Browser edition: files stay on your device. Up to 100 MB total and 10 minutes. First use downloads a 32 MB engine. Some formats depend on codec support. Public-link downloading is not ready on this free deployment.
What is a WebM file?
A royalty-free web video format based on Matroska. WebM is ideal for embedding video on websites and is what YouTube streams in many browsers.
Pros
- Royalty-free and built for the web
- Small files with VP9/AV1
- Supports transparency (alpha channel) with VP9
Cons
- Weak support in older Apple software and many video editors
- VP9 encoding is slower than H.264
How to open WebM files
VLC Media Player (free, Windows/macOS/Linux/Android/iOS) opens WebM files with almost any codec. If a specific app won't open it, convert it to MP4.
Is WebM lossy or lossless?
WebM is a container, not a codec — whether it is lossy depends on the streams inside (VP8, VP9 or AV1 video with Opus or Vorbis audio). In practice almost all WebM files use lossy compression.
When should you convert WebM?
WebM is ideal for embedding video on websites and is what YouTube streams in many browsers. If the app or device you need doesn't accept WebM, convert it to MP4 — the most widely supported alternative.
Convert WebM to…
Convert to WebM from…
WebM at a glance
- Full name
- WebM
- Developed by
- Introduced
- 2010
- Contains
- VP8, VP9 or AV1 video with Opus or Vorbis audio
- MIME type
- video/webm
- Best for
- website video, HTML5 players, transparent overlays