Easily and Free Change Video Format for Better Playback

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How to Change Video Format? | 5 Free and Online Solutions

Updated on July 26, 2024

Want to change video formats for playback, uploading, sharing, editing, etc. with no format compatibility issues? This article shares five simple and free methods to help you change the format of videos. Keep reading to learn how to change video formats in specific steps!

Download the best free video file type converter to convert video formats easily and efficiently:

https://www.videoconverterfactory.com/download/hd-video-converter.exe hd-video-converter.exe

Why Do We Need to Change the Format of Videos?

Nowadays, it is common and closely associated with people's daily life to change the format of videos, like convert videos to AVI, MP4 or any other common formats for better playback. Try to imagine whether you have encountered the following video playback problems.

1. Failed to play downloaded videos, movies and dramas on televisions, mobile phones, and tablets?

2. The HD-recorded video cannot be edited because of incompatible format?

3. Failed to upload videos due to an unsupported file type?

The above are common issues people may encounter, and changing format of videos is a quick way to fix such kind of problems. So how to change video format? Don’t worry. Here are three easy methods to help you change video format in simple steps without any cost. Read on to get some practical video reformatting skills!

How to Change Video Format with 5 Free and Simple Methods

Changing video formats is not just simply changing the suffix name of a video file. Format changing involves video transcoding or video remuxing. It may seem a little bit difficult, but you can easily reformat videos with the help of some free video file changers. I will recommend 5 simple and free video format changers to help you change a video file type as below.

Method 1 – How to Convert Video Format with the Best Free Video File Format Converter

WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory is a free yet powerful video format changer which supports all video format input and offers 500+ output formats and devices for easy and fast conversion. With its help, you can change format of video to any type you want in simple clicks. It can also be used to change audio formats, extract audio from video, download YouTube videos, etc. Now, let’s download this format converter and see how to change the file type of a video below.

Guides on How to Change Video File Type

Before starting to change movie formats, please free download free download the video file converter software.

Step1: Add Files for Video Format Change Preparation

Run WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory and open Converter, then click the "Add Files" button to load videos or directly drag and drop them to the program.

Step2: Set the Output Format

Click the "Click to change output format" area on the right of the program and choose one video format under the "Video" tab that you want to change to.

Step3: Start to Change the Format of a Video

Set the output destination by clicking the inverted triangle icon at the bottom and lastly click the "Run" button to start the format conversion.

Also see: MP4 to Xvid | MKV to MP4 | PDS to MP4 | TREC to MP4

Method 2 – How to Change Video Format on PC Windows with VLC Media Player

how to change the format of a video

If you have already downloaded and installed VLC media player before, you can also use it as a video format changer/VLC converter to help change video file types. Check how to convert video files with VLC below.

Step1: Run VLC player, click Media > Convert/Save on the menu bar, or you can directly use the keyboard shortcuts "Ctrl + R".

Step2: Click the "Add" button to import a video and then click the "Convert/Save" button.

Step3: Click the "Profile" drop-down list and select the format and codec you want to change to. Experienced users also can edit parameters or add a new customized profile yourself.

Step4: Set the output destination and click the "Start" button.

Method 3 – How to Convert Video Format with Handbrake

how to change video file type

Handbrake is a famous and free cross-platform video file changer with strong functions, such as adding subtitles, batch conversion. However, it may be a little bit complex for new users because its operation interface may not be so intuitive and clear. In addition, we have talked about how to extract audio with Handbrake before, here we share with you how to change the format of videos with it.

Step1: Run Handbrake, click "File" to import video.

Step2: Select the output destination and output container. Currently, it only includes MP4, WebM and MKV format.

Step3: Choose the format and codec you need in the right "Preset".

Step4: Finally click the upper "Start Encode" to begin to change format of video.

Method 4 – How to Change a Video Format with iMovie on Mac

iMovie

For Mac users who want to change their video file formats, there is a built-in application - iMovie. It is an easy-to-use video editor for Apple devices that can also handle video conversions. However, it only supports a few video formats like MPEG-4, MPEG-2, AVCHD, MOV, DV, etc. With it, you can change the video format to MP4 or QuickTime MOV formats.

Let's see how to use iMovie to convert video formats on Mac.

Step 1. Open the iMovie app on your Mac computer.

Step 2. Click "New" to create a video and choose "Movie" or "Trailer" to add your video to the storyboard.

Step 3. Go to the "File" option on the top menu bar and select "Share" > "File".

Step 4. Select the required video settings and format and click "Next" to specify other settings.

Step 5. Now, click "Save" to start the video conversion.

Method 5 - How to Change a Video File Type with CloudConvert

how to change the format of a video

Besides using desktop video converters, online video converters can also help you change a video file type without installing any third-party software on your device. And many of them are simple and free to use for limited file sizes. This post takes CloudConvert as an example to show you how to convert video file formats online. With it, you can convert video to MP4, MOV, WMV, AVI, WebM, FLV, and MKV. It also allows you to modify the video and audio settings with simple clicks. Here is a detailed guide for how to use it to change video file types.

Step 1. Go to CloudConvert on the web browser and click "Select File" to import your video files.

Step 2. Open the box beside "Convert to" and select a video file format.

Step 3. Hit "Convert" to start the conversion.

When it finishes the conversion, a preview window will pop up, click the three-dot icon to download the converted file to your device.

At last...

The above five free and online methods to change the format of videos can help you play videos with better compatibility. Of course, other online video converters also allow you to change video format without installing anything. However, I don’t recommend it since online conversion is always limited by file size, annoying pop-ups, unstable server, upload and download speed, etc. For me personally, I like to use the offline WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory because besides the video format conversion, it will also help me with other video and audio processing, like video/audio editing, compression, merging, etc. You can also free download the software to have a try!

Hot search: Change Video Codec | Change Audio Format of a Video | TSV to MP4 | BIN to MP4 | DAV to MP4

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