AVI to HEVC Converter

Convert AVI to HEVC: What This Converter Produces

This tool decodes the video inside your AVI and re-encodes it with H.265 (HEVC), the codec built to hit the same visual quality as H.264 at roughly 25-50% lower bitrate. One thing to understand before you start: .hevc is a codec name, not a normal container, so to keep your soundtrack this converter wraps the H.265 video in a Matroska container and gives the file a .hevc extension. The output therefore carries your audio (re-encoded to AAC by default) and opens in VLC, mpv, and other FFmpeg-based players — but the .hevc extension itself is non-standard, so phones, TVs, and QuickTime may not recognize it by name. If you want an H.265 file that plays everywhere, convert to AVI to MP4 or AVI to MKV with the codec set to H.265 instead — same codec, same size savings, a normal extension. Either way this is a re-encode, not a lossless remux: AVI cannot hold H.265, so the picture is transcoded rather than copied.

How to Convert AVI to HEVC

1. Upload Your AVI File: Drag and drop your .avi onto the page or click "+ Add Files." You can queue several files and convert them in one batch with the same settings.
2. Set the Quality Preset or Rate-Control Mode: The video codec is fixed to H.265 for .hevc output. Leave Quality Preset on "Very High (Recommended)" for a one-click result, or open File Compression and choose Constant Quality (a CRF-style perceptual target), Constant Bitrate, Variable Bitrate, or Specific file size.
3. Adjust Resolution, Audio Codec, or Trim (Optional): Use Video Resolution to keep the original frame or downscale it, switch the Audio Codec (AAC by default; AC3 and MP3 are also offered), or set a Time Range under Trim to export only part of the clip.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download the file. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark.

What the .hevc File Actually Is

The .hevc extension is ambiguous: a raw encoder emits a bare video-only elementary stream under that name, while this converter produces a Matroska-wrapped file so your audio survives. This table shows the three things people mean by "HEVC" and which one you get here.

Walk-through: Picking a Rate-Control Mode

The File Compression section decides how the encoder spends bits. Match the mode to your goal:

• For a predictable quality level, use Constant Quality. It targets a perceptual quality rather than a size, so the encoder spends more bits on complex scenes and fewer on simple ones. Lower values mean higher quality and a larger file; higher values do the reverse. This is the mode for "looks the same, just smaller."
• For a predictable bitrate — feeding a streaming or muxing pipeline — pick Constant Bitrate or Variable Bitrate and enter the target in Mbps.
• For a hard size cap, use Specific file size and name a target in MB; the encoder scales toward it. Combining an aggressive size target with a resolution downscale is where visible quality loss shows up first, so change one variable at a time.

Because H.265 reaches H.264-equivalent quality at a much lower bitrate, a setting that would look heavy-handed for H.264 is often fine here. Start at the "Very High" default and adjust from there.

AVI vs H.265 at a Glance

AVI is a container from 1992; HEVC is a codec from 2013. That gap in age is why the conversion is a re-encode rather than a repackage.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

• "My phone / TV / QuickTime won't open the .hevc file" — Those players recognize files by extension and don't expect .hevc. The data inside is standard Matroska + H.265, so rename it to .mkv, or better, convert to AVI to MP4 with H.265 selected for a file that plays as-is.
• "The output has no sound" — Check the Audio Codec was left on (AAC by default). If the source AVI itself had no audio track, the output won't have one either.
• "H.265 isn't supported on the playback device" — Older hardware lacks an HEVC decoder. Convert to H.264 in an MP4 container for the widest compatibility instead.
• "Output looks heavily pixelated" — You likely paired a small Specific file size target with a resolution downscale. Raise the size target or keep the original resolution.
• "The file is barely smaller than the AVI" — At a very high quality target on already-compressed source, savings shrink. Drop the Quality Preset a step or pick a Constant Quality value that trades a little fidelity for size.

When This Doesn't Work

DRM-protected or corrupted AVI files can't be re-encoded — the converter needs a readable video stream. If your AVI uses an unusual legacy codec that won't decode, convert it to AVI to MP4 first, then to H.265. And if what you actually want is a shareable, universally playable H.265 video rather than a .hevc-named file, skip this page and use AVI to MP4 or AVI to MKV with the H.265 codec selected. If your source is long and you only need a slice, trim the AVI first, then convert the short clip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the .hevc file this tool makes have audio?

Yes. Although a raw .hevc from an encoder is video-only, this converter wraps the H.265 video in a Matroska container so it can carry a soundtrack, then gives the file a .hevc extension. Your audio is re-encoded to AAC by default (AC3 and MP3 are also available). If the output is silent, either the Audio Codec was turned off or the source AVI had no audio track to begin with.

Why won't my phone or TV open the .hevc file?

Most consumer players and devices decide what a file is from its extension, and they don't expect .hevc. The bytes inside are a standard Matroska stream, so VLC and mpv play it fine and you can even rename it to .mkv. For a file that opens everywhere without renaming, convert to AVI to MP4 or AVI to MKV with H.265 selected.

Is HEVC really about half the size of H.264?

Roughly, at the same visual quality. The HEVC standard (ITU-T H.265 / ISO/IEC 23008-2, approved 2013) was designed for 25-50% better compression than H.264/AVC; a formal subjective study measured about a 49% bitrate reduction, and savings tend to be larger at 4K than at lower resolutions. In our testing, a 1080p AVI re-encoded to H.265 at the "Very High" preset came out visibly smaller than the same clip encoded to H.264, though the exact ratio depends on the footage.

Does converting AVI to H.265 lose quality?

Some, yes. AVI cannot hold H.265, so the video is decoded from its original codec (often DivX or Xvid) and re-encoded to H.265 — a lossy transcode, not a lossless copy. Keeping the Quality Preset on "Very High" and the original resolution makes the loss minor; aggressive size targets and downscaling are where softening becomes visible.

Should I convert AVI to a .hevc file or to MP4/MKV with H.265?

For almost everyone, MP4 or MKV. You get the same H.265 codec and the same size savings, plus a normal extension that plays on modern phones, TVs, and browsers and reliably keeps the audio. Choose the .hevc output only when a specific downstream tool asks for a file with that name. Use AVI to MP4 for the most compatible result or AVI to MKV for a flexible, multi-track container.

Why does AVI need re-encoding to get H.265 at all?

AVI is a 1992 Microsoft RIFF container built around older codecs like MPEG-4 ASP (DivX/Xvid). It predates HEVC, and its stream model expects one decoded frame per stored frame — a poor fit for the B-frame-heavy design of H.265. So H.265 is not stored inside AVI in practice; getting H.265 means decoding the AVI's video and encoding it fresh, which is exactly what this tool does.

Do I need a special player or license to watch HEVC?

To play HEVC you need an HEVC decoder. VLC and mpv include one on every desktop OS; on Windows 10 and 11 the built-in player needs Microsoft's "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Store, and Apple devices have decoded HEVC since 2017. If a device can't decode H.265 at all, re-encode to H.264 in MP4 for the widest reach.

Are my uploaded files kept after conversion?

No. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion. There is no sign-up, no watermark, and your files are never shared or made public.