Prepare video for YouTube

Encode your video with YouTube's own recommended bitrate for its resolution, or fit it to Shorts' vertical frame. Runs in your browser.

Drop your files here

.mp4, .mov, .mkv, .webm, .avi, .m4v · up to 200 MB

Choose files

How to Convert for YouTube

1
Add your video
MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM or AVI, up to 200 MB and five minutes, for a regular upload or a vertical Short.
2
Pick standard or Shorts and a resolution
Standard keeps the usual 16:9 shape at the resolution you choose; Shorts fits the same footage into YouTube's vertical frame.
3
Click Convert and download
The result is an MP4 encoded at YouTube's own published bitrate for that resolution, not a guess.

Why a fixed bitrate instead of a quality slider

YouTube publishes a recommended bitrate for every resolution it serves, worked out from what its own transcoding pipeline does best with. Encoding under that number wastes the upload on a file that looks softer than it needs to; encoding well above it spends time and bandwidth on detail that gets thrown away during YouTube's own re-compression anyway. This tool skips the guesswork and reads the number straight from the table for whichever resolution you pick, so the file you upload matches what the platform is actually built to receive.

Standard mode versus Shorts

Standard mode keeps the familiar 16:9 shape and lets you choose a resolution from 480p up to 4K, matching whatever the footage was actually shot at. Shorts mode targets the vertical 1080×1920 frame that YouTube's short-form feed expects, using the same bitrate as regular 1080p since the two frames hold the same number of pixels. A source that doesn't already match the target shape is fitted inside it with either a blurred backdrop or plain bars, rather than being stretched out of proportion.

Why upscaling is refused, not just discouraged

Raising the resolution of a video that was shot smaller does not recover detail that was never captured. It just spends more bitrate re-encoding a blown-up copy of the same soft picture, which then gets down-compressed again by YouTube on top of that. Because the entire point of this tool is matching the recommended bitrate to a real resolution, quietly upscaling would mean encoding at a bitrate the footage cannot use. The tool refuses instead and suggests the resolution the video actually supports.

Frame rate and sound

The frame rate tier, standard for anything up to 30 frames per second and high for 48 to 60, is read from your source automatically rather than asked as a setting, since YouTube's own table keys off it directly. Anything faster than 60 is capped there. Audio is re-encoded to AAC, defaulting to 384 kbps, YouTube's own recommendation for stereo sound, with lower options for mono or a slower connection.

Prepared here, uploaded only by you

Reading the file, decoding frames, drawing any padding and encoding the result all happen on your device using the video encoder built into your browser. Nothing is uploaded here, there is no account, and closing the tab clears everything. The only upload is the one you make afterward, on YouTube itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the bitrate number come from?

From YouTube's own published recommendations for encoding video before upload, one row per resolution and frame-rate tier. The tool reads the matching row rather than computing a number from scratch.

Why use the recommended bitrate instead of 'maximum quality'?

Encoding well above what YouTube recommends wastes upload time and bandwidth on detail that gets discarded during YouTube's own re-compression. The recommended number is the bitrate the platform's pipeline is actually tuned for.

How is Shorts different from a regular video here?

Shorts targets a fixed vertical 1080×1920 frame instead of your chosen resolution, and uses the same bitrate as standard 1080p, since both hold the same number of pixels. Footage that isn't already that shape is fitted inside it with bars or a blurred backdrop.

Can I upscale a small video to a higher resolution?

No. The tool refuses on purpose. Enlarging a video adds no real detail, and this tool's entire job is matching bitrate to genuine resolution, so it tells you which resolution your source supports instead of pretending to upscale it.

What is the current maximum length for YouTube Shorts?

As of 2026 the platform's own limit is three minutes, but platforms move these numbers without much warning, so treat this as a rough guide and check YouTube's current help pages before relying on it. Going over it here doesn't block the conversion; you get a warning and the file anyway.

Is there a file size limit?

Not a meaningful one from YouTube's side; verified channels can upload files far larger than typical footage would ever produce. This tool's own limit is 200 MB and five minutes, set by how much a browser can decode and re-encode reliably.

Does my video get uploaded to a server?

No. Everything runs in this browser tab with your device's own video encoder. The file stays local until you choose to upload the result to YouTube yourself.

Why do I need Chrome 94+ or Safari 26+?

The tool relies on WebCodecs, the browser API that encodes H.264 video. Where it's missing, the page says so before you start rather than failing partway through.