HandBrake Documentation

About HandBrake

What HandBrake is

HandBrake is an open-source video transcoder available for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Everyone can use HandBrake to make videos for free.

HandBrake is a post-production tool. Its primary purpose is to convert videos from supported source formats to MP4, MKV, or WebM format. If you wish to make changes to your Source video, please use an appropriate video editing software.

What HandBrake does

HandBrake takes videos you already have and makes new ones that work on your mobile phone, tablet, TV media player, game console, computer, or web browser—nearly anything that supports modern video formats.

HandBrake works with most common video files and formats, including ones created by consumer and professional video cameras, mobile devices such as phones and tablets, game and computer screen recordings, and DVD and Blu-ray discs. HandBrake leverages tools such as FFmpeg, x264, and x265 to create new MP4, MKV, or WebM video files from these Sources.

HandBrake does:

• Convert nearly any video to MP4, MKV, or WebM
• Crop and resize video
• Restore old and low-quality video
• Remove combing artifacts caused by interlacing and telecine
• Pass-through audio without conversion for certain audio types
• Downmix discrete surround sound to matrixed surround or stereo
• Adjust audio volume levels, and dynamic range for certain audio types
• Preserve existing subtitles, and add or remove soft subtitles (subtitles stored as text)

HandBrake can also make videos that are smaller—taking up less storage space on your device—than the originals.

What HandBrake does not do

HandBrake does not:

• Combine multiple video clips into one
• Pass-through video without conversion (video is always converted)
• Create Blu-ray, AVCHD, or DVD discs
• Make cocktails (yet)

HandBrake also does not defeat or circumvent copy protection of any kind. It does not work with video files employing Digital Rights Management (DRM). This includes but is not limited to, copy protected content from iTunes, Amazon Video, Netflix, or other online providers, and many commercial DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Applications such as AnyDVD HD for Windows and MakeMKV for Linux, Mac, and Windows can create copies of DVD and Blu-ray discs that HandBrake can open, reducing wear on the original discs and often fixing errors due to poorly mastered or otherwise broken discs.¹

Do not use HandBrake or any other application to copy materials you do not own or have the right to copy. If you are uncertain about your right to copy any material, you should contact your legal advisor.