AVI to M4V Converter

What happens when you convert AVI to M4V

• The video is re-encoded to H.264 video with AAC audio.
• Re-encoding in a browser is slow: expect several times the video's length for HD footage on a laptop, and longer on a phone. Short and low-resolution clips finish much sooner.

How to convert AVI to M4V online

1. Press "Choose AVI files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
2. Adjust the settings if you need to: resolution and quality control the size of the result. The defaults suit most people.
3. Press "Convert to M4V". The first audio or video conversion downloads the converter engine, about 32 MB, which your browser then keeps for next time.
4. Save each M4V with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.

Why convert AVI to M4V?

AVI files usually come from older camcorders, digital cameras and legacy video libraries. People convert them to M4V because M4V is the format Apple devices and iTunes use for video libraries.

In short, AVI is good at what it was made for, and M4V is the more practical choice when the file has to play, upload or edit somewhere else. AVI does not play in browsers; plays in VLC and Windows players, while M4V plays in Safari; Chrome plays unprotected M4V files.

How to convert AVI to M4V on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

On Windows

Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your AVI files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each M4V is saved to your Downloads folder. If you prefer a desktop program, VLC can also convert AVI to M4V: choose Media, then Convert / Save.

On a Mac

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the AVI files from Finder onto the drop zone and the M4V files land in Downloads.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the page in Safari and tap Choose AVI files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted M4V appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Video.

On Android

Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose AVI files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The M4V is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it. Keep the screen on while a long video converts, because Android may pause a tab in the background.

Best settings for AVI to M4V

Leave Resolution on Keep original and Quality on Standard if the video only needs to change container: that is what lets the tool copy the H.264 stream straight into the M4V, which is fast and loses nothing.

If the file is too big, change either setting and the video is re-encoded with H.264. Quality uses the CRF scale: High is 20, Standard 23 and Smaller file 28. As a rule of thumb each step of about 6 on that scale halves or doubles the size. Dropping from 1080p to 720p usually saves more than lowering the quality, and it also makes the conversion much faster.

AVI vs M4V: the differences

About AVI and M4V files

What is an AVI file?

AVI dates from Windows 3.1 and predates the codecs most people use today. It is still readable by almost every desktop editor, which is why some older software asks for it.

What is an M4V file?

M4V is nearly identical to MP4. Files bought from iTunes carry FairPlay copy protection, which no converter can legally remove; unprotected M4V files convert freely.

AVI to M4V not working? Common problems

• The conversion is slow. Audio and container changes take seconds, but re-encoding video runs on your own processor. Lower the resolution to 720p, close other tabs, and keep the device plugged in.
• The tab stops or reloads on a very large file. Browsers limit how much memory one tab can use, around 2 GB and less on phones. Split long recordings or convert them on a computer.
• The M4V will not play on an old device. Try the other formats offered for AVI, or choose 720p, which older players handle more reliably.

Convert AVI to M4V with ffmpeg

This converter runs ffmpeg inside your browser. If you would rather use the ffmpeg command line on your own computer, this command produces an equivalent M4V with the same kind of settings:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f mp4 output.m4v

Replace input.avi with the name of your file. For a whole folder of AVI files, run the command in a loop, or drop them all on the converter above, which processes them one after another.