Guide
HEVC to H.264: iPhone videos that play everywhere
Drop an HEVC (H.265) video above and get an H.264 MP4 that plays on any computer, TV or website. Nothing is uploaded.
In short
- This converter re-encodes HEVC (H.265) video to H.264 inside an MP4.
- Some Windows PCs, older TVs, editors and upload forms cannot play HEVC at all.
- The H.264 file is usually bigger. That is the price of playing everywhere.
- To film H.264 from the start, choose Most Compatible in the iPhone camera settings.
- Nothing is uploaded. Everything runs inside this browser tab.
HEVC to H.264
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop an HEVC (H.265) video here
or
The engine reads the file first. An H.264 picture with AAC sound is copied into the MP4 with no re-encode. Anything else is written as H.264 + AAC.
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · all tools
What is HEVC, and why convert it?
HEVC (H.265) is the format iPhones and many cameras film in to save space.
- On an iPhone you find this under Settings, Camera, Formats, High Efficiency.
- Some Windows PCs, older TVs, editors and upload forms cannot play HEVC.
- H.264 is the older format that nearly every device and website plays.
- Choose Most Compatible in the same iPhone menu to film H.264 next time.
What the converter does
It copies what an MP4 can hold as it is, and re-encodes only what it cannot.
- Copied: H.264 video and AAC sound go into the MP4 untouched. No quality loss.
- Re-encoded: any other video becomes H.264 at a high quality setting (CRF 23).
- Sound: any other sound becomes AAC at 160 kbps.
- Web ready: the MP4 is set up to start playing before it fully loads.
What happens to each part of your HEVC file
The first video track and the first sound track are used. The rest is left out.
| Inside the file | What you get in the MP4 | How long |
|---|---|---|
| HEVC (H.265) video | Re-encoded once to H.264 | Minutes for a long file |
| AAC sound | Copied as is | Seconds |
| HDR video (newer iPhones film HDR) | Written as standard video; colours can look flatter | - |
| Video that is already H.264 | Copied as is, nothing to redo | Seconds |
Inside the file: HEVC (H.265) video
- What you get in the MP4
- Re-encoded once to H.264
- How long
- Minutes for a long file
Inside the file: AAC sound
- What you get in the MP4
- Copied as is
- How long
- Seconds
Inside the file: HDR video (newer iPhones film HDR)
- What you get in the MP4
- Written as standard video; colours can look flatter
- How long
- -
Inside the file: Video that is already H.264
- What you get in the MP4
- Copied as is, nothing to redo
- How long
- Seconds
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to convert HEVC to MP4
Four steps, all in this tab.
HEVC to MP4 in four steps
Drop your HEVC file
In the box at the top
The engine reads it
Which video and sound it holds
Copy or re-encode
Only what MP4 cannot hold is redone
Download the MP4
Saved to your device
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
Questions people ask
- Will the H.264 file be bigger than the HEVC one?
- Usually, yes. HEVC stores the same picture in less data, so the H.264 version takes more room. If size matters, compress it afterwards with the free video compressor.
- How do I stop my iPhone filming in HEVC?
- Open Settings, Camera, Formats and pick Most Compatible. New videos are then H.264. Videos you already filmed stay HEVC.
- Why do the colours look flatter after converting?
- Your clip was filmed in HDR. The H.264 file is standard video, so the extra brightness range is not kept and colours can look paler. To avoid it, turn HDR Video off in the iPhone camera settings.
- How long does HEVC to H.264 take?
- Every frame is re-encoded on one core of your device. A 30-second clip is quick; a long 4K video takes many minutes and a lot of memory.
- Is my HEVC file uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your HEVC file never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Want a finished video with captions, not just a converted file? Cutroom edits your clip for you. Your first video is free.