Convert raw H264 camera and DVR streams to MP4 online, usually without re-encoding. Upload files up to 20GB and download the converted result in a few clicks.
Drag & Drop your H264 file here
H264 files, up to 20GB
Files stay private.
Automatically deleted after 24 hours.
Link
20GB upload limit.
4.8/5
Trusted for 1,827,796+ conversions
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps, no account, nothing to install.
01
Upload your H264 file
Drag in the .h264 file exported from your DVR, NVR, IP camera or webcam. The recording type is detected from its contents, not its name.
02
Convert to MP4
Start the conversion. The recorder's private headers are removed, the video is copied into the MP4 and the camera's sound is converted to AAC when needed.
03
Download the MP4
Download one MP4 per file. It starts playing while it is still downloading and opens in browsers, on phones and in desktop players.
H264
An .h264 file usually holds a raw H.264 video stream with no container around it, or footage in a recorder's own wrapping. Security DVRs, NVRs, IP cameras and some webcams save or export video this way, and most media players and phones cannot open it.
MP4
MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is the most widely supported video container. An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound plays in web browsers, on iPhone and Android, in the standard Windows and Mac players, and on most sharing and upload sites.
FILE FORMATS
SOURCE
.h264 is the usual extension for a raw H.264 elementary stream: just the compressed picture, with no container around it. Webcams, Raspberry Pi cameras, FFmpeg exports and many CCTV recorders write it. With no timing information, players have to guess the frame rate, often 25 fps, and seeking barely works.
TARGET
MPEG-4 Part 14 is the default container for phone recordings, web video and streaming. MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound plays on iPhone and Android, in every browser, on smart TVs and in Windows and Mac players without extra codecs. It holds text subtitles and chapters, but not picture-based subtitles.
| Feature | H264 | MP4 |
|---|---|---|
| Developed by | ITU-T / MPEG (codec) | MPEG (ISO) |
| File extension | .h264 | .mp4 |
| Usual video codec | H.264 (raw stream) | H.264, HEVC, AV1 |
| Usual audio codec | Usually none | AAC |
| Subtitles | No | Text only |
| Best for | Camera and encoder output | Sharing and playback anywhere |
| Plays on phones and browsers | VLC, FFmpeg; few others | Yes |
USE CASES
Practical workflows where H264 to MP4 conversion is useful.
Hand footage to the police
Officers can open an MP4 on any laptop or phone, so you can send a break-in or theft clip without the DVR maker's own player.
Support an insurance claim
Send your insurer an MP4 of the damage or theft. The picture is copied, not re-encoded, so the clip keeps the detail the camera recorded.
Play a DVR USB backup on a PC
Many DVRs back up clips to a USB stick as .h264 files that Windows and Mac players will not open. Converted to MP4, they play in the standard players.
Watch IP camera SD card recordings
Files pulled from a camera's SD card (HXVS) keep the camera's time for every frame, so pauses and night-time frame-rate drops play at their real length with the sound in sync.
Review vehicle DVR footage
Fleet managers can convert recordings from HiSilicon-based vehicle DVRs (MDVR) in buses and trucks. The recorder's clock sets the timing and its ADPCM sound becomes AAC.
Open Hikvision exports
Hikvision recorder exports with the IMKH header are read as they are, and their G.711 sound becomes AAC in the MP4.
Share a clip with neighbors
Post a package-theft or car break-in clip to a neighborhood group or social site, where MP4 uploads are accepted.
Keep footage before the DVR records over it
DVRs overwrite old recordings. Converting the export keeps the whole recording, with no length limit, in a standard file that common players open.
Rescue a partly copied export
If a copy was cut off mid-recording, the MP4 starts at the first complete picture and damaged spots are skipped, so the rest of the footage is still usable.
Turn raw camera or webcam streams into video
Developers and hobbyists who save raw H.264 from a webcam or an IP camera's encoder get a playable MP4, with the frame rate taken from the stream, or 25 fps when the stream states none.
SUPPORTED FILES
Recordings from DVRs, NVRs, IP cameras and dashcams are supported.
From DVRs, NVRs, IP cameras and webcams.
Recognized and converted.
Vendor-framed recordings are unwrapped.
With per-frame camera timing kept.
Kept as H.265 in the MP4.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Most problems come from how the recorder exported the clip.
01
Some recorders encrypt exports. Export the clip again with encryption turned off.
02
The export may be empty, all zeros or audio-only. Export the clip again from the recorder.
03
Damaged spots lose frames up to the next key frame. The rest of the recording is kept.
04
CCTV footage often has a variable frame rate, which some editors handle less well. VLC and browsers play it smoothly.
05
Those need Hikvision's own player, or a new export as MP4 or AVI.
06
A stream with no timing plays at 25 fps, so footage recorded at another rate plays at the wrong speed.
Dahua SmartPlayer, XMeye VMS, Hikvision VSPlayer and similar programs play their own brand's files on Windows. dragdropdo turns H264 into MP4 so the footage plays in ordinary players and editors.
| What matters | dragdropdo | The Recorder Maker's Player |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing to install | ✓Yes. Runs in any modern browser. | ~Yes, a Windows download for each recorder brand. |
| Works on phones and tablets | ✓Yes. Desktop, Android, iPhone and iPad. | ~No. Desktop players only. |
| Batch conversion | ✓Yes. Add many files and download one ZIP. | ~Clips are exported one at a time. |
| Share finished files | ✓Yes. Send a unique link from the result page. | ~You upload and share the files yourself. |
| Pricing | ✓Free with daily limits. $2.99 or $6.99 passes for unlimited use, no monthly plan. | ~Free. |
| Plays on phones and in editors | ✓Yes. The MP4 opens in browsers, phones, VLC and editors. | ~No. The H264 still needs the maker's player. |
Other tools use different pricing, limits and workflows. This comparison describes dragdropdo's own features without assuming every other tool works the same way.
1.8M+
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4.8
Average rating
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Avg. conversion
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Files kept
Auto-delete in 24h
WHY DRAGDROPDO
Convert H264 to MP4 in your browser, with nothing to install and nothing kept after 24 hours.
Private by default
Files are encrypted in transit and deleted from our servers automatically after 24 hours.
No install required
Convert in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone or iPad. No app and no sign-up wall.
Big files and batches
Upload files up to 20GB each, add several at once, and download the results one by one or as a ZIP.
Share & download
Save finished files to your device or pass them on with a share link from the result page.
MORE H264 TOOLS
An .h264 file holds H.264 (AVC) video as a raw stream with no container, typically exported by security DVRs, NVRs and IP cameras. Some recorders wrap the stream in their own proprietary headers.
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FAQ
Answers to common questions about dragdropdo's H264 to MP4 converter.
