The free online video converter changes a clip between MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI and WebM, sets the resolution or frame rate and turns a short clip into a GIF. Because it runs in the browser, the video is never uploaded.
Video format work by OnlinePCApps since 2013
A clip in the wrong format will not play, runs too large for a message or stutters on an old screen. The free online video converter puts it in the format the job needs.
A MOV from an iPhone saved for QuickTime, or an MKV from a download, refuses to play on some TVs, editors and older devices. Converting to an MP4 with H.264, the format nearly every screen reads, makes the clip play without a hitch.
A phone clip in 4K is too heavy for an email or a chat. Dropping the resolution to 1080p and choosing a sensible bitrate cuts the size to a fraction, small enough to send while it still looks sharp.
A short moment from a video works better as a looping GIF for a chat, a forum or a page. Picking GIF as the output and a frame rate makes a soundless animation that plays inline anywhere an image shows.
Drag the clips onto the panel above, or browse to them on the device. One video or a whole batch can go in together, and each input format from MP4 to MKV is recognised on its own.
Pick the format to convert to, such as MP4, WebM or GIF. A resolution, a frame rate and a bitrate set the balance of file size against sharpness. A start and end time trims the clip.
Save the converted clip, or grab a whole batch as a ZIP. The original files stay untouched, so the same video can be converted again to another format or size at any time.
To convert a video is to rewrite the same footage under another format or size. The whole step runs on the machine itself.
The same footage is re-encoded from one container into another, from MOV to MP4, MKV to MP4, AVI to WebM and the rest. The incoming format is picked up on its own, so only the destination needs choosing.
A resolution such as 1080p or 720p, a frame rate and a bitrate together decide the file size against the sharpness. Dropping a 4K clip to 1080p is the quickest way to make a heavy video small enough to send.
A short section can be written out as an animated GIF at a chosen frame rate and width. A GIF has no sound and grows large past a few seconds, so trimming to the key moment keeps it light enough for a chat or a page.
A video can be sent to MP3 or M4A to keep only its sound, and a start and end time trims the clip to the part that matters. A whole batch goes together and comes back as a ZIP.
To convert a video, to change a MOV to MP4 and to turn an MKV into MP4 all name the same step. A search for video converter or MP4 converter reaches this tool, and the source files stay as they are.
Re-encoding rewrites the footage into a new format or size, and the points here govern the outcome.
| The case | Result | What happens and why |
|---|---|---|
| MP4, MOV, MKV | clean | The common containers convert between one another, MP4 with H.264 playing almost anywhere. |
| AVI, WebM, FLV | read as input | Older and open containers such as AVI, WebM, FLV, WMV, M4V and 3GP are read as input. |
| Video to GIF | animated | A short clip becomes a looping GIF at a chosen frame rate and width. |
| Resolution | 4K to 480p | A clip is scaled to 1080p, 720p or lower to cut the file size to fit. |
| Frame rate | set or keep | The frames per second are kept or lowered to trim the size of a heavy clip. |
| Extract audio | video to MP3 | The picture track is dropped, leaving the sound to save as MP3 or M4A. |
| HEVC and AV1 | limited | Newer licensed codecs (HEVC or H.265, and AV1) are limited in the browser build, better on the desktop. |
| Slower than native | expected | Software encoding in a tab is slower than a desktop app with hardware. |
| Where it runs | on the device | The footage is re-encoded in the browser, so nothing is uploaded. |
Containers, Codecs and Size
A video file has two parts worth knowing. The container, the MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM in the name, is the wrapper that holds the streams. The codec, such as H.264, VP9, HEVC or AV1, is the method that packs the picture inside. This is why an MP4 can hold different codecs, and why a conversion sometimes swaps only the wrapper and sometimes re-encodes the whole picture. The safe pairing for wide playback is an MP4 carrying H.264, which nearly every phone, browser and television reads. WebM with VP9 is the open format built for the web. Size comes down to three dials: the resolution, the frame rate and the bitrate, so dropping a 4K clip to 1080p is the fastest route to a smaller file. Two honest limits apply in a browser. Newer licensed codecs such as HEVC and AV1 are limited in the build, and software encoding in a tab is slower than a desktop app with hardware behind it. The links below set out the containers and codecs.
Both change a video's format. The trade is real, and a clip is often a personal one.
| Point of comparison | This tool Converted in the browser On the device | Hosted converter Uploaded and converted on a server |
|---|---|---|
| Where the clips go | Never leave the device | Uploaded to a server |
| Price and caps | Free with no file cap | Free tier often capped |
| Full-length or 4K files | Bound by tab memory | Reads straight from disk |
| Encode HEVC or AV1 | Limited in the browser | Full codec support |
| Encoding speed | Software encode in a tab | Hardware accelerated |
Those last three rows favour a desktop tool, since a full-length 4K file, an HEVC or AV1 encode and raw speed each call for hardware a browser tab cannot reach. For an everyday clip the first two rows are what count. The video stays on the machine, and the conversion is free with no cap.
Each clip is decoded and re-encoded inside the browser by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so the work is client-side and the video stays on the machine that opened it. No copy travels to a server to complete it.
A clip can be a private thing, home footage, a screen recording or a project never meant to sit on an outside server. A hosted converter has to upload every video to change its format, and a large file makes that upload slow as well as exposed.
Each of these changes a video's format. They vary in the work involved, the price and whether the file leaves the device.
HandBrake, VLC and FFmpeg all run on the machine, yet each is either heavy to set up or built for the terminal. This page stays local in the same way while handling the everyday convert, resize and GIF with nothing to install.
A little background points to the right format.
MP4 with H.264 suits wide playback on any screen. WebM suits the open web at a smaller size. GIF suits a short soundless loop for a chat or a page, and the destination usually points to one.
A 4K clip is four times the pixels of 1080p and far heavier. Dropping to 1080p or 720p, with a sensible bitrate, is the quickest way to make a video small enough to send while it still looks sharp.
Scaling a 720p clip up to 1080p stretches the pixels without adding detail that was never captured. For the sharpest result, convert from the highest-resolution original on hand.
The browser handles a clip in memory, which fits an everyday video. A full-length film, a 4K master or a batch of long recordings belongs on the desktop edition, which reads from disk with hardware encoding and rewrites the whole set far faster.
Point it at a folder of clips and every file is re-encoded to the target format in a single run, saved beside the original.
The newer licensed codecs encode with hardware behind them, formats the browser build keeps limited on its own.
Saved presets convert a set to a target format, resolution and bitrate for a phone, a TV or the web in one click.
Free and online, with no sign-up and no upload. Change a video's format in the browser, all on the device.