Repair Corrupt H.264 MOV Video Files

Read time: 8 minutes

Corruption in H.264 MOV files can happen either because of sudden power loss, interrupted transfers, or corruption in the storage device. Since these files are primarily used by cameras and smartphones, when H.264 MOV files get corrupted, it becomes very troublesome for users as they lose their important videos. We’ve covered the potential reasons for corruption and the best methods to repair H.264 files.

What are H.264 MOV Video Files?

Corruption in H.264 MOV files can happen either because of sudden power loss, interrupted transfers, or corruption in the storage device. Since these files are primarily used by cameras and smartphones, when H.264 MOV files get corrupted, it becomes very troublesome for users as they lose their important videos. We’ve covered the potential causes of corruption and the best methods for repairing H.264 files.

MOV vs H.264: What’s the difference?

What Causes Corruption in H.264 Video Files?

Corruption in H.264 MOV files is either internal, where the file is damaged, or it can be physical where the storage device gets damaged, also corrupting the video file. Most common reasons are:

• Corruption in the storage unit or sections where the video files are saved.
• Shooting video while the camera battery is low.
• Shooting videos while the storage capacity of your SD card is almost full.
• Any interruption while downloading or transferring the video files.
• Broken header of the video.
• Using the same SD card on multiple cameras to record the video.
• Compressing large video files to exceptionally small size.

Methods to Repair Corrupt H.264 MOV Video Files

If your H.264 MOV video displays a black screen during playback or crashes mid-playback, then there’s a high chance it’s corrupt. We’ve provided some effective solutions to repair H264 video files. Before starting the repair, keep these things in mind:

• Backup your video files to a safe location.
• Try playing video file in another media player.
• Check the size of video file.
• Stop working on the video file completely.
• Adjust the screen resolution and then try playing the video again.

Method 1. Repair Corrupt H.264 MOV Videos With VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is known for repairing minor-level corruption in video files, including H.264 MOV video files. We’ve given the steps for this below:

1. Run VLC on your system and click on the Tools option on the taskbar.
2. Select Preferences option from the dropdown list.
3. Go to Input/Codecs tab in the newly opened window.
4. Now, in the Damaged or incomplete AVI file section, choose Always fix from the dropdown list.
5. Once done, click on Save.

Method 2. Re-encode Your MOV Video File

If your H.264 MOV video glitches, fails to play during certain parts, or freezes during playback, then re-encoding it might solve the issue. Re-encoding the video file involves decoding the video stream and then encoding it again to recreate the video file structure and resolve any minor codec issues.

Although, re-encoding only works if the original video stream can still be readable. If the corruption is within the video stream itself, then you might need to take the help of FFmpeg utility.

Method 3. Install the Video Codecs for H.264 MOV

As we have discussed already, the missing codecs may be the main issue with why your video is not playing properly. So, if you think it’s video codecs that are causing the issue, try to install them. You can find the supported video codecs online or use Windows Media Player to do the same. Windows Media Player will automatically download the required video codecs. If you cannot play video properly even after all these tricks and hacks, you must proceed to fix the corruption in the video file.

After performing all the above-mentioned steps, try to play the corrupt H.264 MOV file. If the video plays well, that means the corruption in your video file was minor and is now fixed. But, if you do not see much of a difference, then the corruption is severe, and you might need a dedicated solution to repair your video files.

Fix Corruption With Video Repair Tool

If H.264 MOV files are damaged even after trying the above-mentioned solutions, then the damage is within video’s core structure like video header, metadata, or the video stream itself. To repair this level of corruption, users will need to take the help of a Video repair software. Kernel Video Repair can fix almost any sort of corruption you are facing in your video file. Let’s know how to fix corrupt video with the software.

1. First, go to the tool’s page on the website and download the tool to your system.
2. After installing the tool properly, run it. On the home screen of the tool, click on the add icon to add the corrupt video file.

Note: You can also drag and drop the video files.

3. Now, add the corrupt H.264 MOV video file(s). You can add a single or multiple video files depending on your requirement. Click on Repair Files once done.

Note: Here, we have added AVI files just for demonstration purposes. You can add any desired video file format.

4. Proceeding forward, provide a destination for the files that you are going to repair. After selecting a location, click on the OK button to proceed.
5. Once done, the repair process will start. You will have to wait until all the files get fixed.

Note: You can click on the Stop button at any time to stop the process and make changes.

6. Once all the files are repaired, click on the Close button to end the process.

Once done with the above-mentioned steps, your H.264 MOV files should be healthy. Now, go to the location where you have saved your files. Play the video; it must work fine.

Final Insights

In this blog, we discussed about corrupt H.264 MOV files. We discussed what these files are and how they may get corrupt. We then discussed some tricks and hacks with which the file must play without much effort. We then provided a step by step guide to fix corruption in the files with the help of VLC Media Player. If VLC didn’t work for you, then the final approach to fix corrupt video files will be using Kernel Video Repair. Hope this blog helped you fix the H.264 files successfully.

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