How to Convert HEVC to MP4 without Quality Loss (5 Methods)

Although computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc. have made it simple to watch movies and music videos, they have limitations on the support of video codecs. Many devices can't recognize HEVC-encoded footage. Thus, there is often the need to be involved in converting HEVC files for compatibility. In this article, we're going to introduce how to convert HEVC to MP4 with HEVC converters.

What's HEVC?

HEVC (H.265, x265, MPEG-H Part 2), short for High Efficiency Video Coding, is a new video compression standard. It promises 50% more efficiency possible than AVC, meaning that you can keep the HEVC video half the size of AVC at the same quality level. For example, the average bit rate of 1080p video for HEVC is 62% lower than that of AVC (H.264, x264, or MPEG-4 Part 10).

Nowadays, HEVC is primarily used to compress 4K resolution videos and has enabled broadcasters, video-streaming services, etc. to stream higher quality video at manageable bit rates.

Why Convert HEVC to MP4?

Most people want to convert HEVC video to AVC MP4 due to the compatibility. Old Android & iPhone, Apple TV, PlayStation consoles, Roku, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc. can’t play videos encoded with HEVC, while almost all devices or players support AVC MP4. Of course, there are also a small number of people who wish to convert HEVC MKV to HEVC MP4. A professional video converter is able to meet both needs.

The Most Effective Way to Convert HEVC to MP4

Cisdem Video Converter is a powerful yet easy-to-handle program that's integrated HEVC H.265 encoding and decoding. It has the capacity to convert x265 to MP4, MKV, x264, MOV, FLV, MP3, iPhone, or any other format with fast speed.

This HEVC to MP4 converter also ensures you to edit x265 or x264 video by trimming, rotating, changing brightness & contrast, etc. adding watermarks, before conversion.

Key features of the best HEVC to MP4 converter for Windows and Mac:

• Convert HEVC codec to MP4 in batches
• Convert videos to 4k AVC/HEVC MP4 or MKV
• Support 300+ formats including preset for mobile, iPad, Tablet, Apple TV, etc.
• Edit and enhance HEVC videos (e.g. add subtitles and apply effects)
• Trim large HEVC video into several clips
• Merge all H.265 videos into a large one
• Built-in media player to view HEVC files
• Download 8k/4k/1080p/720p videos from 1000+ websites
• Rip homemade or copy-protected DVD/Blu-ray to MP4, MKV, AVI, etc.
• Save videos from YouTube, Vevo, Myspace, Vimeo, etc. for offline playback
• Preserve the original quality

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Steps to Convert HEVC to MP4 on Windows or Mac:

Step 1. Launch Cisdem Video Converter

Download the free trial of Cisdem HEVC video converter, then install and initiate it.

Step 2. Import HEVC-encoded videos

There are two ways:

• Click the + button at the lower left corner to browse to your HEVC files and click Open.
• Drag H.265 videos from your local folder to the first interface of the software directly.

Cisdem Video Converter supports process video files in batch, so you can load many HEVC video files to convert in one time.

Step 3. Select MP4 as target format

Click the MP4 icon or "Convert all tasks to" button to open the “Format” drop-down list. Moving the mouse to the top pane, and select “Video” > "MP4" > "Same as source"  or other options, which lies on your needs.

For an experienced user, you can fine-tune the output parameters through advanced settings. Just click the "Settings" button or the gear icon to open the window. Then, customize video encoder, resolution, bitrate, frame rate, as well as audio codec, channel, sample rate, etc. to further optimize conversions.

Step 4. Batch convert HEVC to MP4 on Windows or Mac

Choose the output directory and click the "Start" button on the lower right side of the interface to let the HEVC codec to MP4 conversion begins. Once done, click the button to locate your converted MP4 files.

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Change HEVC to MP4 Using VLC

VLC is well known as a popular player, but it can also be regarded as a video transcoder. You can use it to convert HEVC to MP4 on Windows or Mac. It doesn't support batch processing. So if you have tons of HEVC videos waiting to be handled, this HEVC to MP4 converter free will be inconvenient.

In addition, it provides totally 15 output formats or containers by default, such as VP80 + Vorbis (Webm), H.264 + MP3 (TS), WMV + WMA (ASF), CD, and more. To choose other formats, you have to manually select the combination of audio and video codecs.

Let's take the windows version as an example:

1. Head over to https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html and download VLC.
2. Run the software. Navigate to "Media" > "Convert/Save" to call up the "Open Media" window.
3. Under the "File" tab, press "Add" on the right side to locate the HEVC-encoded video file.
4. Once it's selected, click the "Convert/Save" button to continue.
5. Specify your output format as “Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4)” or “Video – H.265 + MP3 (MP4)”.

*Note: Some apps like iMovie only accept MP4 format with MPEG4/AAC or H.264/AAC encoding. To generate the new MP4 format, you should click the wrench icon (next to the profile drop-down menu) to further modify your settings.

Step 6. Hit "Browse". Select a location and name your output file.

Step 7. Click "Start" to convert HEVC codec to MP4 using VLC.

Convert HEVC to MP4 via Handbrake

Handbrake is a popularly used open-source HEVC to MP4 converter for Mac and Windows. It lets you convert HEVC videos and multimedia formats (DVD and Blu-Ray source formats included) to MP4 and MKV.

But Handbrake merely supports 2 output formats. It's unable to convert HEVC to MOV, AVI, VOB, etc. And although there is an "Add To Queue" option, it can't deal with multiple titles simultaneously, only finish one then another one.

Below are the instructions for the Mac version.

1. Get the software from https://handbrake.fr/ and install it.
2. Open Handbrake. Drag the HEVC file to the main dashboard or click “Open Source” to select the file.
3. Under the “Summary” tab, Choose “MP4 File” as output format.
4. (Optional) You can switch to the “Video” tab and reset the “Video Encoder”.
5. Finally, click on the “Start” button from the top menu.

The Best HEVC to MP4 Converter Online

#1 Convertio.co

Convertio.co is a Web-based platform that supports a variety of conversion types, including x265 to MP4. You converted files can be saved to Google Drive and Dropbox. However, the free account allows only 2 concurrent conversions and a maximum file size of 100MB. To get more permission, you have to pay a monthly fee for the Light, Basic, or Unlimited version.

1. Go to https://convertio.co/.
2. Upload the HEVC file from the local computer folder, cloud storage, or URL.
3. Choose the output video format as MP4.
4. Click the “gear” icon to bring up the “Settings” dialog box, and then configure codec, profile, level, constant quality, etc. Click “Ok”.
5. Press “Convert”.

#2 AnyConv.com

AnyConv.com is an online HEVC video converter that supports various file types including image, document, video, audio, CAD, etc. (more than 40 formats). It allows you to convert HEVC to MP4 online in batches, but the maximum inputs can't exceed 50MB. Moreover, It can convert video files with the suffix .hevc to MP4 as well as convert HEVC MKV to MP4. However, when you import the HEVC MP4 video, there will be no output option of MP4 (AVC).

1. Go to https://anyconv.com/.
2. Click the “CHOOSE FILE” button to import the HEVC video from your computer.
3. Select to convert “to MP4”.
4. Hit the “CONVERT” button.
5. Download your converted video.

Turn HEVC into MP4 Video with FFmpeg

As an open-source library, FFmpeg plays an important role in video decoding and encoding.

The tool has added support for HEVC encoding since 2014. It empowers you to remux HEVC files into MP4, MKV, and MOV through MulticoreWare x265 or DivX HEVC Encoder.

1. Install FFmpeg to your computer.
2. Open command prompt or terminal.
3. Run the command.
   To convert H265 to H264 MP4, type ffmpeg -i input-hevc output.mp4.
   To convert HEVC MKV to HEVC MP4, use ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libx265 output.mp4, the default audio codec will be AAC. You can also copy the original audio codec by entering ffmpeg -i .mkv -c:v libx265 -c:a copy output.mp4.
4. Press "Enter" to change your HEVC file.

The above offers the most basic commands. If you are good at codes, you can insert more arguments such as -crf, -preset, format=yuv420p, -b:a, etc. into command-lines.

The Bottom Line

We have discussed the details on how to convert HEVC to MP4. Choosing among them depends upon the individual requirements and software performance. For users who solely intend to convert x265 to x264 mp4 once, the online method can help. But for those advanced users, a dedicated HEVC to MP4 converter is the best option, which is compatible with a plethora of conversion formats, allows you to configure video settings, and fast convert & download multiple files.