How to Convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg in 2024

AVI and MP4 are two of the most popular video formats, but they have some differences in compatibility, quality, and size. If you want to convert AVI to MP4 for better playback on various devices, or reduce the file size without losing quality, you can use FFmpeg, a powerful and free command-line tool that can handle almost any video conversion task. In this article, we will show you how to convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg in 2024, as well as some of the best alternatives for Windows and online.

Part 1: Steps to Let FFmpeg Convert AVI to MP4

FFmpeg is a powerful and free command-line tool that can handle almost any video and audio conversion task. To use FFmpeg to convert AVI to MP4, you need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Download and Install FFmpeg

Before you can use FFmpeg to convert AVI to MP4, you need to download and install FFmpeg on your computer. You can find the latest version of FFmpeg on its official website: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html. There are different versions of FFmpeg for different operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux. Choose the one that matches your system and follow the instructions to install FFmpeg on your computer.

Step 2: Open a Command Prompt or Terminal Window

To use FFmpeg, you need to open a command prompt or terminal window on your computer. This is where you will enter the commands to convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg. To open a command prompt or terminal window, you can follow these steps:

On Windows, press the Windows key and R key at the same time to open the Run dialog box. Type cmd and press Enter to open a command prompt window.
On Mac, go to the Applications folder and open the Utilities folder. Double-click on the Terminal icon to open a terminal window.
On Linux, press the Ctrl, Alt, and T keys at the same time to open a terminal window.

Step 3: Navigate to the Folder Where Your AVI File is Located

To convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg, you need to navigate to the folder where your AVI file is located. This is because FFmpeg needs to access the input and output files from the same folder. To navigate to the folder where your AVI file is located, you can use the cd command, which stands for change directory. For example, if your AVI file is on your desktop, you can type cd Desktop and press Enter to go to the desktop folder.

Step 4: Type the Command to Convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg

To convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg, you need to type the following command in the command prompt or terminal window:

ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

This command tells FFmpeg to convert the input AVI file to the output MP4 file using the libx264 video codec and the aac audio codec. You need to replace input.avi with the name of your AVI file, and output.mp4 with the name of your desired MP4 file. For example, if your AVI file is called movie.avi, and you want to name your MP4 file as movie.mp4, you can type:

ffmpeg -i movie.avi -c:v libx264 -c:a aac movie.mp4

You can also add other options to customize the output quality, such as -crf for the video bitrate, and -b:a for the audio bitrate. For example, if you want to convert AVI to MP4 with a video bitrate of 1000 kbps and an audio bitrate of 128 kbps, you can type:

ffmpeg -i movie.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k movie.mp4

Step 5: Press Enter to Start the Conversion Process

After typing the command to convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg, you need to press Enter to start the conversion process. You will see some information and progress on the command prompt or terminal window. Wait until the conversion is finished, and you will find your MP4 file in the same folder as your AVI file.

Part 2: Convert to MP4 with FFmpeg Alternative on Windows- HitPaw Video Converter

If you find FFmpeg too complicated or time-consuming to use, you can try HitPaw Video Converter, one of the best alternatives for Windows. HitPaw Video Converter is a user-friendly and powerful video converter that can convert AVI to MP4 in just a few clicks, with no quality loss. It also supports other popular video formats, such as MKV, MOV, WMV, FLV, etc. You can also edit your videos with its built-in features, such as crop, rotate, trim, add watermark, adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.

Features of HitPaw Video Converter

Convert AVI to MP4 and other video formats with high quality and fast speed.
Support batch conversion and drag-and-drop function for easy operation.
Provide various presets for different devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Android, TV, etc.
Offer basic and advanced editing features to customize your videos.
Support downloading videos from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other websites.

How to use HitPaw Video Converter to Convert AVI to MP4 with FFmpeg?

Step 1: Open HitPaw Video Converter and either click "Add Video" to import your files or simply drag and drop them directly into the program.

Step 2: If desired, you can customize your video information by clicking on the file name to edit the title.

Step 3: For each file, select an output format by clicking the inverted triangle icon in the lower right corner.

Step 4: Select a target folder within the interface and initiate conversion by clicking "Convert"

Part 3: Other 6 Useful Alternatives Online

If you don’t want to download or install any software on your computer, you can also use some online tools to convert AVI to MP4. Online tools are web-based applications that can run on any browser and device, such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, etc. However, online tools also have some limitations, such as file size limit, upload and download speed, output quality, security, and privacy. Here are some of the best online tools to convert AVI to MP4 in 2024:

Online-Convert

Online-Convert is a powerful and versatile online tool that can convert various types of files, such as video, audio, image, document, ebook, archive, etc. It can convert AVI to MP4 with ease, and also allow you to customize the output settings, such as resolution, bitrate, frame rate, aspect ratio, etc. It also supports batch conversion, which means you can convert multiple AVI files to MP4 at once.