Video Compressor

Convert HEVC to MP4

iPhones record HEVC, which many PCs, TVs and editors can’t play. We make it an H.264 MP4 that plays everywhere.

Why HEVC videos won’t play

HEVC, also called H.265, is the format iPhones have recorded by default since iOS 11, because it takes about half the space of H.264 at the same quality. The catch is support: Windows needs Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions to play it, older Android phones and TVs can’t decode it, and many editors and websites turn it away. Send an iPhone video to someone on a Windows PC, and they may see an error, or hear the sound over a black picture.

Converting makes the video H.264, the format every device has played for over a decade, in an MP4. That means encoding the video again, so it takes longer than a copy, and the picture is very close to the original rather than identical. The file usually gets bigger, because H.264 needs more data for the same detail. The resolution, the frame rate and the sound stay as they were, and portrait videos stay portrait.

iPhone HEVC videos are often HDR as well. Browsers can’t convert HDR colors properly, so those are converted on our server, which turns them into standard colors that look right on any screen. If the viewer can play HEVC and you only need an MP4, choose Keep the video for an instant, lossless copy.

Why convert HEVC here

  • Plays on every device

    H.264 needs no extension on Windows and plays on old Android phones, smart TVs, game consoles, every browser and every video editor.

  • HDR colors done right

    HDR iPhone videos get standard colors on our server, instead of looking grey and washed out on screens and in apps that don’t understand HDR.

  • Close to the original

    Encoded at a high quality, keeping the resolution and frame rate, so the picture keeps its detail and the motion stays smooth.

  • The right way up

    Portrait videos come out portrait in every player, even the older ones that ignore orientation data and would show them sideways.

How to convert HEVC to H.264

  1. 01

    Add the HEVC video

    Drop it on the page, or pick it from your files or photo library.

  2. 02

    Leave Make it H.264 on

    It’s already chosen. Keep the video would only change the container, and the video would stay HEVC, which is fine only if the viewer can already play it.

  3. 03

    Download the MP4

    Play it on the page, then save it.

Questions

Can’t find your answer? Write to feedback@videocompressor.xyz.

What’s the difference between HEVC and H.264?

Both are ways of compressing video. HEVC (H.265) is newer and makes files about half the size at the same quality, but not every device can play it. H.264 is older, a little less efficient, and plays everywhere.

Does converting HEVC to H.264 lose quality?

A little, as any encoding does, but it’s made at a high quality that’s hard to tell apart from the original, even side by side. The resolution and frame rate stay the same, and nothing is cropped or stretched.

Why is the H.264 file bigger?

H.264 needs more data than HEVC for the same detail, so the MP4 often comes out larger. If it has to be small too, compress it afterwards with our video compressor.

How do I know if my video is HEVC?

On an iPhone, Settings › Camera › Formats says High Efficiency when it records HEVC. On a PC, an iPhone video that shows an error or a black picture with sound is almost always HEVC.

Can I stop my iPhone recording HEVC?

Yes: Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible. New videos are then H.264, and bigger; videos you already have stay HEVC.

Can Windows play HEVC without converting?

With Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store, yes, on that PC. Converting is simpler when you send the video to others, who may not have it, and when it goes into an editor or onto a website that doesn’t read HEVC at all.

Can I convert HEVC on my iPhone?

Yes. Open this page in Safari and pick the video from your photo library. Most iPhone videos are HDR, so they’re converted on our server; the MP4 then downloads to the Files app, ready to send to anyone on any device.

Is my HEVC video uploaded?

Only when it has to be: HDR videos, and HEVC your browser can’t decode, are converted on our server and deleted 2 hours later. The page shows which one it will use before you start.

More ways to convert and compress

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