System requirements
Hardware
The following is the minimum level of hardware HandBrake formally supports.
- Processor:
- AMD Ryzen, Threadripper, or Epyc
- Intel Core (6th generation and newer) i3, i5, i7, i9, or equivalent Xeon
- Apple Silicon M1 and newer, recent Intel Macs supported per the above
- Free memory:
- Depends on settings used but as a general guide:
- 1 GB for transcoding standard definition video (480p/576p)
- 2 to 8 GB for transcoding high definition video (720p/1080p)
- 6 to 16 GB or more for transcoding ultra high definition video (2160p 4K)
- System storage:
- 150 MB for the HandBrake app
- 10 GB or more recommended for processing and storing your new videos
- Display resolution:
- 1280x960 minimum, proportionately higher with display scaling. (See section below)
While it may be technically possible to run HandBrake on hardware not meeting these requirements, it is not recommended.
Notice: Users with Intel CPU’s
If you are using Windows 10 and also have an Intel 12th generation CPU (or newer), we recommend using the “High Performance” power profile in Windows.
In HandBrake Preferences, we also recommend you set the “Priority Level” to “Normal” on the Advanced tab.
This should help maintain performance when HandBrake is not a foreground window.
This should not be necessary if you are running Windows 11.
Hardware encoders
Please see the specific documentation pages for these encoders for further details.
Software
The following describes the level of support available for the current HandBrake version as indicated by the status for each system version.
| Status | Description | Support Level | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported | HandBrake is maintained and tested working on these system versions. | The HandBrake Team and community members provide volunteer support. | Issue reports are welcome and addressed based on team availability. |
| Deprecated | HandBrake might work on these system versions with limitations. | No support will be provided. | Most issues will likely not be addressed. Please update to enjoy the latest features and bug fixes. |
| Unsupported | HandBrake does not work or is severely limited on these system versions. | No support will be provided. | No issues will be addressed, regardless of severity. Updating as soon as possible is highly recommended. |
BSD and Linux
FreeBSD
HandBrake is supported on FreeBSD stable and maintenance versions.
| FreeBSD Version | Status | Last Compatible Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD 13 | Supported | ||
| FreeBSD 12 | Supported | ||
| FreeBSD 11 | Unsupported | 1.3.3 |
Fedora
HandBrake is supported on Fedora stable and maintenance versions until their end of life.
| Fedora Version | Status | Last Compatible Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fedora 39 | Supported | ||
| Fedora 38 | Supported | ||
| Fedora 37 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.6.1 | End of life. |
| Fedora 36 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.6.1 | End of life. |
| Fedora 35 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.5.1 | End of life. |
| Fedora 34 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.5.1 | End of life. |
| Fedora 33 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| Fedora 32 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| Fedora 31 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| Fedora 30 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| Fedora 29 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.3.1 | End of life. |
| Fedora 28 | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.3.1 | End of life. |
Ubuntu
HandBrake is supported on the most recent Ubuntu LTS version until a new LTS version is released. Support for older LTS versions may be provided via Flatpak.
Interim (non-LTS) versions are typically supported until their end of life.
| Ubuntu Version | Status | Last Compatible Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish | Supported | Flatpak, and source. | |
| 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa | Deprecated | Flatpak, and source. | |
| 18.04 LTS Bionic Beaver | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.3.3 | Flatpak only. |
| 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.1.2 | End of life (standard support). |
| 14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr | Unsupported | HandBrake 1.1.2 | End of life (standard support). |
Other
While no official support for other systems is provided, HandBrake’s Flatpak binaries are widely compatible, and documentation is provided for compiling from source on a variety of BSDs and Linux distributions. Hardware encoding support may be limited or unavailable on these systems.
See Where to get HandBrake, Building HandBrake for BSD, and Building HandBrake for Linux, for additional details.
Mac
HandBrake is supported on recent versions of macOS, and since version 1.4.0 is a Universal Binary supporting both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
| macOS Version | Status | Last Compatible Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sonoma | Supported | Requires HandBrake 1.5.0 or later. | |
| 13 Ventura | Supported | Requires HandBrake 1.5.0 or later. | |
| 12 Monterey | Supported | Requires HandBrake 1.4.0 or later. | |
| 11 Big Sur | Deprecated | Requires HandBrake 1.4.0 or later. | |
| 10.15 Catalina | Deprecated | Requires HandBrake 1.2.2 or later. | |
| 10.14 Mojave | Deprecated | End of life. | |
| 10.13 High Sierra | Deprecated | End of life. | |
| 10.12 Sierra | Unsupported | 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| 10.11 El Capitan | Unsupported | 1.4.2 | End of life. |
| 10.10 Yosemite | Unsupported | 1.1.2 | End of life. |
| 10.9 Mavericks | Unsupported | 1.1.2 | End of life. |
| 10.8 Mountain Lion | Unsupported | 1.1.2 | End of life. |
| 10.7 Lion | Unsupported | 1.1.2 | End of life. |
| 10.6 Snow Leopard | Unsupported | 0.10.5 | End of life. |
VLC is recommended for viewing media files, notably Matroska (MKV), which is not natively supported on macOS.
Windows
HandBrake requires .NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.x. Please becareful when selecting hte correct version to download. See the links under the “Run Desktop Apps” section in hte middle of the page!
| Windows Version | Status | Last Compatible Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Supported | ||
| Windows 10 | Supported | 1909 or later. | |
| Windows 8.1 | Unsupported | 1.3.3 | 1.4.2 runs with limitations. |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Unsupported | 1.3.3 | 1.4.2 runs with limitations. |
| Windows Vista | Unsupported | 1.0.7 | End of life. |
| Windows XP | Unsupported | 0.9.9 | End of life. |
Display scaling
Display scaling beyond 100% requires a proportionately higher resolution to fit the higher density interface graphics in the same physical space. For example, HandBrake will fit within the bounds of a 1920x1080 HD resolution display at 100% and 125% scaling, but not at 150% and higher.
Customization to system themes, such as font sizes and padding, may also impact the ability of the window to render in the space provided.
If HandBrake does not fit within the bounds of your display, you can try changing the Scale and Layout setting on Windows, or the Scaling Factor setting on Linux, to a smaller value.