You have a folder of screen recordings and camera clips that your TV media player refuses to open. HandBrake re-encodes them into files that device accepts. This page covers version 1.11.2 for Windows, released June 7, 2026. The download goes to the official server github.com; we do not host the file.
Volunteer-built, free, and tied to MP4 and MKV
HandBrake is an open-source converter made by volunteers, and it costs nothing. Its licence is GPL-2.0, and the developer is listed as The HandBrake Team. The output is a new MP4 or MKV file built with FFmpeg, x264 and x265.
The goal is compatibility. The files it makes are meant to play on phones, tablets, TV media players, game consoles, computers and web browsers.
What a typical session looks like
You pick a source file, and HandBrake reads it. Supported inputs include consumer and professional camera footage, phone and tablet video, game and computer screen recordings, and DVD and Blu-ray discs. HandBrake also covers audio, filter and rip functions.
You then choose a preset and a container, and the job goes into a queue. The 1.11.2 release changes Windows queue behaviour so that it pauses when disk space runs low, which matters for long batches. The installer is 24.2 MB.
Against FFmpeg, VidCoder and XMedia Recode
The alternatives are FFmpeg, VidCoder and XMedia Recode. No ranking is made here between them on speed or output quality. One link is clear: HandBrake itself uses FFmpeg for decoding and filters, with version 8.0.2 bundled in this release.
What's new in 1.11.2
Version 1.11.2 fixes a crash in 2-pass lossless x265 encodes and a memory leak in 2-pass MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VP9 and FFV1 encodes. It updates FFmpeg to 8.0.2 and SVT-AV1 to 4.1.0. Windows gets a fix for automatic audio track names and for the HDR video summary.
HandBrake pros and cons
Pros
- Free, with a GPL-2.0 open-source licence
- Creates MP4 or MKV files that suit phones, TVs and consoles
- Reads camera footage, screen recordings, DVDs and Blu-ray discs
- Bundles FFmpeg 8.0.2 and SVT-AV1 4.1.0 for AV1 encoding
- Small 24.2 MB download
Cons
- Output is limited to MP4 and MKV containers
- No speed or quality ranking against alternatives is offered here
- Some tasks may be better suited to FFmpeg, VidCoder or XMedia Recode
Is HandBrake safe?
The installer for HandBrake comes from github.com, the official host, and is not kept on our servers. The developer is The HandBrake Team, and the app is open source under the GPL-2.0 license. No malware scan results came with it, so run your own check on the downloaded file before installing.
How to install HandBrake
- Press the download button to get the official file.
- Run the installer you saved and confirm the Windows security prompt if the publisher matches.
- Follow the setup steps, then start HandBrake from the Start menu.
