What Is an MP4 File? (and How to Open or Convert One)

What Is an MP4 File?

Files like thisthat only have audioare sometimes saved with the .M4A extension.

We recommend thefree VLC player.

If your favorite video player doesn’t open MP4 files, you may need to install an MPEG-4 codec.

X Codec Packis a free collection of popular codecs that works in most versions of Windows.

Just watch out for the ads on that X Codec Pack sitethey can look deceivingly like download links!

One of the easier-to-use programs for MP4 conversions isAny Video Converter.

It supports saving MP4s to formats like MKV, FLV, and AVI.

Zamzar also supports MP4 to GIF conversions to convert a video file to an animated image.TinyWowis another method.

A different converter likeEzgifis a better option if the video exists online.

If you just want to mute the video,TinyWow works great for that.

Double-check the file extension if none of the programs mentioned above will open your file.

AnM4V fileis an Apple-developed MPEG-4 video file format that’s very similar to an MP4.

MOV filesare Apple QuickTime files that store video, audio, and text.

MP3 filesare an audio-only file format used primarily for music or audiobooks.