HandBrake
Free video converter that shrinks and re-encodes files into formats phones, TVs and editors accept.
Our verdict
HandBrake does one job: it turns a video file into a different video file. Squeeze a huge camera clip down to something you can email, get an old recording playing on a smart TV, or convert phone footage into a format your video editor will accept.
It is the same application you may have used on Windows, with the same list of presets down the side. Pick the device or the target you want, choose where the file goes, and start. The advanced tabs are there if you need them and safe to ignore if you do not.
Two things to know. Converting is slow, so start a long job and walk away. And the add-on for reading commercial DVDs is listed separately on Flathub and is not switched on by default, because of where that code sits legally.
What's good
- Ready-made presets for phones, TVs and web upload, so you rarely touch the settings
- Identical to HandBrake on Windows
- Converts big camera files into something a video editor can actually use
- Free with no file size or length limit
What to know first
- The settings screen is intimidating if you stray from the presets
- Converting a long video takes a long time
- Copying a commercial DVD needs an extra component that is not installed by default
- Converting always loses a little quality
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-2.0)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), .deb installer, App store (Snap), Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
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