Uploading videos to Facebook is a great way to share moments and memories with friends and family. However, you may have run into issues trying to upload MP4 files specifically. So why exactly can’t MP4 videos be uploaded to Facebook?
Facebook’s Video Format Requirements
The main reason MP4 files can’t be uploaded to Facebook is because of the video formats Facebook supports. Facebook only allows certain file formats and MP4 (or MPEG-4) is not one of them.
Here are the video formats and specifications currently supported by Facebook:
- MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 encoded, .mov file format, up to 1 GB
- MPEG4 encoded, .mp4 file format, up to 1 GB
- MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 encoded, .avi file format, up to 4 GB
- WMV encoded, .wmv file format, up to 1 GB
- QuickTime encoded, .mov file format, up to 1 GB
As you can see from the list, Facebook supports .mp4 and .mov files but only if they are encoded with MPEG-4 or H.264 video codecs and the .mp4 container. Plain MP4 files not encoded with those codecs are not supported.
Why Facebook Has Video Format Restrictions
You may be wondering why Facebook restricts users to those specific video formats and codecs. There are a few reasons for these limitations:
- Compatibility – The supported formats provide the broadest compatibility across different browsers and devices. Formats like MP4 can have compatibility issues.
- Compression – The supported codecs like H.264 allow higher quality videos with smaller file sizes, which helps manage bandwidth usage.
- Processing – The restricted set of formats allows Facebook to optimize its video processing pipelines for those specific encodings.
By limiting uploads to certain video specs, it ensures a reliable and high-quality experience for viewing Facebook videos in all environments.
How to Convert MP4 to Supported Facebook Format
If you have a video in MP4 format that you want to share on Facebook, you will need to convert it to one of the supported formats first. Here are some ways to convert MP4 videos for Facebook:
Use Handbrake
Handbrake is a free, open source video transcoder available for Windows, Mac and Linux. To use Handbrake:
- Download and install Handbrake from https://handbrake.fr
- Open Handbrake and click on the “Source” icon to select your MP4 file
- Under “Format” select “Web Optimized” preset
- For the video codec, choose H.264 and for audio choose AAC
- Under destination, pick a filename and folder to save the converted file
- Click “Start Encode” to convert the video
This will create an MP4 file encoded with H.264 and AAC that you can upload to Facebook.
Use Cloud Converter
Cloud Converter (https://cloudconvert.com/) is an online file conversion service. To use it:
- Go to https://cloudconvert.com/ and click “Select File” to choose your MP4 file
- For the output format, select “MP4 video”
- Click the conversion settings gear icon and set video codec to H.264 and audio to AAC
- Click “Convert” to start conversion process
- When finished, download the converted MP4 file
The converted file will have the proper settings to upload to Facebook.
Use VLC Media Player
VLC is a free, open source media player for Windows, Mac and Linux that has video conversion capabilities.
- In VLC, go to Media > Convert/Save
- Click “Add” and select your MP4 file
- Under “Profile” select “Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4)”
- Click “Start” to convert the file
- When complete, save the new MP4 video
The resulting MP4 video will be ready for uploading to Facebook.
Use Online Converters
There are many free online video converters you can also use:
- ClipConverter.cc
- Online-Convert.com
- Convertio.co
- OnlineConvertFree.com
Just make sure to select MP4 output with H.264 codec and AAC audio to get a Facebook-compatible file.
Other Facebook Video Uploading Tips
In addition to converting MP4 files, here are some other tips for getting videos successfully uploaded to Facebook:
- Keep videos under 1GB in size if possible
- Use high quality settings when exporting videos to reduce compression artifacts
- Double check that your video is one of the supported formats
- Try re-encoding or export videos again if upload fails initially
- Upload from a PC rather than mobile device for more reliable uploads
Conclusion
Uploading MP4 files to Facebook doesn’t work because Facebook restricts supported video formats. To upload MP4, you need to convert the video to a supported codec like H.264 inside a compatible container like .mp4 or .mov. There are many free tools available to convert videos to formats accepted by Facebook. With the right conversion settings, you’ll be able to successfully upload and share MP4 files on Facebook.