HandBrake

Name: HandBrake — Download free. Video converter
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: The HandBrake Team

HandBrake — Free Download. Video converter

HandBrake converts video from nearly any format to MP4 or MKV with H.264, H.265, AV1, MPEG-4, or VP9 encoding. It handles DVDs, Blu-rays, and digital files with batch processing, subtitle support, and advanced filtering. The software runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with hardware acceleration for faster encoding.

★★★★★

5.0(1 ratings)

Download HandBrake (Official links)

File size: 24.16 MB

The latest version of HandBrake is: 1.11.2

Operating system: Windows, Mac OS, Linux

Languages: English

Developer: The HandBrake Team

Price: $0.00 USD (Free product)

Format Conversion. HandBrake transforms source media into widely compatible containers including MP4, MKV, and WebM. The conversion engine reads almost any input through libavformat and libavcodec, allowing users to convert legacy formats like AVI, WMV, and MOV into modern standards for playback on phones, tablets, consoles, and smart TVs without additional codec installation.
DVD and Blu-ray Ripping. The program processes DVD and Blu-ray sources directly from discs, ISO images, or VIDEO_TS folders. With libdvdcss integration on macOS and third-party decryption tools on Windows, HandBrake bypasses CSS encryption for personal backups. It preserves chapter markers during ripping and can extract specific titles or episodes rather than the entire disc contents.
Video Compression. HandBrake applies advanced codec algorithms to reduce file size while maintaining visual quality. Users select from H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, and MPEG-4 encoders with configurable bitrate, constant quality, or two-pass encoding. The software detects source resolution and frame rate, then adjusts compression parameters for optimal storage efficiency without visible artifacts.
Hardware Acceleration. Encoding speed increases through GPU support on Intel Quick Sync Video, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE, and Apple VideoToolbox. HandBrake automatically detects available hardware encoders and offers them alongside software options. Hardware encoding reduces CPU load significantly, enabling faster batch processing of large video libraries while keeping system resources available for other tasks.
Subtitle Processing. HandBrake extracts, converts, and embeds subtitles from source media or external files. Supported formats include SRT, SSA, ASS, PGS, and VobSub. Users can burn subtitles directly into the video frame for universal playback, add soft subtitle tracks that can be toggled, or pass through original subtitle streams without modification. The software handles forced subtitles and default track selection.
Audio Conversion. The transcoder processes audio streams with AAC, MP3, AC-3, E-AC-3, FLAC, Opus, and Vorbis codecs. Multi-channel audio can be downmixed to stereo, converted between formats, or passed through unchanged. HandBrake supports gain adjustment, dynamic range compression, and sample rate conversion. Users can select which audio tracks to keep and assign language metadata for proper player recognition.
Video Filtering. HandBrake includes filters for deinterlacing, inverse telecine, denoising, deblocking, and grayscale conversion. The deinterlace filter addresses interlaced sources from DVDs and broadcast recordings, producing progressive output for modern displays. The denoise filter removes grain and compression artifacts using hqdn3d or NLMeans algorithms with adjustable strength parameters for clean results.
Cropping and Scaling. Automatic crop detection removes black bars from letterboxed content, while manual controls let users specify exact pixel dimensions. The scaling engine supports anamorphic and non-anamorphic modes with configurable output resolution. Users can preserve original aspect ratio, stretch to fill a different ratio, or set custom dimensions for specific devices or streaming platform requirements.
Chapter Management. HandBrake preserves chapter markers from DVD and Blu-ray sources and allows creation of custom chapter points for digital files. Users can rename chapters, adjust their timing, or remove them entirely. Chapter support extends to MKV and MP4 containers, enabling navigation in players like VLC and Plex. This function supports episodic content organization within single files.
Batch Queue Processing. The queue system manages multiple encoding jobs sequentially or concurrently. Users add individual files or entire folders, apply different presets to each item, and monitor progress through the queue interface. The queue supports pause and resume, automatic shutdown after completion, and persistent storage of pending jobs between application sessions. This enables large library conversions without manual intervention.
Preset Management. HandBrake ships with built-in presets optimized for devices, platforms, and quality levels. Categories include General, Web, Devices, Matroska, and Production presets. Users can create custom presets with specific codec, quality, filter, and container settings, then export or import them as JSON files. Preset updates maintain compatibility across HandBrake versions while preserving user configurations.
Preview and Analysis. The built-in preview window shows real-time encoding output before committing to a full job. Users can scrub through source footage, compare filtered and unfiltered frames, and verify crop boundaries. The activity log displays detailed technical information about codec detection, encoding parameters, and errors. This diagnostic data helps troubleshoot problematic sources and fine-tune settings.

HandBrake began in 2003 as a project by Eric Petit, who aimed to create a DVD-to-MP4 converter for the BeOS operating system. The name references the motion compensation technique used in video encoding. After BeOS declined, development shifted to Windows, macOS, and Linux. The source code is written primarily in C with portions in Objective-C for macOS integration, C# for the Windows UI, and Python for build scripts. The project moved through several maintainers including Scott, Jon Rubin, and the current community-driven team.