size: expect the H.264 file to be roughly 1.5 to 2 times larger at similar quality. HEVC was designed to need about half the bitrate of H.264, and you are giving that saving back for compatibility.
HDR: iPhone HDR (Dolby Vision / HLG, 10-bit) becomes 8-bit SDR H.264. The browser engine has no tone-mapping, so bright HDR scenes can look flat or washed out. If HDR matters and the target is Apple, keep HEVC.
Audio: AAC audio is copied unchanged; nothing is re-compressed.
Speed: HEVC decoding plus H.264 encoding runs on one CPU core in a browser tab. A 1080p clip converts at around real time on a recent laptop; 4K is several times slower. Choosing 1080p or 720p under Resolution makes it much quicker.

Stop your iPhone recording HEVC

On iPhone go to Settings › Camera › Formats and choose Most Compatible. New videos are then recorded as H.264 and copy into MP4 in seconds. When you AirDrop or share to a computer, iOS can also convert automatically: Settings › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC › Automatic.

Doing it on a desktop instead

For batches or very long 4K files, the same conversion with desktop FFmpeg is ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4. HandBrake's "Fast 1080p30" preset does the same through a window. Want to go the other way, H.264 to HEVC, to save space? That needs a desktop encoder; see H.264 vs H.265 on SqueezeVideos.