MP4 is the most commonly used video file format because it is lightweight and compatible with most video players. This video file format is compatible with almost every video player, including VLC Media Player. VLC is a free media player that allows you to view movies and other video files. But, sometimes, these MP4 video files get corrupted and cannot play.
Several reasons these MP4 video files get corrupted, damaged, truncated, or broken. It is essential to know the exact cause and proper troubleshooting methods to fix the MP4 files that get corrupted. This article provides a few quick solutions to repair corrupt MP4 video files.
What Causes Corruption Issues in MP4 Video Files?
There are several reasons why your MP4 video not playing on your device. Some of them are given below:
- Improper camera shutdown
- Unstable or Poor internet connection
- Sudden system shutdown
- Disturbed or incomplete media download or transfer
- Interrupted or incomplete media download or transfer
- Error while writing or reading data
- Virus or malware attacks, etc.
How do I Fix a Corrupt MP4 Video file?
When your video files don’t play on any device, fixing them as soon as possible is essential. There are several methods and tools available online that you can use to bring your MP4 video file back to its playing state. Some of these are given below:
Method 01: Repair Corrupt Video Files with Transcoding Using VLC Player
Though the VLC media player is mainly known for playing videos, you can also use it to fix the corruption issue of your video. It is because it has a built-in feature to repair corrupted video files. For example, you can fix a corrupt MP4 video file using a VLC player in several ways.
Transcoding the MP4 files using a VLC player makes your video playable again on unsupported media players. However, playing an MP4 video on an incompatible player may throw an error message, indicating that the video file is corrupted. In such cases, you need to make them compatible by transcoding them. Go through the following steps to repair corrupt MP4 files with transcoding in VLC:
- Firstly, launch the VLC media player.
- Navigate to the Media tab and then choose Convert/ Save.
- Now, click the “Add” button to upload the MP4 video file you wish to transcode.
- Then, again click “Conver/Save.”
- Choose a name and location from the Convert window to save the File.
- Select the input codec that you want from the “Profile” list.
- You can tap the “Edit Selected Profile” button to configure specific profile settings.
- At last, click the Start button appearing in the Convert window.
This method will repair corrupted MP4 videos that mainly show errors due to incompatibility with the media player. Once the transcoding process is done, you can play the videos in VLC or other players, depending on their new profile.
Method 02: Use VLC Video Fix Feature to Repair Corrupt MP4 Video File
The VLC media player has a built-in feature to repair corrupt video files. If your video file has an extension of file formats, like MP4 or MOV, first change its file extension to .AVI. Then, use this MP4 corrupted repair feature of the VLC player to repair your video.
You can use this free MOV repair method to fix corrupt file indexes, file headers, etc. All you have to do is:
- To rename your MP4 video file, right-click on it and select Rename option. Then, change its extension from .mov to .AVI and press Enter.
- Open VLC media player.
- Go to Tools > Preferences and select “Input or Codecs.”
- Select the “Always Fix” option adjacent to Repair AVI Files.
- Scroll and click on the “Save” button located at the bottom.
Now, play the video file converted from the MP4 format to check if this method resolves corrupt MP4 file issues.
Method 03: Configure Video Output Settings in VLC Player
Changing the video rendering (Output) settings in the VLC media player can also help you to fix corrupted video files. Follow the below-given steps to change video output settings in VLC:
- Launch VLC media player and then go Tools > Preferences.
- Select Video.
- From the Video Settings, under Output, change the settings to DirectX (DirectDraw) video output.
- At last, click the Save button and restart the VLC player.
Now try playing your video file in VLC. Hopefully, this method might help you to play the corrupt video files.
Method 04: Increase Cache Values in VLC Player
Increasing the Cache values in the VLC media player repairs the fully damaged MP4 files. It also fixes the video lags and stutters in your video files. In VLC, you can follow the below-given steps to increase the Cache values of your MP4 videos:
- Open the VLC media player and tap the “Tools” option.
- Now, from the Tools menu, click on Preferences.
- From the “Show Settings” option, you have to select: “Simple” and “All.” Click on All.
- Now, click on the “Input/Codec” option and then choose the Advanced option.
- Against the File caching(ms) option, increase the cache value to 1000.
- At last, click the “Save” button and restart the VLC player.
Method 05: Repair Corrupt MP4 Video File via QuickTime
QuickTime media players can help you to fix damaged and corrupt MP4 video files on Mac. It inspects your MP4 videos and then plays them using the same media player. Here are the steps you need to take to fix corrupted video files using the QuickTime player:
- Play your corrupt video file in QuickTime.
- Navigate to the Window tab and then click on Show Movie Inspector. It will display the detailed description of your MP4 video on the screen.
- If your video file is showing a black screen, then it means it is a corrupted video.
- To fix that corrupted MP4 File, click the Edit option under the QuickTime menu.
- Select Preferences. Click the “QuickTime Preferences” option and tap the Update button to update your player.
- At last, restart your QuickTime media player.
Still Unable to Repair Corrupt MP4 Videos? Use a Video Repair Software
If the above methods fail to fix video corruption and playability issues, try Stellar Repair for Video software. It is an all-in-one solution to fix corrupt MP4 files. The tool can help you fix all MP4 and MOV corruption issues, including compression issues, broken file headers, etc. In addition, the software can repair multiple video file formats, including MP4, MOV, AVI, and more.
The software is compatible with both Windows and macOS devices. You can restore video files on Windows 11, 10, 8 & 7 using this video repair tool. It also supports macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina & older versions. Even this video recovery tool allows you to repair multiple corrupt videos simultaneously with one click.
Steps to Repair Corrupt MP4 Video via Stellar Repair for Video:
- Launch the software and click the “Add File” button on the screen. Next, select all the video files that you want to repair.
- Now, tap “Repair” to begin the repairing process.
- At last, tap the “Save Repaired File” button to preview the repaired video and save them at the desired location.
Conclusion:
This blog has provided quick solutions to fix a corrupt MP4 video file. VLC player offers to repair features to fix the corruption issues with Mp4 videos. You can also use a dedicated video repair tool to fix corrupt video files and return them to a playable state. The Stellar Repair for video software saves you time and provides technical assistance to fix your corrupt video.