Free Methods To Repair Corrupt MP4 Video Files

Read time 13 minutes

About MP4

MP4 is known as one of the best video file formats because of its best video resolution, graphics, and audio quality. It is basically used to download and stream videos from the internet. It supports format stores such as audio, subtitles, and still images.

Amongst many media containers around, MP4 is the most popular and commonly used digital multimedia container format, which stands for MPEG-4 Part 14. Whatever be the source or data, the MP4 file format provides the best resolution with enriched graphics and clear audio intervention while playing the videos. This perhaps is one of the reasons why it is used as a global standard for storing movies and music videos. Most of the filmmakers and individual creators around the globe use MP4 as the preferred medium for making movies.

And due to the skill of streaming the media over the Internet, MP4 format video files are widely used on the most prominent media content service, YouTube. But like other format video file(s), the chances of the MP4 format file becoming corrupt are also there.

Sudden camera shutdown, unstable Internet connection, improper system shutdown, disturbed & incomplete media download, incomplete or disturbed multimedia file(s) transfer, virus attack, etc. are peculiar reasons that can corrupt a healthy and operating .mp4 format multimedia file(s); the corrupt .mp4 video file won’t remain playable anymore.

The long quest of online search doesn’t help users in finding a way or method which can help them recover video content. Here, we will walk you through a couple of workarounds that on the application can fix the issues of .mp4 video file corruption, cannot play the video file error, and sort the codecs problem. Irrespective of the cause of corruption, these workarounds will help you repair movie files, music videos, and audios saved in .mp4 format.

• Video cannot play.
• Only audio is playing and no video.
• Choppy/ blurry /flickering video.
• Audio and video not synchronized.
• No audio.
• Video is lagging
• Black screen.
• Computer freezes when video is played.
• Video file is broken.
• Problem with video codec/ proper codec is not installed.
• Format is not supported by your computer.

There exists a range of reasons for your mp4 video not playing on your system. We have listed all of them below.

• Sudden shutdown of camera
• Incorrect conversion of video formats
• A bad internet connection
• Incomplete media download or transfer
• Error reading or writing data
• Sudden system shutdown
• Error downloading video
• The use of unreliable video editors
• Malware or virus attacks
• Corrupt video headers
• Low battery during video recording
• Having a faulty, Improper or unauthorized media player
• Unexpected stopping of media player or it is forced to stop.
• Bad sectors on Hard disk
• Already affected/infected file in the folder can corrupt other files as well.
• Occurrence of any kind of error when you are copying MPEG file.
• When file extension is changed to some other format.

Here are the points that one must keep in mind to avoid any future MP4 video file corruption.

• Always backup the video file before making any changes.
• Each time ensure that the PC or laptop is operating under optimal conditions and has a consistent electrical connection and continuous supply.
• Keep updating OS and always keep antivirus software.
• Always try to keep backup using USB, DVD, CD, cloud storage, etc. So, if by accident the hard drive gets corrupted, then there would be several options for restoring your video file.

Method 1. Try Fixing Corrupt MP4 Video with VLC Media Player

If the above workaround fails, then it’s an indication that the MP4 video file is severely corrupt, and so in such cases, we’ll move to the next method. Again, VLC is what will come in handy.

A lot of users have reported that they face severe corruption in their movie files recorded from digital cameras. For minor corruption issues, the open-source platform, i.e., VLC Media Player, provides in-built index repair features that resolve the issue and repair movie files indexes instantly.

In VLC, the option to fix AVI video files is given built-in, which can be enabled or disabled manually. Therefore, below we’ll change the format of the corrupt MP4 video file and try to fix the issue automatically using VLC. Follow the steps below:

1. Right-click on the corrupt .mp4 video file and select Rename.
   
2. Change the file format to .avi as shown below and press Enter.
   
3. Launch VLC >> Click on Tools and select Preferences.
   
4. Switch to Input/Codecs section; Inputs/Codecs Settings window will open.

   

5. Under the files section, select Always fix in the Damaged or incomplete AVI file option and click Save.
   
6. Now, try playing the corrupt .mp4 video file with VLC, it should run.
   

Method 2. Repairing MP4 Video Files via Transcoding in VLC

Transcoding MP4 files in the VLC player allows them to be played on unsupported media players. Here is how to transcode mp4 using VLC.

1. Open the VLC Media Player.
2. From the Media menu, tap on Convert/Save.



3. Click Add to browse for the mp4 video that needs to be transcoded.



4. Next, tap on Convert/Save. Within the Convert window, choose a file name and the desired file location. From the Profile list, choose the desired input codecs for your video file. Select the Edit Selected Profile button to change the profile settings for a specific profile. Additionally, you can create new profiles or delete existing profiles. Tap on Start now.



By using this method, you will be able to fix corrupt MP4 files arising from incompatibility with the media player. After transcoding, you can play the videos using VLC or other players.

Method 3. Increasing Cache Values in the VLC Player

The method fixes not only fully damaged mp4 files, but also video lags and stutters associated with mp4 files. In VLC, increase the Cache values by following these steps.

1. Open VLC Media Player and click the Tools option.
2. Under the Tools menu, tap on Preferences.



3. In the option Show Settings, two options come up: Simple & All. Click on All.



4. Now, tap on the option Input/Codec and select the Advanced option.



5. Against the File caching(ms) option, you will have to increase the cache value to 1000.



6. Tap on Save and restart the VLC player.

Method 4. Changing the Video Output Settings in VLC

With a change in the Video Output Settings in the VLC Media Player, you can easily fix your mp4 video. Here is how to do so.

1. Open VLC Media Player and tap on Tools.



2. Go to Preferences and click on Video.



3. Under the Video Settings, change the Output settings Automatic to DirectX (DirectDraw) video output.



4. Tap on Save and restart the VLC player.

Method 5. Repair MP4 Videos on Mac via QuickTime

QuickTime media players are also useful for checking damaged and corrupt video files on Mac. Your MP4 videos can be inspected in detail and then played with the same media player.

Here are the steps you need to take to check your video with QuickTime player:

1. Play the MP4 video in QuickTime.
2. Choose the Window tab and tap on Show Movie Inspector. A detailed description of the mp4 video will come up.
3. The video will show a black screen if it is corrupted.
4. Clearly, the MP4 file is corrupted. Click the Edit option under the QuickTime menu.
5. Choose Preferences and then click QuickTime Preferences. Tap on the Update button for updating your player.
6. Restart your QuickTime media player.

Method 6. Use A Professional MP4 Repair Tool

The above workarounds positively will fix the issue, and the MP4 media would be playable again. But what if you have tried each fix and nothing worked at all? For dealing with severe multimedia corruption issues, not many manual ways or methods are available. In a situation like this, the tool proves to be convenient. Using this amazing software, you can repair your severely corrupt movie files, music videos, and other video format files within no time.

Kernel Video Repair

It’s an advanced Video repair tool that is specially made to tackle circumstances like this; it can help you repair both corrupt and damaged MP4 and other format multimedia file(s) with ease.

With an intuitive GUI and ease of accessibility, the whole process of repairing and recovering corrupt MP4 video files becomes a piece of cake.

Taking all real-life use cases and scenarios under consideration, we’ve put no restriction on how many multimedia file formats – MP4, AVI, FLV, MPEG, WebM, and more, you can load in a single go or how big the corrupt .mp4 video file(s) is. MP4 Repair is capable of repairing video files irrespective of their file size and format. For instance, you can load movie files of high-definition video graphics with ease without hampering the integrity of data. All you have to do is browse for the file straight away and initiate the repairing process, or you can simply drag and drop the file here.

Compatibility is one big thing for desktop tools and application software, not all run on the wide range of Windows operating systems, and if some do, then additional installations are required like Microsoft.Net Framework or the latest version of Microsoft Windows. But that’s not the thing with this tool; it is made available to download on any version of Windows OS you’re using – Windows XP to Windows 11.
Below are other pluses which are bundled within the software:

Repair multiple files at same time

Save Recovered Multimedia File Wherever You Want

In this blog, we discussed how to fix corrupt MP4 files by following various methods. With an advanced approach for fixing the issue of MP4 file corruption, the tool is a one-stop solution for all multimedia troubles. We concluded that the results achieved by this tool were better than any other approach. Sometimes, converting a video can also fix the corruption issue if it is occurring due to a wrong file format. So, with a professional video converter tool, you can easily convert MP4 to other formats easily.

Witness a Video Review Mentioning How the Tool is Recovery Previous Memories Saved in Videos.