6 Ways to Convert H264 to MP4 on Mac, PC and Android

You might need to convert H264 to MP4 in the next two scenarios.

• H.264 packaged in a non-MP4 container

H.264 can be a video codec that requires a video container to host the encoded video. Commonly, it’s encapsulated in MP4, but sometimes it will also be in AVI, MKV, AVCHD, MPG, TS, M2TS, FLV, MOV, VOB, etc.

• H.264 used as a separate file extension

It's usually created or recorded by CCTV/IP cameras or NVR/DVR security system.

These results in H264 files that are poorly compatible across multiple devices and platforms, and even at large sizes. To solve it, see how to convert H264 to MP4 and what are the best H264 converters for Mac, Windows, and Android.

 

H.264 VS MP4

What is H.264?

H.264 also named MPEG-4 AVC or MPEG-4 Part 10. It is one of the frequently-used video codecs, which was jointly developed by the ITU-T and ISO/IEC. It's a well-known compression to encode high definition videos in relatively low bitrates. H.264 is widely applied to iTunes, online video streaming, HDTV, Blu-ray, HD DVD, AVCHD camcorders, and so on.

What is MP4?

MP4, also named MPEG-4 Part 14, is a digital multimedia container format to store a movie or video clip. It’s able to contain multiple videos, audio, subtitles, images, etc., and can be played on many devices, like iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Android, and more. MP4 is generally encoded with H.264/HEVC/MPEG-4 video codec and AAC audio codec.

 

The Best H.264 Encoder to Convert H.264 to MP4 (No Quality Loss)

Cisdem Video Converter is a powerful and feature-rich program that makes H.264 to MP4 conversion fast, simple, and trustworthy. Plenty of files can be converted simultaneously, even if they are not in the same format. Not only is it an H264 converter for Mac or Windows, but also a video downloader/editor/combiner/compressor and DVD/BD ripper.

Free Download   Free Download

Main Features of Cisdem H264 converter:

• Accept a wide arrange of video & audio formats

In addition to converting H264 to MP4, Cisdem Video Converter supports conversions between an impressive number of file formats, including 4K-capable codecs like H.265, H.264, MP4, HD MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, RMVB, MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, AC3, WAV, etc.

• Offer a list of preset profiles for devices

It’s packed with a huge of optimized preset formats for iPhone, iPad, Xbox 360, PS5, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Plex, etc.

• Rip or transcode DVD and Blu-ray to digital formats

It can convert your homemade DVD and commercial discs to any format, like MP4, MKV, AVI, etc., or the preset profiles for easy playback and sharing.

• Download online videos from the web sources

This H264 converter lets you download videos from popular sites, like Youtube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Nico video, LiveLeak, Periscope, Wistia, Facebook, Twitter, MyVideo, FunnyOrDie, GodTube and more.

• Built-in basic editing tools

Before you convert H264 to MP4 on computer, edit videos using the built-in video editor if needed. You can trim videos to delete unwanted segments, add external watermarks & subtitles, enhance video with special effects and filters, color grading and so on.

• Reserved video quality

H264 video files can be converted to MP4 with 99% quality reserved.

• Compress video file size

Large-sized H264 or HD videos can be compressed by up to 80% with quality retained, or even more.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 on Computer via Cisdem:

Download the Cisdem H264 converter on your Mac or Windows, then Install and fire up it.

Free Download   Free Download

The software will bring you to the “Convert” tab by default.

Drag & drop a single or multiple H.264 files to Cisdem for conversion.

Click the format icon to open up the format list. Choose MP4 from the "Video" tab and select a quality option. You can also choose a preset profile from "Device" category, depending on your requirement.

Once you are satisfied with your selection, click the icon next to the format to go to the “Setting” window. Now you can choose the quality, codec, frame rate, sample rate, etc.

Select the destination folder. After that, click the "Start" button to start the conversion process of H.264 files to MP4 format.

Tip: Trim H.264 video in to clips

If you just need a shorter part of the video for editing, uploading, or emailing. you can use the trim function of Cisdem Video Converter by clicking the edit  icon.

 

How to Convert H264 to MP4 with Freeware (No Watermark)

VLC should be one of the best free H264 converters you can take into consideration. Don't be misled by its name, it’s not just a video player software but a video & audio transcoder. It’s available on multiplatform- Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 with VLC:

1. The first step is to download and install VLC H.264 encoder or run it if it's already installed.
2. Go to “File” > “Convert > Stream…” to open the “Convert & Stream” dialog.
3. Click “Open media…” to import the H.264 video.
4. Choose “Video- H.264 + MP3 (MP4)” profile.
5. Click “Save as File” > “Browser” to choose where you wish to save the converted file, enter the name and click on "Save".

Tip: On Mac, the output video will be in M4V format. To produce a genuine MP4 format, make sure you check the "Keep original audio track" box under the “Audio codec” tab. And finally, rename the output extension from M4V to MP4. Your MP4 video should work normally and be compatible with various MP4 players.

 

How to Convert H264 File to MP4 via FFmpeg (Command-line tool)

For more than 20 years, FFmpeg has been a prevalent and freely available H.264 encoder. It has the ability to encapsulate and decapsulate a wide range of multimedia formats, from the rare and old-fashioned to the cutting-edge. It works on macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, BSDs, Solaris, etc.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 with FFmpeg:

1. Visit https://ffmpeg.org/download.html, then download and install the latest version.
   Click here to see the detailed installation process on Mac and PC. If you don't want to waste time installing FFmpeg, extract the zip or 7z file, and conveniently drag the FFmpeg executable files into the command line tool to use.
2. Open a command-line interface, such as Terminal (Mac), CMD/Powershell (Windows).
3. Use the cd command to change the output file directory, e.g., cd Downloads (on my Mac), cd \Users\Administrator\Downloads (on my PC)
4. Enter and run the conversion command in FFmpeg H.264 converter.
   To convert .avi, .mov, or any video encoded with H264, use the command ffmpeg -i h264file output.mp4. To convert H264 to H265 in MP4, execute the command ffmpeg -i h264file -c:v libx265 output.mp4.
   Replace h264file with your file path.

 

How to Convert H264 to MP4 Online (No Watermark)

#1 Online-convert.com

Video.online-convert.com is an all-around online converter that can convert video, audio, image, eBook, document, and more. This online H264 converter boasts optional settings, which lets you tweak the video and audio parameters.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 Online through online-convert.com:

1. Visit https://video.online-convert.com/convert-to-mp4.

2. Drag an H.264 video to the green area, or click “Choose Files” to browser local H.264 video.
3. Modify the video bitrate, video codec, file size, and more other settings (optional).
4. Click “Start Conversion”.

#2 Zamzar.com

Zamzar is a powerful web-based service for file conversions. As same as online-convert.com, this H.264 encoder is also dedicated to conversions between many file types. Zamzar makes working easier with a few mouse clicks.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 Online with Zamzar.com:

1. Open Zamzar official site.

2. Click the “Add Files…” button to upload the H.264 video.
3. Click “Convert To” and select MP4 format from the dropdown list.
4. Click “Convert Now” and check the overall conversion/upload progress below.
5. Once completed, it will bring you to the "All Done" page. Click the “Download” button to save your converted video file.

 

How to Convert H264 to MP4 on Android

Media Converter is an open-source and FFmpeg-build converter for Android that aims to convert all sorts of media formats to other popular ones like MP4 (MPEG4/H264, AAC). You can also specify the output file parameters of this H264 converter. Besides video conversion, it empowers you to crop/rotate video, extract audio to make a ringtone as well.

Steps to Convert H264 to MP4 on Android:

1. Install and run Media Converter on your Android.
2. Import the H.264 video you want to convert.
3. Next, you will see three options. For more advanced adjustment, tap the “EXPORT MODE…” option.
4. Tap on “Output Profile”, and from the drop-down list, select “mp4 (mpeg, aac).
5. Specify the video duration, crop video, and change its quality and resolution.
6. Choose the output destination folder and rename it.
7. Tap the “CONVERT” button.

 

Wrap up

In the above article, we have discussed how to convert H264 to MP4 on Mac, Windows, and Android. If you are looking for an easy way, the online H264 converters are enough. But if you find an easy yet professional, reliable method, the program like Cisdem Video Converter is the best out of the lot. It ensures batch conversions between different formats, preserving the original quality.