HandBrake is a free and open source tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. HandBrake is a cross-platform application, available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Is HandBrake a video editor?

HandBrake can crop and resize videos as well as restore old and low-quality videos, but for more powerful editing tools you can try DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut or VSDC Free Video Editor, which are great free options.

Can you use HandBrake to rip DVDs?

Yes, HandBrake can rip any DVD or Blu-Ray discs that are not copy protected.

Can HandBrake compress 4K videos?

Yes, HandBrake can compress any 4K video to reduce video size, while converting the video format at the same time.

Is Handbrake better than FFmpeg?

Both HandBrake and FFmpeg are free and open source, both are compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, and both can convert video files. The difference is that Handbrake uses a GUI (graphical user interface) to convert media files, while FFmpeg uses the command line to encode or decode video files. In fact, Handbrake uses FFmpeg internally for conversion. Another difference is that Handbrake supports DVD and Blu-Ray video as input, while FFmpeg does not. Also, Handbrake only offers MKV and MP4 output, while FFmpeg supports many video output formats.

Features

One of HandBrake's strengths is its ability to open a wide variety of video formats. HandBrake uses FFmpeg under the hood and generally can open whatever FFmpeg will, in addition to disc-based formats like DVD and Blu-ray. HandBrake does not defeat or circumvent copy protection of any kind. It does not work with video files employing Digital Rights Management (DRM).

HandBrake's software video encoders, video filters, audio encoders, and other processes benefit from fast CPU and memory. HandBrake's hardware video encoders also benefit from modern GPU hardware.

Built-in Device Presets

Get started with HandBrake in seconds by choosing a profile optimised for your device, or choose a universal profile for standard or high quality conversions. Simple, easy, fast. For those that want more choice, tweak many basic and advanced options to improve your encodes.

Supported Input Sources

Handbrake can process most common multimedia files and any DVD or Blu Ray sources that do not contain any kind of copy protection.

Outputs

  • File Containers: .MP4(.M4V) and .MKV
  • Video Encoders: H.265 (x265 and QuickSync), H.264(x264 and QuickSync), H.265 MPEG-4 and MPEG-2, VP8, VP9 and Theora
  • Audio Encoders: AAC / HE-AAC, MP3, Flac, AC3, or Vorbis
  • Audio Pass-thru: AC-3, E-AC3, DTS, DTS-HD, TrueHD, AAC and MP3 tracks

Even more features

  • Title / chapter and range selection
  • Batch Scan and Queueing of encodes
  • Chapter Markers
  • Subtitles (VobSub, Closed Captions CEA-608, SSA, SRT)
  • Constant Quality or Average Bitrate Video Encoding
  • Support for VFR and CFR
  • Video Filters: Deinterlacing, Decomb, Denoise, Detelecine, Deblock, Grayscale, Cropping and scaling
  • Live Static and Video Preview

What's New

  • Beta version updated to 20240706

The HandBrake Team is pleased to announce the release of HandBrake 1.8.1

This release focuses on fixing a number of bugs and issues with the 1.8.0 release.

All platforms

Video

  • Fixed a warning / misconfiguration when repeat-headers is used with the x265 encoder.(#6061)
  • Fixed an issue where the NVEnc encoder ignored the level option

Subtitles

  • Fixed an issue where dvd subtitles could be corrupted during rendering.

Filters

  • Fixed an issue that caused video artefacts to occur when using the eedi2 filter (#6073)
  • Third-party libraries
  • Updated libraries
  • FFmpeg 7.0.1 (decoding and filters)
  • libdav1d 1.4.3 (AV1 video decoding)

Mac

  • Fixed a stall in the queue that could happen if the encoding process crashes when configuring a job
  • Removed the "Show" button from the notifications when there is nothing to show

Windows

  • Hardware decoding is now defaulted to off for new installations. Users can opt-in whilst making sure they are running up-to-date drivers
  • Fixed an issue where hardware decoding could erroneously be used for previews
  • Fixed an issue where auto name was triggering too aggressively (#6079)
  • Removed an erroneous error message when dragging files onto the main window that include a subtitle file.(#6065)

Previous Release Notes:

Before updating HandBrake, please make sure there are no pending encodes in the queue, and be sure to make a backup of any custom presets and app preferences you have, as they may not be compatible with newer versions.

Windows users, please make sure to install Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime version 8.0.x. Read carefully: you need the DESKTOP runtime.

HandBrake 1.8.0

All platforms

General

  • Allowed muxing VP9 and FLAC in the MP4 container
  • Removed timestamp jitters when using a constant NTSC frame rate in the MP4 container
  • Removed support for importing legacy plist based presets from much older versions of HandBrake
  • Updated iso639 language codes list

Video

  • Added support for the FFV1 encoder, including a new preset "Preservation FFV1" under the Professional category
  • Added support for multi-pass CQ with VP9
  • Added support for VP9 tunes
  • Added Dolby Vision dynamic metadata pass through for SVT-AV1
  • Improved Decomb speed by removing unneeded frame copies
  • Improved Framerate Shaper metrics for high depth frames

Command line interface

  • Fixed subtitle "scan" when not first in --subtitle list
  • Fixed override of subtitle settings
  • Fixed processing audio overrides to preset

Audio

  • Added TrueHD encoder
  • Added 88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz sample rates for TrueHD and FLAC encoders
  • Improved audio tracks selection by tracking "linked" audio tracks
  • Fixed incorrect channel layout when encoding a 6.1 track to Opus

Subtitles

  • Fixed passthru of VobSub tracks that contains empty of fully transparent subtitles samples
  • Fixed an issue that prevented decoding VobSub tracks stored inside MP4
  • Fixed burn-in of SSA/ASS subtitles inside MKV that have duplicated Read Orders

Build system

  • Reviewed and improved compiler optimization options for the third-party libraries
  • Improved libdovi package to make it possible to ship it in Flathub flatpak version

Third-party libraries

Updated libraries

  • AMF 1.4.33 (AMD VCN video encoding)
  • FFmpeg 7.0 (decoding and filters)
  • HarfBuzz 8.4.0 (subtitles)
  • libass 0.17.2 (subtitles)
  • libdav1d 1.4.1 (AV1 video decoding)
  • libdovi 3.3.0 (Dolby Vision dynamic metadata)
  • libopus 1.5.2 (Opus audio encoding)
  • libjpeg-turbo 3.0.3 (preview image compression)
  • libvpx 1.14.0 (VP8/VP9 video encoding)
  • oneVPL 2.10.1 (Intel QSV video encoding/decoding)
  • SVT-AV1 2.1.0 (AV1 video encoding)
  • x264 164 r3186 (H.264/AVC video encoding)
  • x265 3.6 (H.265/HEVC video encoding)
  • zlib 1.3.1 (general)
  • Removed libraries
  • libxml2

Linux

  • Migrated the UI to GTK 4
  • Added support for resursive file scan
  • Added support for drag/drop/multi-file scanning. (Including subtitle files)
  • Added --clear-queue and --auto-start-queue flags to the linux ui app.
  • Update the "Open Source" button to make the folder/batch mode more discoverable.
  • Refreshed app icons
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
  • Updated existing translations

Mac

  • Added Dolby Vision and HDR10+ dynamic metadata pass through for VideoToolbox H.265 10-bit
  • Added Metal accelerated Comb Detect and Framerate Shaper filters
  • Added ability to drag and drop SRT and ASS subtitles files onto the main window
  • Added support for excluding file extensions when opening files in batch mode
  • Default exclusions are common image, subtitles, and text file extensions; edit list in Preferences > Advanced
  • Added new preference to pause encodes when switching to battery
  • Added new preference to clear completed jobs at launch option
  • Reworked notification options to allow per encode or per queue control
  • Reworked toolbar to follow macOS UI style
  • Improved performance of the Activity Log window
  • Improved UI performances by avoiding uneeded window resizes and slow AppKit controls
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
  • Updated existing translations
  • Added new translations
  • Ukrainian

Windows

  • Requires Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.x
  • Added Invert Queue option to the Add to Queue Window (#5741)
  • Drag/Drop now supports resursive folder scan mode.
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
  • Updated existing translations
  • Added new translations
  • Catalan (Català)