Video Metadata Inspector
Read Every Detail of Your Video File
Drop in any video and read its hidden dossier: container, codecs, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and creation date — parsed from the file header on your device. Free, no signup, nothing uploaded.
What Video Metadata Actually Tells You
Every video file carries a hidden dossier about itself. Beyond the picture and sound, the file header records the container format (MP4, MOV, WebM…), the video and audio codecs (H.264, HEVC, VP9, AAC, Opus…), the resolution, frame rate, and bitrate, and often a creation date plus the app that wrote the file. This metadata decides whether a video plays on a given device, how big it is, and how it should be handled in an edit.
Most people meet metadata only when something goes wrong: a client sends "an MP4" that won't import into Premiere, a phone recording uploads to YouTube looking soft, a "4K" export turns out to be 1080p upscaled. Reading the metadata first turns guesswork into a five-second check. Editors use it to verify deliverables match spec; developers use it to debug playback failures; archivists use it to catalog footage without opening every file. The inspector reads it all without uploading anything — parsing happens on your device, from just the file's header.
How to Inspect a Video File's Metadata
- 1
Drop in the video file
Drag and drop an MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, or 3GP file. It never leaves your device — parsing is 100% local.
- 2
Wait a second
The tool reads only the file header (a couple of megabytes), so even multi-gigabyte exports inspect almost instantly.
- 3
Read the metadata table
Container, codecs, resolution, frame rate, duration, bitrate, and creation date appear in a clean, labeled readout — plus per-stream details.
- 4
Copy what you need
Each field has its own copy button. Building documentation or debugging a pipeline? Hit "Copy all as JSON" for the full report.
Every Field, Explained
Container & brand
The wrapper around the streams — MP4, QuickTime MOV, WebM, Matroska. The "major brand" (isom, mp42, qt…) tells you which flavor of the spec the file claims, which matters when a picky player rejects an otherwise fine file.
Video & audio codec
The actual compression inside the wrapper. H.264 plays everywhere; HEVC halves file sizes but needs newer hardware; VP9 and AV1 are the web's royalty-free workhorses. If a video won't play, the codec — not the extension — is usually the culprit.
Resolution & frame rate
The pixel dimensions of the encoded picture and the average frames per second from the sample table. Resolution confirms what you were actually delivered (not what the filename claims); frame rate matters for slow-motion, conversion, and matching sequence settings in your editor.
Bitrate & duration
Overall bitrate is file size divided by duration — a quick quality sanity check. A "4K" file at 2 Mbps will look worse than a 1080p file at 12 Mbps. Comparing bitrate against the resolution instantly reveals over-compressed exports.
Creation date
The timestamp written into the header at export time. Useful for organizing footage — but treat it as a clue, not gospel: re-encoding, messaging apps, and platform downloads routinely rewrite or strip it.
Streams
A file can hold multiple tracks: one video stream, several audio languages, even subtitle tracks. The stream list shows each track's type, codec tag, and dimensions — the detail you need when a file "has no audio" but actually has five silent tracks.
Tips for Reading Metadata Like a Pro
Check the codec before the container. When a video fails to import or play, almost everyone re-checks the file extension first. Skip that: the codec line is the real answer. H.264 in an MP4 plays on a toaster; HEVC in the same MP4 needs a modern device; AV1 in WebM needs a current browser. The inspector puts this front and center so you stop chasing the wrong suspect.
Use bitrate to smell a bad export. Resolution lies; bitrate doesn't. If someone hands you "4K masters" at 3 Mbps, the metadata exposes them in one glance — genuine 4K needs roughly 35–80 Mbps depending on codec. For quick triage, divide the bitrate by the pixel count: anything under ~0.1 bits per pixel per frame deserves a closer look.
Verify deliverables with the JSON export. If you receive video files regularly — from freelancers, clients, or a camera team — paste the JSON export into your delivery checklist or ticket. It documents exactly what arrived, which ends the "but I sent you 4K" debate permanently. Pair it with the frame extractor to spot-check the actual picture quality too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check the codec of a video file online?+
Open the inspector above and drop in the video file. It reads the file header in your browser and reports the exact video codec (for example H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, or AV1) and audio codec (AAC, Opus, AC-3, and more) — no upload, no signup, and the file never leaves your device. This is the fastest way to answer "why won't this video play" or "what settings was this exported with."
Can I see video metadata without uploading the file?+
Yes — that is the whole point of this tool. Instead of sending your video to a server, it reads only the first couple of megabytes of the file (the header, where MP4 and WebM files store their metadata) directly on your device. Even a 2 GB export is inspected in seconds because the tool never loads the full file into memory. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, so client footage and unreleased edits stay private.
What is the difference between container and codec?+
The container is the file's wrapper — MP4, MOV, WebM, or MKV — and it decides which players and platforms accept the file. The codec is the compression method used inside that wrapper — H.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1 for video; AAC or Opus for audio. An MP4 file can hold H.264 or HEVC video, which is why "it's an MP4" sometimes still won't play somewhere: the container is fine, but the device doesn't support the codec inside it. The inspector shows you both, so you know exactly what you're dealing with.
Why does my video show the wrong creation date?+
Creation dates come from a timestamp written into the file header at export time — and many apps overwrite it, strip it, or never write it. Re-encoding a video, passing it through a messaging app, or downloading it from a platform usually replaces the original date with "now" or removes it entirely. Treat the creation date as a clue, not a fact: if the field is missing, the file was almost certainly re-encoded or processed after it was shot.
How accurate is the frame rate shown here?+
The frame rate is computed from the file's sample table — the total number of frames divided by the total playback time — so it is the true average. Most camera footage and exports use a constant frame rate, in which case the average equals the actual frame rate exactly. Screen recordings and phone videos sometimes use a variable frame rate, where individual frames arrive faster or slower; the average still tells you the effective playback rate, which is what matters for editing and conversion decisions.
Is the Video Metadata Inspector free? Do I need an account?+
Completely free, no account, no signup, no watermark, no file-size games. Drop in any video and read its full metadata in seconds. Everything runs locally in your browser — there is no server to pay for and no queue to wait in, which is exactly why it can stay free.