Shutter Encoder 20.5

Shutter Encoder is a free, open-source video and audio converter that puts the power of FFmpeg behind a point-and-click window.

You drop in your files, pick what you want done, and it handles everything from a quick MP4 for a phone to ProRes files for an editing suite.

Version 20.5 runs on Windows 7 to 11 (64-bit), macOS and Linux, with no ads, no watermark and no paid tier.

What Shutter Encoder Actually Does

Under the hood it uses FFmpeg, the command-line engine behind most video tools. Shutter Encoder gives you its power through menus and buttons, so you never have to type a command.

The app is organised around functions rather than formats. Each function is one job, such as converting to H.264, cutting a clip, replacing an audio track or burning subtitles, and you can queue as many files as you like for each one.

It is designed with video editors in mind, so it also covers the dull but essential post-production work. That includes loudness checks for broadcast, black-frame detection and image sequences.

What You Can Do With It

Cutting and Rewrapping Without Losing Quality

The no-conversion functions are the ones most people come back for. They copy the existing video and audio as they are, so a two-hour file can be trimmed or moved from MKV to MP4 in seconds with no quality loss.

The same group lets you merge clips, swap or remove an audio track and pull out subtitles. If that is all you ever need, the lighter LosslessCut or MKVToolNix do it with fewer options to wade through.

A Handy Tool for Editors

Footage from phones and many cameras is compressed in a way that makes editing software stutter. Converting it to ProRes or DNxHR first gives you smooth playback in DaVinci Resolve, Kdenlive or any other editor.

It also reads RAW photos and checks loudness, so your finished video meets streaming or broadcast levels. For audio fixes beyond that, open the soundtrack in Audacity.

AI Tools and Other Extras

Recent versions added AI functions for separating voices from music, transcribing speech, blurring faces, removing backgrounds and translating text. Transcripts pair well with Subtitle Edit when you want to fine-tune the timing.

A Web video function downloads clips from video sites using yt-dlp, which comes built in. MediaInfo is built in too, so you can check any file's codecs without leaving the app.

What Is New in 20.5

Version 20.5 came out on 4 November 2026, five weeks after 20.4. It is mostly a polish release with a few useful additions.

• New filters. A "Reduce blocks" filter for blocky, over-compressed video, and a strength slider for "Reduce banding".
• Command line options. You can now pick a preset, start automatically and set the output folder from a script.
• Web video subtitles. A "Preserve subtitles" checkbox keeps the subtitles when you download a video.
• Fixes. A startup freeze, Vulkan GPU selection, a memory leak in the ProRes function and playback of iPhone footage.
• Fewer Windows warnings. The release fixes a Smart App Control warning, a Windows 11 security feature that could flag the app.
• Smaller touches. Galician language and sorting the file list by name.

Which Download to Take

For Windows, there are two 64-bit downloads. The installer (about 158 MB) suits most people, and the portable zip (about 185 MB) runs from any folder or USB stick without installing.

The download is large because it bundles its own Java runtime, FFmpeg and the other tools it needs. Nothing else has to be installed first.

The same page carries separate macOS packages for Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs, for macOS 10.14 Mojave or later. Linux builds come as .deb, AppImage and Flatpak from the developer's site.

Shutter Encoder Compared With Other Free Converters

Who Should Look Elsewhere

• You want to edit a story on a timeline. Shutter Encoder trims and joins clips but is not an editor - use Shotcut or DaVinci Resolve.
• You only need to play a file. Converting is overkill when VLC Media Player already opens almost anything.
• Your PC has a small disk or slow connection. The 158 MB download is heavy for a converter, and Avidemux covers simple cuts and conversions in far less space.
• You only need to convert audio. Our free online Audio Converter does it in the browser with nothing to install.
• You are ripping protected discs. Shutter Encoder can rip DVDs, but MakeMKV is the usual tool for commercial DVDs and Blu-rays.

For more converters and encoders, browse the Video Encoders category.

Quick questions

Download Shutter Encoder 20.5 and see how it handles your files, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.