Why an HEVC video won't open in your browser, and three fixes

You drop a video into a browser GIF maker and get an error, or a black preview, even though the same file plays fine in Photos or QuickTime. Almost every time, the reason is the codec: the video is compressed with HEVC (also called H.265), and the browser you're using can't decode it. This guide explains why that happens, how to check, and three ways to get the clip working.

The short version: open the page in Safari, or turn the video into H.264 first. On an iPhone, set Settings → Camera → Formats to Most Compatible for future videos.

Why the browser matters

EasyGIF makes GIFs inside your browser: it plays the video in a hidden player, copies frames out of it, and encodes them. Nothing is uploaded, which also means there is no server that could decode an unusual format for you. If your browser can't play a video, no browser-based tool can read its frames.

HEVC is the default video format on iPhones and iPads set to the High Efficiency camera format, and many cameras, drones, and screen recorders use it too. According to Apple, it gives better compression than H.264 at the same quality, which is why it's the default. Browser support has lagged behind because decoding it often relies on the device's video hardware.

Which browsers can decode HEVC

This is a summary of the caniuse HEVC table, which tracks support by browser version:

So the trouble spot is Windows: whether Chrome, Edge, or Firefox can open an HEVC file depends on the graphics chip, its driver, and for Edge an extra download. Two Windows PCs running the same browser version can give different answers.

Check which codec your video uses

The file extension doesn't tell you. MOV and MP4 are containers, and either can hold H.264, HEVC, or another codec.

• Mac: open the video in QuickTime Player and choose Window → Show Movie Inspector. The Format line names the codec, for example HEVC or H.264.
• Windows, Mac, or Linux: open it in VLC and choose Tools → Codec Information (Window → Media Information on a Mac), or use the free MediaInfo app.
• In EasyGIF: if the video trimmer says "This browser can't play this video", the codec is almost always the reason.

Fix 1: open the page in Safari

On a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, the quickest fix is to open the video to GIF converter in Safari. Safari decodes HEVC on every supported device, so the same file that failed in another browser opens straight away. On an iPhone, the iPhone video guide covers the phone's own limits, such as the lower frame cap.

Fix 2: convert the video to H.264

If you're on Windows or want to use another browser, re-encode the clip as H.264, which every current browser plays.

• Mac, QuickTime Player: choose File → Export As, then change Smaller File Size (HEVC) to Greater Compatibility (H.264). If you see an HEVC checkbox instead, clear it. These steps are from Apple's HEVC support page.
• Mac, Finder: Control-click the video and choose Services → Encode Selected Video Files, then pick an H.264 setting.
• Windows, Mac, or Linux: HandBrake is free and open source; its general presets encode to H.264.

Trim the clip first if the app allows it: converting a ten-second section is much faster than a ten-minute video. The extra encode has almost no effect on the final GIF, which is reduced to at most 256 colors per frame anyway.

Fix 3: record in a compatible format next time

On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New videos are then recorded as H.264 and new photos as JPEG. Choose High Efficiency to switch back.

When you copy videos to a computer, the iPhone may convert them on the way. Apple notes that videos imported over USB into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC can arrive as H.264, unless Settings → Apps → Photos is set to Keep Originals. Sharing by AirDrop, Messages, or email may also convert a video when the receiving device can't handle HEVC.

What the codec doesn't change

Once the frames are decoded, it doesn't matter whether they came from HEVC or H.264: a GIF stores every frame as a full picture, so its size depends on width, frame count, and colors. The guide to making a GIF smaller has measured numbers for each of those, and the MP4 to GIF converter shows how far a GIF ends up from the video it came from.