CODECS.COM guides

Guides for Codecs and Media Players

256 guides on codecs, media players and the tools around them.

5 new in the last 7 days

Oct 1, 20264,433 views6 min read

How to Run Chrome Portable From a USB Drive - No Install, No Admin

Put Google Chrome on a USB stick and use it on locked-down work, school or public Windows PCs, with the privacy settings and update routine that keep it safe.

Oct 1, 202622,872 views6 min read

Play H.265 Videos Free on Windows Using LAV Filters

How to get H.265 video playing in MPC-HC, PotPlayer and other DirectShow players with LAV Filters, GPU decoding switched on and the usual black-screen fixes.

Oct 1, 20268,229 views5 min read

Convert WAV to MP3 Without Losing Quality: The Right LAME Settings

The exact LAME setting and commands to turn WAV into MP3 with no audible loss, plus no-typing options and the one case where sample rate matters.

Sep 30, 20265,776 views5 min read

Chromium vs Chrome: What Google Adds - and Which One You Should Use

What Chrome adds on top of Chromium - codecs, Netflix DRM, auto-updates and Google tracking - and which of the two, or Brave, fits the way you browse.

Sep 30, 2026777 views7 min read

BitLocker Is Probably Already On: Find Your Recovery Key Before You Need It

Windows 11 can encrypt your drive during setup without saying a word - check if it did, save the recovery key and stay out of the lockout screen.

Sep 30, 202645,603 views3 min read

Official User Guides and Manuals for Free Media Software

Where to find the official manual for VLC, HandBrake, Audacity, DaVinci Resolve, OBS Studio and more - online guides and free PDF downloads in one list.

Sep 30, 20268,090 views6 min read

Best 4K Video Players for PC That Actually Work: 6 Free Picks

Six free Windows players that play 4K HEVC, AV1 and HDR smoothly, plus the graphics cards each codec needs and a fix list for stuttering video.

Sep 29, 20267,267 views6 min read

Best Linux Distros for Beginners: 5 Easy Picks for Windows Switchers

Five beginner-friendly Linux distros for Windows and Mac switchers, with RAM needs, old-PC picks and a safe way to test from a USB stick.

Sep 29, 20265,117 views6 min read

Portable SSD on Android: Watch 4K Movies Without Filling Your Phone

Carry your whole film library on a portable SSD and play it on an Android phone - the cable, the format and the free player apps that make it work.

Sep 29, 20262,781 views3 min read

Stop Converting iPhone Photos to JPEG: The Free Microsoft Fix for Windows

What converting iPhone HEIC photos to JPEG really costs, when it is still worth doing, and the two free components that let Windows open the originals.

Sep 29, 20264,365 views5 min read

Free Spotify Alternative: Build Your Own Music and Radio Playlist With M3U

Swap a streaming subscription for a free M3U playlist of radio, YouTube and IPTV links, built and checked with five free tools, plus the player to open it.

Sep 28, 202618,080 views4 min read

Convert Video and Audio Files With VLC - No Extra Software

VLC's built-in converter, step by step - how to change format, extract audio, and what to do when the output file will not play.

Sep 28, 202640,516 views5 min read

Best GPU for Video Encoding in 2026: NVIDIA vs AMD vs Intel

Which graphics card encodes video best in 2026 - NVIDIA, AMD or Intel - with encoder counts, AV1 and 4:2:2 support, and when your current card is enough.

Sep 28, 202610,960 views6 min read

FLV vs MP4: How to Rescue Your Old Flash Videos

Why FLV stopped working, how to play those files today, and the quickest way to convert them to MP4 without losing quality.

Sep 28, 202620,713 views5 min read

How to Create a Bootable USB Recovery Drive for Windows 10 and 11

Build a Windows recovery USB with the built-in tool or with Rufus, and learn which one can reinstall Windows on any PC rather than just yours.

Sep 28, 202613,522 views4 min read

Samsung TV Won't Play XviD or DivX? Change One Code, Not the Whole File

Why a Samsung QLED refuses an AVI that plays fine on your PC, and the four-letter tag change that fixes it in seconds without re-encoding.

Sep 27, 202646,086 views5 min read

YouTube Music Sounds Thin? Change This One Setting

The 128kbps default, the 256kbps High setting and where to find it - plus the part most guides skip, which is that High needs Premium.

Sep 27, 202616,360 views6 min read

Best Free Video Players for Mac That Play Any Format (2026)

Five free Mac players that open MKV and HEVC without paid extensions - VLC, IINA, mpv, Kodi and Elmedia, and what each one is actually for.

Sep 27, 20265,236 views3 min read

iPhone HEIC Photos Won't Open on Windows? The 2-Minute Fix

Why iPhone HEIC photos show blank thumbnails on a PC, the two free extensions that fix it, and the iPhone settings that send JPEGs instead.

Sep 25, 202611,880 views3 min read

How to Update HEVC Video Extensions on Windows 11 and 10

Check your HEVC extension version, update it by hand in the Microsoft Store and switch on automatic updates, with the Windows 10 version limit explained.