The Guide on How to Fix Broken Video Files

In this article we’re going to discover a few different options of repairing broken video files. In particular, you will learn how to recover AVI, MP4 and MOV video files, regardless of the platform you use. In other words, this article will be helpful for Windows, Mac and mobile device users.

 

If your media player throws errors every time you’re trying to open a video file, the reason could be that the video file is broken. To check this, you can try to open the file with some other players, and also install a codec pack.

 

Among tens of different media players available for Windows, I’d suggest to install Media Player Classic along with the K-Lite Codec Pack. On Windows, this is all you may need to play back virtually any type of video files. Both the media player and the codec pack are open source, meaning you can use them for free. They’re also power enough to play even some damaged video files that have a broken index.

 

If you’re running a Mac, then a viable option for you would be to try the VLS media player. Again, it’s free, yet power enough to play most of the video formats. VLS also has an in-built feature for repairing damaged indices of the AVI files. So, if you have a broken AVI file, it’s definitely worthwhile to give VLS a try, as it may appear to be an easy fix.

 

One important rule here is that it’s not recommended to install multiple codec packs at the same time. Otherwise, there may appear some conflicts between the codecs when trying to playback a video file, which you obviously don’t want to happen.

 

If after installing the codecs along with a new media player, you still can’t open your video file, it may be because the file is actually damaged, and there is nothing you can do about it other than to try to fix the video file.

 

Unfortunately, video repair tools don’t come preinstalled with Windows or other operating systems. However, there are still some free options, which we’ll cover in a minute.

 

1. Repairing AVI Files

 

Let’s start with AVI files, as they are easier to fix. If you need to repair MP4 or MOV files, you can skip this section.

 

There are free tools for repairing AVI files available for Windows and Mac users.

 

If you’re a Windows user, then your best option would be to try the VirtualDub tool. Just download and launch the tool. Then open your broken AVI file. Select Video -> Direct stream copy from the main menu. Do the same for the audio settings – click Audio -> Direct stream copy. These options instruct the tool to not compress the video and audio streams contained in your damaged AVI file. Once both of the options are selected, click File -> Save as AVI… and choose where you want to save the new file. We suggest that you save the new AVI file separate from your original video, so that you have the source file untouched.

 

When saving the file, VirtualDub will automatically repair all the errors and rebuild the file’s index. You should now be able to play the AVI file in your media player.

 

For Mac users, there is another free tool, called DivFix++. You can download the tool from this page. Once you’ve downloaded and launched the tool, you need to open your broken video file. Click Add files and select your AVI file. Then click Strip Index to clear existing indices, as they may be damaged. Now, click Fix to repair the file. That’s it – you should be able to open your AVI file now without any problems.

 

2. Repairing MP4 and MOV Files

  

MP4 and MOV files have a bit more complex structure and there are no viable free tools that can repair these files easily. However, there is an online video repair tool – Restore.Media, which fixes the files and then provides you with a full-time preview for free. The preview is in low quality, but you can download the repaired video file in the original resolution and quality after paying a small fee.

 

Restore.Media works online, meaning you can use it from PC, Mac, or any mobile device via a web-browser. To start repairing your video files, just create a free account at Restore.Media and follow the instructions. The tool has quite an easy to follow interface, so there shouldn’t be any issues here. However, we’d like to mentions the following features that we think you should be aware of:

 

1. First, you will have to upload a sample file. This is a playable video file recorded using the same camera as the broken file. The sample video must also be recorded with the same settings, such as resolution, frame rate and orientation. Restore.Media will use the sample video as a reference to re-build your corrupted MP4 or MOV file from scratch.

 

2. Second, we recommend that you carefully watch the preview prior to downloading the repaired video file. If you see any issues with the preview, read notices next to it – there might be a solution on how to resolve the issues. Please also note that the preview is in low resolution and quality. But you can download the repaired file in the original resolution/quality.

 

3. Finally, if there is anything wrong with the preview, or the tool haven’t fixed the video as expected, there is an option to ask Restore.Media’s engineers to manually check your file. This option is free, so don’t hesitate to ask for help. Even if the tool hasn’t repaired your video file automatically, there is a high chance that engineers will be able to fix it manually.

 

Feel free to post your comments and questions under this article – we’ll try to help!