Glossary
What is HEVC (H.265)?
MarkdownWhat HEVC is
HEVC is a video codec, the method used to squeeze video into a smaller file. It is the successor to H.264. iPhones record in HEVC by default when High Efficiency is chosen in camera settings.
Why it matters on a Mac
Modern Macs play HEVC and many have hardware that encodes it quickly. Older computers, some TVs and some web services may not play it, which is the main reason people still pick H.264.
How to check it on macOS
Open the video in QuickTime Player and choose Window > Show Movie Inspector. The Format line lists the codec, for example HEVC. Media Info in Toolbox shows the same detail for every track.
How Toolbox handles it
Compress Video and Convert Video both offer H.264 or HEVC. Compress Video also has a hardware encoder option for speed. Choosing HEVC gives files about half the size at similar quality, and the originals are not changed.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use HEVC or H.264?
Use HEVC when you want the smallest file and your viewers have newer devices. Use H.264 when it must play everywhere.
Is HEVC lossless?
No. It is a lossy codec, though High quality settings look very close to the original.
Why is HEVC slower to encode?
It does more analysis per frame to save space, which takes more processing time.
