HandBrake – Help Center

HandBrake is a free program that can be used to compress and prepare MP4 videos for upload to Vimeo. It can be downloaded for Windows or Mac here.

If you have a question about using HandBrake, or are running into an error, please check out HandBrake's Support FAQ.

Please use the following instructions when transcoding your video with HandBrake:

When you open HandBrake, you will be automatically prompted to select your source file. This is the original file you are looking to compress. If you accidentally bypass this step, you can also access the file selection menu by clicking File > Open Source, or by clicking the "Open source" button in the upper left-hand corner of the application.
Select the file that you want to work with, then click "Open." HandBrake will scan the source file, which may take several seconds.

Once your file is ready to go, Handbrake will automatically load in some default information:


Preset	Handbrake will automatically choose an encoding preset, but once you begin editing, it will automatically adjust itself to “Custom”. You can ignore this section for now.
Source	This section will display information about your source file. In most cases, you do not make any adjustments to this section; however, If you're working with a file that contains multiple titles, select the option that shows the longest duration. This is usually the main title.
Angle + Chapters	Leave as-is
Destination	This is the destination path of your output file. You can enter a new path manually, or select “Browse” to choose a new destination.
Preset	Handbrake will automatically choose an encoding preset, but once you begin editing, it will automatically adjust itself to “Custom”. You can ignore this section for now.
Format	Set to MP4 File (the default). Web optimized and IPod 5G support should remain unchecked.

Now for the fun part, customizing your compression settings! We’ll break this down into the multiple tabs in Handbrake.

(Note: all screenshots were taken from the Mac version of Handbrake, however the same options also translate to the Windows version)

(Values marked with a blue star will vary depending on your source file.)


Video encoder	H.264 (x264) If your video is HDR or above 4K (e.g 5K, 8K, etc), we recommend using H.265 (x265)*
Framerate (FPS)	Same as source *Although rare, there are some situations where you'll want to choose a frame rate different from the source: If the frame rate of your file is higher than 60 FPS: Choose a factor of your frame rate that is between 15-60 FPS. For example, if your frame rate is 100 FPS, choose 60 FPS. If your frame rate is lower than 15 FPS: Choose a multiple of your frame rate that is between 15-30 FPS. For example, if your frame rate is 8 FPS, choose 16 FPS.
Variable / Constant Framerate	Constant framerate
Quality	Select Average Bitrate (kbps). Then, enter the average bitrate appropriate to your video file: SD: 2000-5000 kbps 720p: 5000-10000 kbps 1080p: 10000-20000 kbps 2K: 20000-30000 kbps 4K: 30000-60000 kbps 5K or higher: 50000- 80000 kbps *These data rates are suggested for average video files. If your video contains below average visual complexity (such as a slideshow presentation), choose a lower data rate. If your video contains above average visual complexity (such as a video with high levels of grain), increase the data rate. Remember: Lower data rates lead to smaller file sizes and faster uploads! Experiment to pick the lowest data rate that yields acceptable image quality.
Preset	Very fast
2-pass encoding	Checked
Turbo First Pass	Unchecked
Tune	None
Profile	Auto
Level	Auto
Fast Decode	Unchecked

(Values marked with a blue star will vary depending on your source file)


Source/Storage size	Default. This value should default to your source file's original dimensions.
Keep aspect ratio	Checked
Anamorphic	Off
Modulus	Default (2)
Display Size	This should match your storage size.
PAR	Default. Should be 1 x 1
Cropping	Automatic
Detelecine	Off
Deinterlace	Off If your source file is interlaced you can select Yadif* but we only recommend this if you are comfortable using Handbrake. If you are not sure what type of source you have, it’s best to choose Off. You can learn more about deinterlacing with Handbrake here.
Interlace detection	Off *If you are de-interlacing your video (as described above), you can check this option to detect interlaced frames of video.
Denoise	Off * If your video contains a lot of grain or visual noise, you may want to enable this feature to reduce your bitrate and file size. Use with caution.
Deblock	Off If your source footage is low quality, you may want to enable this feature to remove blocking artifacts. Use with caution.*
Grayscale	Unchecked (unless you want to convert your video to b&w)
Rotate	0° *If your source file is upside down, you can experiment with other values to fix it.
Flip	Unchecked


Track	Select the audio track you'd like to include in your video file (if you only have one track, you can keep as the default). Or select None if you do not want to include audio in this video file. *Remember: Multiple audio tracks are not supported on Vimeo. If the extraneous audio tracks do not contain any audio information, you can simply select the one you wish to include in your final output. However, if your original file contains multiple audio tracks, you’ll need to merge all tracks before using Handbrake. We recommend using an editor like Audacity or FFmpeg.
Codec	AAC (CoreAudio)
Mixdown	Stereo (if available), otherwise Mono
Sample Rate	48
Bitrate	320 (or highest available)
Gain	Leave as-is (0)
DRC	Leave as-is (0)

Skip the "Subtitles," "Advanced," and "Chapters" tabs. These aren't required for the average Vimeo video.

That wraps up compression, you’re now ready to export!

Click the "Start" button in the upper left-hand corner of the application to begin the encoding process.
As a last step, view your finished, compressed, file to make sure it looks and sounds correct — then upload it to Vimeo here.

Having trouble with upload? Please visit this troubleshooting guide.

If you have a specific questions about HandBrake’s encoding options, or you are running into an error, please check out HandBrake's Support FAQ.