A free, open-source bulk video converter for Windows and Linux with GPU acceleration.
Convert whole folders of video in one clean window, using NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF / VA-API or Intel Quick Sync,
with profiles you can edit and file names that come out exactly as they went in.
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It started with a request from a ZRename user. The popular bulk converter they used got the conversion itself right but made everything around it painful:
| The problem | How ZVideoConverter solves it |
|---|---|
| Menus and dialogs everywhere | Everything in one window, in three numbered steps: add files → pick a profile → convert. |
| Custom profiles can't be edited, only deleted and created again | Profiles are edited in place and saved as you type. Built-ins are duplicated with one click. |
File names cut off at the first . or [, so Show.S01E01.[1080p].mkv and Show.S01E02.[1080p].mkv both became Show.mp4 |
Names are never parsed. Show.S01E01.[1080p].mkv becomes Show.S01E01.[1080p].mp4, and output collisions are resolved before anything runs. |
- Bulk and batch conversion: drop files or whole folders (sub-folders included) and convert them all at once, several in parallel.
- GPU hardware encoding and decoding:
- NVIDIA NVENC, with decoding on the GPU too (NVDEC / CUDA)
- AMD AMF on Windows, VA-API on Linux (AMD and Intel), with VA-API decoding
- Intel Quick Sync
- The CPU (x264, x265, SVT-AV1, VP9) as the fallback
- Only encoders that actually work are offered. Every GPU encoder gets a real test encode at start-up. If a GPU encode fails anyway, the file is redone on the CPU automatically.
- Formats:
- Video: MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV, AVI, TS and animated GIF, in H.264, HEVC / H.265, AV1, VP9, MPEG-4 or ProRes, with 10-bit colour
- Audio: MP3, AAC / M4A, FLAC, Opus, OGG and WAV (extracting the soundtrack from a video works too)
- Remux without re-encoding: copy streams losslessly into another container. Streams that can't go into the target (DTS into MP4, for example) are converted instead of failing.
- 14 built-in profiles, among them MP4 H.264, MP4 HEVC, MKV HEVC 10-bit, AV1, WebM, "Shrink for sharing", "Phone & TV", remux, audio extraction and GIF.
- Your own profiles: edit in place, rename, duplicate, reorder, favourite, import and export (JSON).
- Per-file settings: change anything for just the selected files and keep the profile untouched, then reset, or save them as a new profile.
- Rate control, all of it, on the GPU and the CPU:
- Constant quality (CRF / CQ) as a real number, the same on NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and the CPU: 18–20 high quality, 21–23 good, 24–26 more compression.
- Constrained quality: that CQ plus a bitrate ceiling it never goes over.
- Constant bitrate (CBR) for streaming and devices that need it, or average bitrate (VBR).
- A simple quality slider, or a target file size (two-pass on the CPU).
- Five speed presets.
- Resolution:
- Presets 480p (SD), 540p, 576p, 720p (HD), 1080p (Full HD), 1440p (QHD), 2160p (4K UHD) and 4320p (8K UHD). They set the shorter side, so upright phone videos work too, and never scale up.
- Any exact size, for example 540 × 960 for vertical video, with black bars, crop-to-fill or stretch when the aspect ratio differs.
- Or a maximum for the longest side.
- Picture: frame rate, deinterlacing, automatic black-bar cropping, HDR → SDR tone mapping, rotate and mirror.
- Audio: codec, bitrate, channels, sample rate, EBU R128 loudness normalisation, and all tracks or only the first.
- Subtitles: keep them as tracks, burn them into the picture (text and PGS/DVD), or remove them.
- Trim start and end per file, keep or strip metadata and chapters, web-optimised MP4, and extra ffmpeg arguments for experts.
- Save next to the originals, in a subfolder, or in any folder (optionally rebuilding the folder structure).
- Name templates with
{name},{res},{vcodec},{acodec},{profile},{date},{counter}and more.{name}is always the complete original name. - Existing files are never overwritten by accident: add
(2), skip, or overwrite, your choice. A file can never overwrite its own source or another job's output.
- A one-line summary before you start: "5 files → MP4 · HEVC on the GPU (VA-API), saved next to the originals".
- Each file shows its resolution, codec, source bitrate, audio and size, and an estimated output size (from the source's bitrate and the encoder that will run; the 10-second preview measures it exactly).
- Live progress, fps, speed, time left and the expected final size per file, plus a timeline of the whole batch.
- Pause (running encodes freeze on Linux; on Windows they finish first), cancel single files or everything, and add files to a run in progress.
- Unfinished outputs are written to a temporary
.zvc-partfile, so a cancelled or failed conversion never leaves a broken video behind. - The exact ffmpeg command for every file, ready to copy: under ffmpeg command at the bottom of the settings before converting, and with the log afterwards.
- Profiles in use by a running conversion are locked until it finishes, so a run never changes under you.
- Fold away what you don't need: profile groups collapse with a click, and the settings panel folds into a thin bar (it opens again when you edit a profile).
- 10-second preview encode: see the real quality and the measured file size before converting everything.
- Before/after split view to compare a finished file with its original frame by frame.
- Several outputs per file, for example an MP4 and an MP3 of the soundtrack in one run.
- Automatic black-bar cropping, external subtitle files (
Movie.de.srt) picked up automatically, and audio/subtitle tracks by language in your preferred order. - Originals: keep them, move them to the trash (with Restore), or delete them, but only after every output of that file finished and decoded cleanly. File dates can be carried over.
- When done: nothing, quit, sleep or shut down (with a countdown you can cancel). Progress shows in the taskbar and in a notification.
- Free-space check before starting, low-priority encoding so games and browsers stay smooth, and a queue that survives crashes and restarts.
- Watch folders: new videos dropped into a folder are converted automatically with the profile you choose, once they have finished copying.
- Queue tools: filter, search, sort, retry failed files, and drag to reorder.
- "Open with" / drag onto the icon adds files to the running window instead of opening a second one.
- ffmpeg included on demand: it uses the system ffmpeg, or downloads a verified (SHA-256) static GPL build with one click.
- A one-minute guided tour on first start (with sample files to try it on), replayable any time.
- Portable mode: put an empty file called
portablenext to the program and all settings, profiles and caches stay in adatafolder beside it. - Update check: once a day it asks zsync.eu whether a newer version exists. Nothing is downloaded or sent, and it can be turned off in Settings.
- English and German. New languages are a single JSON file.
- Dark and light themes, a command palette (Ctrl+K) and keyboard shortcuts.
- Local and private: no account, no telemetry, and no uploads, ever. The only network access is the optional update check and the one-click ffmpeg download.
Get it for Windows (installer) and Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage) at zsync.eu/zvideoconverter or from the GitHub releases. Every release comes with a SHA256SUMS file to check your download.
ffmpeg doesn't need to be installed: on first start the app offers a one-click download.
Fixes and features from the first real-world testing:
- Closing "Compare with original" no longer leaves a black window, and a crash anywhere now shows a Reload button instead of a black screen.
- Constrained quality stays on the GPU: every graphics card is tested for it at start-up, and where the driver can't cap the bitrate, the option is greyed out instead of silently falling back to the CPU.
- Much better size estimates, based on the source's bitrate and the encoder that will really run, plus the expected final size while converting.
- Source bitrate in the file list, the exact ffmpeg command in the settings, collapsible profile groups and settings panel, and profiles locked while conversions use them.
All changes: CHANGELOG.md.
- Add files. Drag videos or folders into the window, or use Add files / Add folder.
- Pick a profile on the left. Adjust it on the right, either for the profile or only for the selected files.
- Choose where to save and how to name the files, then press Convert.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+K | Command palette |
| Ctrl+O / Ctrl+Shift+O | Add files / add a folder |
| Ctrl+Enter | Convert |
| Ctrl+A, Shift / Ctrl+click | Select files |
| Delete | Remove the selected files |
| Ctrl+, | Settings |
| Double-click or F2 on a profile | Edit it |
Does it use my graphics card? Yes, if ffmpeg supports it. ZVideoConverter test-encodes with every hardware encoder on start-up. Settings → Hardware shows exactly which codecs your GPU can encode, and Auto picks the best one. For example, an AMD RX 6000 card encodes H.264 and HEVC but not AV1, and the app knows that.
What happens to file names with dots, brackets or special characters?
Nothing. The name is taken as a whole and only the final extension changes. Dots, [brackets], (parentheses), {braces}, %, spaces and Unicode are all kept.
Do I need to install ffmpeg? No. If none is found, ZVideoConverter offers a one-click download of a static GPL build from BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds, checks its SHA-256 and keeps it in its own folder. An installed ffmpeg, or one you point to, works as well.
Which rate control modes work on which encoder?
| CQ / CRF | CQ + bitrate ceiling | CBR | VBR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU (x264, x265) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CPU (SVT-AV1) | ✓ | ✓, the ceiling is approximate | ✓ (low-delay mode) | ✓ |
| NVIDIA NVENC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| VA-API (Linux) | ✓ | Depends on the driver, which the app tests at start-up: without QVBR the switch is greyed out; AMD's Mesa driver treats the ceiling as a soft limit | ✓ | ✓ |
| AMD AMF (Windows) | ✓ | CQ only, the ceiling is not applied (the log says so) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intel Quick Sync | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The CQ number means the same everywhere: it goes to H.264 and HEVC encoders as is, and AV1 encoders get the equivalent on their own scale. CPU and VA-API rows are measured with real encodes in the test suite; the NVENC, AMF and Quick Sync rows are checked against the exact ffmpeg options but haven't run on those cards in the tests yet.
Is it really free? Yes. It is free software under the GPL-3.0: no ads, no account, no watermark.
Which systems are supported? Windows 10/11 (64-bit) and Linux (64-bit, X11 and Wayland).
Requirements: Rust (stable), Node.js 20+, pnpm, and the Tauri v2 prerequisites for your OS.
git clone https://github.com/TheHolyOneZ/ZVideoConverter.git
cd ZVideoConverter
pnpm install
pnpm tauri dev # run in development
pnpm tauri build # installers: NSIS on Windows; .deb / .rpm / AppImage on LinuxThe GitHub Actions workflow .github/workflows/release.yml builds everything:
- Linux (
.deb,.rpm, AppImage) on Ubuntu 22.04, so the packages also run on older distributions (glibc 2.35). The build fails if the binary needs anything newer. - Windows (NSIS installer) on a Windows runner.
Before building, it runs the engine tests on both systems with a real ffmpeg, plus the app's one-click ffmpeg download (download, SHA-256 check, unpack, encode).
- Actions → Release → Run workflow builds the files and attaches them to the run.
- Pushing a tag like
v0.1.1also creates a draft GitHub release with all files andSHA256SUMS, ready to publish. The tag has to match the version intauri.conf.json.
The Linux packages can also be built locally in an Ubuntu 22.04 container:
scripts/build-linux-release.sh # needs Docker; output in target/ubuntu22/release/bundle/Tests and checks:
cargo test -p zvc-core # engine tests, including real encodes with the ffmpeg on PATH (every output is fully
# decoded; CBR, CQ, constrained quality and all resolution modes are measured)
cargo test -p zvc-core --test ffmpeg_download -- --ignored # the one-click ffmpeg download, for real (~100 MB)
pnpm test # frontend tests
pnpm i18n:check # translation coverage and placeholder consistencyProject layout:
crates/zvc-core/ conversion engine: probing, profiles, naming, GPU detection, ffmpeg arguments, job queue
src-tauri/ desktop shell (Tauri v2): commands and app state
src/ user interface (React + TypeScript): components, stores, locales
scripts/ tooling (translation checker, Linux release build in Docker)
- Copy
src/locales/en.jsontosrc/locales/<code>.json(for examplefr.jsonorpt-BR.json). - Set
"_meta": { "name": "Français", "english": "French" }and translate as much as you like. Anything missing falls back to English. - Run
pnpm i18n:checkto find missing keys, typos and broken{placeholders}.
- Website and downloads: zsync.eu/zvideoconverter
- Source code: github.com/TheHolyOneZ/ZVideoConverter
- Author: TheHolyOneZ on GitHub
- More tools by the same author: zsync.eu
- Game mode: zlogic.eu
ZVideoConverter is © 2026 TheHolyOneZ and is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
It runs FFmpeg as a separate program. FFmpeg is © the FFmpeg developers and licensed under the LGPL/GPL.
Keywords: bulk video converter, batch video converter, GPU video converter, hardware accelerated video encoding, NVENC, AMD AMF, VA-API, Intel Quick Sync, HEVC / H.265 converter, AV1 encoder, CRF / CQ constant quality, CBR, NVDEC, 4K and 8K video, MKV to MP4, FFmpeg GUI, FormatFactory alternative, HandBrake alternative, free video converter for Windows and Linux.