What is a MP4 file?
MP4 — universal video
Use the format MP4
A concrete example
Prepare a copy of a sequence for the player or the recipient's platform.
Useful checks
MP4 is a container: internal codecs also matter. Check the sound, image, and synchronization.
Choose a conversion
Keep the original and open the result in the software or on the device that will need to use it.
Your questions about this format
How to choose between MP4, WEBM, and MKV?
MP4 is suitable for many sharing purposes; WEBM is particularly intended for web playback. MKV may be better suited for content with multiple tracks. Look at the outputs offered for your file and test the result on the player you will actually use.
Can I extract only the audio from my video?
Yes, if MP3 is listed among the outputs of your source. Add the video, choose MP3, and start the conversion. The file must contain an audio track: a silent video cannot produce a sound recording.
Why am I being offered MKV for tracks and subtitles?
Not all outputs retain the same tracks. If the engine indicates that a MKV container is required, go back to the output selection and choose MKV instead of forcing a conversion that would remove elements. This output may fall under NoLimit.
How many videos can I convert for free?
The free offer allows one video per day, within the total quota of ten files and the limit of 100 MB per file. A batch of three files does not add three video rights: the video quota remains shared. A valid NoLimit access adjusts the limits according to the displayed offer.
What is it?
MP4 is the most widely used video format in the world. It's a container: it doesn't compress anything by itself, but instead bundles together a video track, one or more audio tracks, subtitles, and metadata.
The actual compression is handled by the codec stored inside — most often H.264, sometimes H.265 or AV1. That's why two MP4 files can differ enormously in quality and size: what matters isn't the wrapper, but what's been placed inside it.
History & origin
MP4 was standardized in 2003 by the MPEG, under the name MPEG-4 Part 14. Its structure was directly borrowed from Apple's QuickTime format, which served as its model.
Its rise was meteoric: propelled by H.264 and by the explosion of online video and smartphones, it became the world's default video format within a decade.
Why it is useful
Unmatched compatibility: every phone, television, browser, game console, and editing program plays it, with virtually no exceptions.
An excellent balance between quality and file size, streaming playback from the very start of a download, and support for subtitles and chapters.
Limits & drawbacks
Its subtitle and multi-track capabilities remain more limited than those of the more flexible MKV.
The H.264 codec it most often carries is patent-encumbered, which has pushed Google and the Alliance for Open Media to promote royalty-free alternatives such as WebM and AV1.
Practical tips
When in doubt, choose MP4: it's the format most likely to work for whoever receives it, on any device.
If you only need to extract the soundtrack from a video, convert it to MP3: you'll keep just the audio, at a fraction of the file size.
Convert your MP4 in seconds, on our secure servers in France.
Convert a MP4