There can be many reasons why a video file may get corrupted. Virus attacks, sudden camera shutdown, incomplete file transfer or download are some of the primary reasons for it. However, irrespective of how your video file got corrupted, it can be repaired and you can do it on your own.
There are both free and paid methods for fixing a corrupted MP4 file. And in this article, we are going to share both methods with you so that you can repair your corrupted video files at home.
Quick links to the specific parts of the article
- Things To Do Before Fixing A Corrupted Video File
- Free Methods To Repair The Corrupted MP4 File
- Using Software To Fix A Severely Corrupted Video File
- FAQs
Things To Do Before Fixing A Corrupt Video File
Before we move on with the methods to repair a corrupted video file you can try to open it with the VLC media player. Since VLC is an open-source platform it supports all the video codecs. Hence it can play a slightly damaged MP4 file, which your default media player can’t play. So if your video runs on the VLC player then no need to fix it, but if it doesn’t then you must go on with fixing it.
In case of a corrupted downloaded or transferred video file, you can try to download or transfer the file once again from its source destination. Many times due to poor internet connection the video files may not download properly so redownloading them may resolve the issue. And the same is true for transferring video files as well.
Sometimes doing this much can solve your issue and you can save time and effort on repairing your videos. But, these methods are not powerful enough to repair severely damaged video files. To repair such videos you must try to fix them using the given solutions.
How To Repair A Corrupted Video File For Free
Before trying paid video repair software you must try these free methods. Most of the time there are some minor issues in a video file that make them unplayable. These free methods can resolve those minor issues and make the video playable again.
1. Fix Corrupted MP4 Files Using VLC
Most people would not know but the VLC player features an integrated video repair function that can fix video files with AVI format. This feature is by default turned off but you can turn it on from Tools settings. Here’s how you can make use of this feature and use VLC to fix a corrupted video file.
There are basically three steps to repair a video file using VLC. The first step is to convert the corrupted video file to AVI format since VLC can only repair AVI files. The second step is enabling the AVI damage repair on VLC. And the third and last step is to open the converted video file with VLC.
Step 1
1. As we said VLC can only repair damaged AVI files. So you first need to change the file extension of the corrupted video file from Mp4 to AVI. For that, you can open the VLC player and then go to Media and select the Convert/Save… option.
2. Now add the corrupted Mp4 file to VLC and then select the Convert/Save option.
3. Next, by selecting the Browse option, choose a location on your computer where you want to store the converted file. After that, click on the Start button to start the conversion process.
Based on the file size it may take some time to convert the video file to AVI format. Once the file is converted you can shut down the VLC player and move towards the second step.
Step 2
1.Open the VLC media player once again and click on the Tools option at the top and then select Preferences.
2. Now under the Simple Preference tab select Input & Codecs. Next, under Files settings, you will see the Damaged Or incomplete AVI file option, set it to Always fix. After that, click on the Save button to save your changes and exit the VLC player.
Step 3
This is the last step, here you need to right-click on the converted video file which is in AVI format, and open it with the VLC media player.
Most probably your video file will start playing on the VLC media player.
2. Repair Video File Online Free
If you find the VLC method too overwhelming then there’s this simple trick that might help you repair your video file for free. It’s an online tool named FileConverto. It can help you repair broken Mp4 videos for free of cost.
Just upload your broken video file to this tool and wait till it fixes it. Once repaired you can download the repaired video file and play it on any of your devices.
If these two free methods can’t repair your video file then the only way left to fix it is using a paid video repair tool.
Repair Corrupted MP4 Files Using Software
There are many good video repair software out there that can fix your corrupted video files. Here we are showing you the best video repair tool. If this can’t help you repair your video files then we are afraid nothing can.
Stellar is known for its data recovery software that can help you fix a corrupted hard drive. But most people are unaware of the fact that Stellar has one software for video repair as well.
Stellar Repair For Video can repair almost every video file format that is used in daily life. From MP4 to MOV to AVI it supports 17+ file formats so you don’t have to worry about whether it can repair your video files or not. Also, it can repair videos shot in 4k, 8k, or even 360-degree videos. You can follow these steps to repair your corrupted video file using this Stellar software.
But before that, you first need to download Stellar Repair For Video software from the official website of Stellar and install it on your PC. It is available for both Windows and macOS. Once installed follow these steps to repair your corrupted video.
1. Launch Stellar Repair For Video software on your PC. Now click on Add File option and select the video file that is corrupted. You can add one or more than one file at a time.
2. Now as the files are added select them and click on the Repair button at the bottom right corner to start the repairing process.
3. The repairing process will start, wait till the process is completed. How much time it takes depends on the size of the video and how many videos you have selected to repair.
4. Once the videos are fixed you can Save Repaired Files on your device. But before that, you can also see the preview of the repaired files to see whether the files are actually repaired or not.
The free version of this software doesn’t allow you to save videos to your device. For that, you have to buy the paid version of it.
If your video is severely corrupted it will ask you to run an advance scan by uploading a sample file shot from the same camera in order to repair the original file. This is a feature you won’t get on any of the free tools. Overall, there are high chances that you will repair your corrupted video file using this software.
Click Here to Try Stellar Repair For Video
FAQs
Why Do Video Files Get Corrupted?
There are not one but many reasons why video files get corrupted but the most infamous ones are virus attack, poor internet connectivity, and sudden camera shutdown.
How Do I Repair A Corrupt .mov File?
By following all the steps mentioned in this article you can repair any video file format including .mov.
Is Stellar Repair free?
No, it’s not free.
What Is The Best Video Repair Software?
There are many good video repair software out there but we like Stellar Repair For Video more.
