HandBrake for MAC
Free, open-source video converter that turns almost any video into MP4, MKV or WebM.
HandBrake Overview
HandBrake is a free, open-source video converter for Mac. It takes video from nearly any format and converts it into modern, widely supported files: MP4, MKV or WebM, encoded with H.264, H.265 (HEVC), AV1 or VP9. It is made by volunteers of the HandBrake Team and released under the GPLv2 license, with no ads, watermarks or paid upgrades.
People use HandBrake to shrink large screen recordings and camera clips, to make a video play on a phone, tablet or TV, and to back up unprotected DVDs and Blu-ray discs as files. HandBrake is a Universal app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and the current release works on macOS 10.13 or later.
Key Features
HandBrake's built-in presets give good results with one click, and every setting can be adjusted when you need more control.
- Presets: ready-made settings for Apple, Android and other devices, for web uploads, for Matroska files and for production work, plus your own saved presets.
- Modern encoders: H.264 and H.265 through x264 and x265, AV1 through SVT-AV1, and VP8 and VP9, with hardware-accelerated encoding on Mac through Apple's VideoToolbox.
- Batch queue: add many files or a whole folder and let HandBrake convert them one after another.
- Video filters: deinterlace, detelecine, denoise, sharpen, crop and scale, rotate and convert to grayscale.
- Subtitles: keep or burn in subtitle tracks, add SRT files, and keep closed captions.
- Audio: several audio tracks per file, encoded to AAC, AC3, MP3, FLAC or Opus, or passed through unchanged.
- Chapters and preview: keep chapter markers, and check a short live preview before converting the whole file.
- Command line: HandBrakeCLI, a separate download, converts video from the Terminal or from scripts.
What’s New in Version 1.11.2
HandBrake 1.11.2 is a maintenance release.
- Fixed a crash during 2-pass lossless x265 encodes
- Fixed a memory leak during 2-pass MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VP9 and FFV1 encodes
- Fixed the Core Audio AAC encoder's 7.1 channel layout
- Fixed the VobSub subtitle palette in MP4 files
- Mac: better handling of unsupported presets and an updated automatic update library
- Updated FFmpeg to 8.0.2 and SVT-AV1 to 4.1.0
HandBrake FAQ
Is HandBrake free for Mac?
Yes. HandBrake is free and open source, released under the GPLv2 license. It has no ads, watermarks or paid upgrades.
Does HandBrake run on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes. HandBrake is a Universal app, so it runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs and on Intel Macs.
Which macOS version does HandBrake need?
HandBrake 1.11.2 runs on macOS 10.13 or later. The HandBrake team recommends a current macOS version, such as macOS 15 or 26.
What formats can HandBrake convert video to?
HandBrake saves video as MP4, MKV or WebM files, encoded with H.264, H.265 (HEVC), AV1, VP8 or VP9. It can open almost any video file as the source.
How do I make a video file smaller with HandBrake?
Open the video, pick a preset such as Fast 1080p30 (or a lower resolution), and click Start. For smaller files at the same quality, choose an H.265 or AV1 preset.
Does HandBrake use hardware acceleration on Mac?
Yes. HandBrake can encode H.264 and H.265 with Apple's VideoToolbox, which uses your Mac's media engine and is much faster than software encoding. Pick a VideoToolbox preset or encoder to use it.
Can HandBrake convert DVDs and Blu-ray discs?
HandBrake converts DVDs and Blu-ray discs that are not copy protected. It does not remove copy protection.
Is HandBrake safe to install on a Mac?
Yes, when you download it from the official website, handbrake.fr, which is where the download button on this page leads. HandBrake is open source and the team publishes a signature for each download so it can be checked.
How do I update HandBrake on my Mac?
Choose HandBrake, then Check for Updates, and HandBrake installs the new version. Before updating, finish any encodes in the queue and back up your custom presets.
Where does the HandBrake download on handbrake.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to HandBrake's official download page at https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php. handbrake.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the installer.
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