WinX2D 3.03.05

WinX2D is a tiny 2004 utility that rewrites the codec label inside an AVI file, so an XviD video announces itself as DivX.

It has not been updated since 2004, and the problem it solved has mostly disappeared from modern Windows and modern players.

If an old XviD file will not play today, a current decoder such as LAV Filters is the real fix.

What WinX2D Actually Does

Every AVI file carries a FourCC, a four-letter tag such as XVID, DIVX or DX50 that tells the player which codec should decode the video. Our FourCC codes guide explains the system and lists the common tags.

XviD and DivX both produce MPEG-4 Part 2 video, so a DivX decoder can usually play an XviD stream if the label says DivX. WinX2D changes only that label, without re-encoding, which makes the job instant and lossless.

Back in the early 2000s this mattered because many people had only the DivX codec installed, and some standalone DVD players refused anything not tagged as DivX. Swapping the tag was the quickest way round both problems.

Who Can Still Use It

WinX2D was written for the Windows 95 to XP era and gets no fixes for newer systems. It may still help if you keep an old Windows PC for archived AVI files, or you feed video to an old DivX-certified player that checks the tag.

The tell that you do not need it: your file already plays in a modern player on your PC. Current decoders read the video stream itself and ignore the label, so changing it achieves nothing there.

What to Use Instead

For playback on Windows, install LAV Filters, which decodes XviD, DivX and almost everything else in any DirectShow player. To check what tag and codec a file actually carries, open it in MediaInfo first.

If you really do need to change the tag, FFmpeg does it without re-encoding. The command ffmpeg -i input.avi -c copy -vtag DX50 output.avi copies the streams untouched and writes the new FourCC.

Two other legacy tools do the same job with a window instead of a command line. MPEG4 Modifier also fixes packed bitstreams, while AVI FourCC Changer is even older than WinX2D.

For a smart TV or phone that will not play AVI at all, the label is not the problem. Convert the file to H.264 MP4 with HandBrake, or trim and re-save it with Avidemux.

More tools for working on single files live in the video editors category.

Quick questions

Download WinX2D 3.03.05 if you still need it, or tell us what you used it for if you have history with it.