The convenience of being able to watch a video downloaded from the Internet on various devices, such as PCs, tablets, smartphones, and video game consoles, often clashes with the boredom of having to convert files to make them compatible with such devices. Here is the reason why I advise you to always keep a program for converting universal video, to create movies compatible with any platform, software, and device.
There are some extremely powerful and easy to use ones, available free, both for Windows and for MacOS and for Linux: what do you say if you point out someone and also illustrate how to use it? I am sure you will be surprised by how simple it is!
Then? Do you want? Yup? Great. I suggest, therefore, not to waste any more precious time in chattering and to begin immediately to get busy. Position yourself beautifully comfortable in front of your trusty computer and discover, together with me, which are the best solutions in the category. That said, all that remains for me is to wish you good reading and good fun.
HandBrake (Windows / macOS / Linux)
The first program to convert video that I want to advise you to consider is HandBrake: it is a free and open source software that allows you to convert movies into MP4 or MKV files, optimizing them for viewing on a computer, iPhone, iPad, Android terminals and other devices. It is also known for its ability to “rip” DVDs to MP4 / MKV files and to be extremely simple to use (but not for that reason poor in features). It is compatible with Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
To do this, first of all, make sure you connect to the HandBrake website. Then, if you are using Windows, click on the Download (64 bit) link under the Windows flag icon to start downloading the software.
Next, open the obtained .exe file and, in the window appears on the desktop, click on the buttons Yes and Next. Then press the I Agree and Install buttons and complete the setup by clicking on the Finish button. Then recall the program by clicking on the relevant link that has been added to the Start menu.
If you are using macOS, after going to the HandBrake website, click on the Download link (Intel 64bit) located below the Finder icon to download the program. Once the download is complete, open the obtained .dmg package and drag the HandBrake icon into the MacOS Applications folder, right-click on it and select Open for two consecutive times, to open the application and go around the limitations. that Apple imposes against applications from non-certified developers (an operation that should be performed only at the first startup).
At this point, select the movie that you intend to convert by dragging it into the program window (which in the meantime has appeared on the screen), click on the Presets button at the top right and, from the menu that opens, select the name of the device on which you want to play the movie or, alternatively, select a generic profile .
Please note that the video output format is changed according to the chosen profile. If you want, however, you can set what you prefer using the Format drop-down menu attached to the Summary tab in the center of the window. Still using the central part of the window, you can also adjust the settings related to audio, subtitles, codecs, etc.
Finally, click on the Browse button at the bottom, indicate the location on your computer where you want to save the converted video and press the Start button located at the top left, to start the conversion procedure.
Adapter (Windows / macOS)
Adapter is another excellent program belonging to the category object of this guide that I invite you to consider: it is a renowned free software for Windows and macOS, which allows you to convert and compress videos supporting many different file formats, both incoming that in output, allowing also to extrapolate only the audio from the films and the various frames in the form of images. Note, then, that it presents a pleasant and translated into Spanish, Russian and Italian user interface. In short, difficult to wish for better.
To download it to your computer, visit the program’s website and click on the Download Adapter button located at the top of the page. Completed the download, if you are using Windows, start the .exe file obtained and, in the window that opens on the desktop, presses the Yes button. Then click on the OK and Next buttons, check the box next to I accept the agreement and click on the Next button again (six times in a row). Finally, presses on the Install and Finish buttons. Keep in mind that during the installation procedure FFMPEG (essential for the proper functioning of the program) and VLC (a famous multimedia player of which I told you in detail also in my tutorial on the subject ) will also be downloaded and installed.
If you are using macOS , instead, open the obtained .dmg package, drag the Adapter icon to the Mac Applications folder, right-click on it and select Open for two times in a row, so as to start the program circumventing the limitations that Apple has against applications from non-certified developers (an operation that should be performed only at the first startup). Even in this case, you may see a warning regarding the download of FFMPEG.
Now, regardless of the OS used, drag the movies you want to convert into the Adapter window pop-up on the screen, press on the menu below, select the Video item, the reference category, and the output format or device. If you want to extract only the audio files from your movies, select the Audio item from the menu and indicate the destination format you prefer.
If you want to make further changes to the characteristics of the final file, click on the gear button at the bottom right and use the items and options in the Video, Resolution, Audio sections, etc.
Finally, press the Convert button at the bottom right and wait for the conversion procedure to start and complete. By default, the final file is saved in the same location as the original one. If you want to change this behavior and adjust the other settings related to the output, intervene on the options you find in the Custom section, always in the right part of the Adapter window.
Any Video Converter (Windows / macOS)
Any Video Converter is another great program to convert video, running both on Windows and on MacOS, which supports all popular multimedia file formats. It also allows you to create movies compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, consoles and various other devices, to extract only the audio track and to take videos of interest from the Internet and save them in your favorite format.
To download it on Windows, connect to the program’s website and press the Free Download button. A download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click on the buttons Yes, Install now! and Start now!.
If, on the other hand, you are using macOS, connected to this other page of the program’s site, click on the Free Download button, open the newly obtained .dmg package and drag the program icon to the computer’s Applications folder. Then, right-click on it and select Open for two consecutive times, so as to start Any Video Converter by going around Apple’s restrictions on applications from non-certified developers (an operation that should be performed only at the first startup).
Now that you see the software window on the screen, drag over the video files you want to convert, select the output format or the reference device from the drop-down menu on the right and click on the Convert button (on Windows) located at the top or on the one Convert Now (on macOS) at the bottom.
By default, video files will be saved in the Any Video Converter folder in the Video on Windows and in the Movies folder on macOS. If you want to set a customized destination position, on Windows click on the gear symbol located in the upper right part of the program window, press the Browse button next to Set destination folder and select it from there. On macOS, however, went to the Any Video Converter> Preferences menu at the top left, presses the […] button and sets the output folder from the window that opens.
If you prefer to modify the audio and video parameters yourself before converting your movie, on Windows you need to expand the tabs on the left, while on MacOS you need to click on the icon of the format or output device next to the title of the video and use the available drop-down menus.
Regarding the possibility of downloading videos from the Internet and saving them locally to the desired format, on Windows you can do so by going to the Add URL tab, while on MacOS you have to click on the item Download video located at the top.
ClipGrab (Windows / macOS)
Are you looking for a program to convert the videos on the main platforms for streaming video into audio files or into a video format of your choice? Then ClipGrab is definitely the solution for you: it is, in fact, a software that allows you to save picture image form of MP3 and other audio and video formats on-line movies. It is completely free and works on Windows and macOS.
To use it, connect to the program’s website and click on the Free Download button, in order to start the program download procedure.
A download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the obtained .exe file and press the Yes and Forward buttons in the window that opens on the desktop. Then check the box I accept the terms of the license agreement and click again on the Next button three times and on the Install and Fine button. If during the setup you are asked if you want to download some additional promotional software, it declines the proposal.
On macOS, instead, open the .dmg package obtained and drag the ClipGrab icon to the Mac Applications folder , right-click on it and select the Open item twice, in order to start the program going around the limitations that Apple imposes against applications from non-certified developers (an operation that should be performed only at the first startup).
Once the ClipGrab main window is displayed, select the Downloads tab and paste in the appropriate field in the middle the URL of the online movie you want to download or from which you want to download the audio track.
Finally, select the output format you prefer from the Format drop-down menu and specify the quality you prefer from the Quality drop-down menu, then click on the Download this clip button ! and choose the location on your computer where you want to save the final file.
Format Factory (Windows)
Another great program to convert video that I recommend you download is Format Factory, which allows you to convert all the main media file formats between them. This means that it is able to treat not only videos but also photos and music. It’s only for Windows operating systems and it’s free.
To download it to your computer, connect to its official website and click on the Download Format Factory xx link (direct link), so as to start the download. Once the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click first on the Yes button and then on the one with Install on it, then finish the setup by clicking the Finish button and the OK button. If you are asked to install additional programs, it also declines the offer by selecting the item No, thanks or Decline.
To convert a movie with Format Factory, drag it to the main window of the application that has since opened on the desktop and select the format in which you want to transform it or the item Portable device (to create videos to watch on smartphones and tablets) from the box that appears. Then click on the Settings button, if you want to set the quality of the output file, and start the conversion procedure by clicking on the OK and Go buttons.
By default, movies are saved in the same folder as the source file. To change the destination path, click on the Edit button located next to the folder selection menu (bottom right).
Smart Converter (macOS)
Do you use a Mac and none of the resources I have already told you about convinced you in a particular way? Then I suggest you try Smart Converter, a free program to convert movies that support all major video file formats. It allows us to extrapolate the audio alone and is extremely intuitive.
If you want to install it on your computer, connected to the page of the Mac App Store online dedicated to it, click on the button View in the Mac App Store and, in the window of the Mac App Store that opens on the desktop, click the Get /Install. If required, verify your identity by typing in your Apple account password or using Touch ID (if you have a Mac with Touch ID).
At this point, start the program by pressing the Open button, drag the movie to be converted into its main window, expand the More menu, select from the latter the output format you wish to obtain and click on the Convert button. The final file will be saved in the SmartConverter folder present in the path Mac movies.
