Losing your important and memorable video files either due to accidental deletion or corruption will be a distressful experience. There are several reasons why videos get corrupted on your device, like file transfer errors, incomplete downloads, unexpected system shutdowns, etc. Whatever the cause for your video files, don’t lose hope.
Luckily, there are several video repair techniques available that you can try to repair corrupt MP4 files. Here, in this guide, we’ll explain some professional methods and tools to help you know how to fix corrupt MP4 files with ease, allowing users to recover and enjoy their content once again.
Why Do MP4 Videos Turn Corrupt?
There are many reasons why MP4 videos are corrupted, and it is important to identify the exact cause of the corruption. Below are some common reasons for video corruption on your device:
- Incomplete downloads or transfers between devices can lead to MP4 video corruption.
- File transfer errors while copying or moving videos cause corruption or even sudden data loss.
- Physical damage or bad sectors in storage devices where your MP4 video is stored may corrupt it.
- Software glitches, like outdated versions of video players or editing software installed in your device, can cause corruption.
- System crashes due to sudden power outages can corrupt MP4 videos during saving.
- Malware or virus attacks can target MP4 files and lead to corruption and deletion issues.
- Using incompatible codecs or unsupported software may corrupt MP4 videos.
- Sometimes, file system errors or inconsistencies can also result in MP4 file corruption.
Quick Methods to Repair MP4 Video Files
After recognizing the root cause for video corruption on your device, it’s time to apply proper methods to repair video files. In this section, we will explore some commonly used manual methods and popular video repair software tool that you can use to restore original video files. Let’s explore these methods one by one:
Method 01: Use VLC to Repair Corrupt MP4 Video
Windows OS is provided with an in-built VLC media player that allows you to repair corrupt video files in multiple ways. The index repair feature of the VLC player can easily repair MP4 files in a few simple steps. All you need to do is:
- Right-click on the corrupt MP4 video that you need to repair and select “Rename.”.
- Change the file format from .mp4 to “.avi” and press Enter key.
- Now, launch the VLC player and go to Tools > Preferences. Navigate to the “Input/Codecs” section, and scroll down to the Files section.
- Choose the “Always fix” option next to the “Damaged or incomplete AVI file” option and click Save.
Once you are done with the above steps, try playing the corrupt .mp4 video file with VLC and check if everything is OK.
Method 02: Transcode Corrupt MP4 Videos in VLC
Another alternative to repair corrupt MP4 files using a VLC player is by transcoding it. Transcoding corrupt MP4 videos in VLC can potentially repairfix errors, salvage footage, and improve playback compatibility to provide a smoother viewing experience. For this:
- Launch the VLC player, click on Media from the menu bar, and select the “Convert/Save” option.
- Now, click Add and upload the MP4 video that you want to transcode.
- After uploading the corrupt video, click on Convert/Save. Select a file name and the desired file location within the Convert window. Also, choose the preferred input codecs from the drop-down menu.
- Tap the Edit Selected Profile button to change the profile settings for a specific profile. If you want to create new profiles or delete existing profiles, do accordingly and click the “Start” button.
- Lastly, restart your device and play MP4 videos.
Method 03: Change Video Output Settings in VLC Player
You can even change the video output settings of your corrupt/damaged videos in the VLC media player to repair them. Changing video output settings in VLC Player can resolve compatibility issues and enhance the visual quality of your videos. Follow the below-given steps to repair fix the video by configuring its output settings in the VLC Media Player:
- Open VLC Media Player, click on Tools, and select Preferences.
- Navigate to Video and change the drop-down next to Output from Automatic to DirectX (DirectDraw) video output.
- Now, click Save to save the changes and restart the VLC player.
Method 04: Use Stellar Repair for Video to Fix Corrupt MP4 Files
If all the above manual methods to repair MP4 video fail, it’s time to use professional video repair software to fix corrupt MP4 files. Stellar Repair for Video is an all-in-one video repair tool which helpsthat helps you fix severely corrupt video files of multiple formats. Not only MP4, you can easily repair corrupt MOV, AVI, ASF, MPEG, M4V, 3G2, 3GP, F4V, and many more.
The Stellar Repair for Video tool is available for both Windows and Mac devices. It supports repairing of corrupt or damaged video files saved on multiple internal or external storage devices, including memory cards, USB drives, SSDs, etc. It also allows you to preview the repaired videos before saving them on your device. The software is available in different versions, which vary in features and prices; check their features and select the one that best suits your requirements.
Here’s how to repair corrupt MP4 Files using Stellar Repair for Video tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Repair for Video software on your device. Launch the software, and from the main screen, click the Add Videos button to upload the corrupt MP4 videos that you need to repair.
Step 2: Now, click the Repair button and wait till the repairing process is completed.
Step 3: Preview the repaired videos and select the video files you need to save. Click the Save Repaired Files button to save selected videos at the desired location.
Wrapping Up
Having corrupted MP4 files can be a challenging task, but with the right tools and methods, you can easily fix corrupt MP4 video files. Whether through Windows’ in-built VLC player or via third-party video repair software, like Stellar Repair for Video, the MP4 video repairing process is quite easy and simple. Moreover, you can create regular backups of your important video files and adopt good data management practices to prevent future instances of video file corruption.
