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Which Media Formats Does Your Browser Support?

Check video and audio codec support in your browser — H.264, VP9, AV1, AAC, Opus, and more — all detected locally using standard browser APIs.

This tool checks your browser's support for common video codecs (H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9, AV1) and audio codecs (AAC, Opus, Vorbis, FLAC, MP3) using MediaSource.isTypeSupported() and HTMLMediaElement.canPlayType().

AV1 is the most efficient modern video codec, offering 30-50% better compression than H.264 at the same quality, but requires significant CPU or hardware decoder support.

What Do Your Results Mean?

Result Range Meaning
Good All major codecs supported (H.264, VP9, AAC, Opus) Your browser supports all widely-used media formats. You can play content from virtually any streaming service or website without issues.
Warning Some modern codecs missing (AV1, HEVC) Basic playback works but you may miss newer high-efficiency formats. Some 4K or HDR content may fall back to lower quality codecs.
Bad Core codecs unsupported (no H.264 or VP9) Many websites and streaming services will not play video. Update your browser or switch to a modern browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

Common Issues and How to Fix Them

HEVC/H.265 shows as unsupported

HEVC support varies by browser and OS. On Windows, install the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store. On macOS, Safari supports HEVC natively. Chrome requires hardware decoder support.

AV1 shows as unsupported

AV1 requires a recent browser version and preferably a hardware AV1 decoder (Intel 12th gen+, NVIDIA RTX 30+, AMD RX 6000+). Update your browser to the latest version and check GPU driver updates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the media format check work?

It tests each codec by calling MediaSource.isTypeSupported() and HTMLMediaElement.canPlayType() with specific MIME type strings. These APIs return whether the browser can decode each format, including container and codec combinations.

Why does codec support vary between browsers?

Each browser vendor decides which codecs to include based on licensing costs, patent issues, and technical priorities. H.264 requires patent licenses, which is why open-source browsers historically preferred VP8/VP9. AV1 is royalty-free and gaining universal support.

Does hardware vs software decoding matter?

Yes. Hardware decoding (GPU-accelerated) is dramatically more power-efficient and can handle higher resolutions like 4K and 8K without lag. Software decoding uses the CPU and drains battery faster. Check your GPU specifications for hardware codec support.

Is any data sent during the codec check?

No. Codec support is checked entirely locally using browser APIs. No media is downloaded, streamed, or transmitted. All results are generated on your device.