Online Video Codec Inspector

Inspect the video and audio codec inside an MP4, MOV, WebM, or MKV file. See codec, profile, level, resolution, frame rate, and bit rate — right in your browser, no upload.

Drop an MP4 or other video file here or click to browse

Drop a video file to inspect its video and audio codec, profile, level, resolution, frame rate, and bit rate.

Codec compatibility reference

A quick overview of how common video codecs play back across platforms and browsers. Drop a file above to see detailed compatibility for its specific codec.

  • H.264Excellent
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
  • HEVCGood
    ⚠️
    ✅
    ⚠️
    ✅
    ✅
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ✅
    ⚠️
  • AV1Good
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
  • VP9Good
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ⚠️
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ⚠️
    ✅
  • VP8Fair
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ⚠️
    ✅
    ✅
    ✅
    ❌
    ✅
  • MPEG-4Poor
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ❌
    ❌
    ⚠️
    ❌
  • DivXPoor
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ❌
    ⚠️
    ❌
    ❌
    ❌
    ❌
  • XvidPoor
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ⚠️
    ❌
    ⚠️
    ❌
    ❌
    ❌
    ❌

Need to know which codec a video uses? The online video codec inspector reads any MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, or AVI file you drop and shows the exact video and audio codec, profile, level, resolution, frame rate, and bit rate — without uploading the file anywhere. It runs FFmpeg WebAssembly directly in your browser, so your footage stays on your device.

It’s the fastest way to answer questions like “is this file H.264 or H.265?”, “does this MP4 use AV1?”, “what’s the audio codec and bit rate?”, or “what profile and level is this stream?” — without installing FFmpeg, opening a terminal, or uploading to a third-party metadata service.

How to Inspect a Video Codec

  1. Drop your file — Drag and drop an MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, or AVI file, or click to browse.
  2. Wait for inspection: FFmpeg WASM loads once, then reads the file’s metadata locally.
  3. Read the report — The tool shows the container, duration, total bit rate, and a dedicated card for the video stream and audio stream.

No account, no upload, no watermark — and the original file is never modified.

What Information Is Shown

  • Container format — MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, and others, as reported by FFmpeg.
  • Video codec — H.264 / AVC, H.265 / HEVC, AV1, VP9, VP8, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and more, with a color-coded badge.
  • Codec profile — Main, High, Main 10, Baseline, and so on.
  • Codec level — when FFmpeg reports it (e.g. L4.0).
  • Resolution — frame width × height.
  • Frame rate — in fps.
  • Pixel format — yuv420p, yuv420p10le, and similar.
  • Video bit rate — and the overall container bit rate.
  • Audio codec — AAC, MP3, Opus, AC-3, E-AC-3, Vorbis, FLAC, ALAC, and more.
  • Audio sample rate, channel layout, and bit rate — for example 48000 Hz, stereo, 128 kbps.

Why Codec Information Matters

The codec decides whether a file plays on a given device, how small it can be, and how it streams. H.264 / AVC has the widest hardware support. H.265 / HEVC and AV1 compress better but need newer decoders. VP9 is common in WebM. Knowing the codec helps you pick the right converter, compressor, or platform before you publish.

Codec details are also useful when troubleshooting playback issues, planning a transcode, comparing exports from different editors, or verifying that an AI video generator produced the format you expected.

Private by Design

This inspector uses the same FFmpeg WebAssembly engine as the rest of Video Tools. It reads video metadata directly in your browser without uploading, re-encoding, or writing a new file. That makes it safe for unreleased client footage, internal recordings, and any clip you don’t want to send to a server.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this tool upload my video?

No. The file is read locally in your browser by FFmpeg WebAssembly. It never leaves your device.

Which formats are supported?

Any container FFmpeg can read in the browser: MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, and others. The tool focuses on MP4 but works for the rest too.

Can it tell me whether my MP4 is H.264 or HEVC?

Yes. The video stream card shows the codec name and a friendly label such as “H.264 / AVC” or “H.265 / HEVC”.

Why is the level sometimes blank?

The tool reads codec details reported by the local media engine. Most H.264, HEVC, and AV1 files report a level, but some edge-case streams or older codecs may not. When it isn’t reported, the field shows “None” instead of a guessed value.

Is it free?

Yes. The codec inspector is free, requires no account, and has no usage limits.