FFmpeg Installation Guide for Windows / macOS / Linux

Before You Install

FFmpeg only provides source code officially; executable binaries are distributed by third-party build maintainers (official: Download). The recommended sources for each OS are summarized below.

Note on filenames: This article uses placeholder names such as input.mp4 in verification commands. Replace them with the actual file paths you have on hand.

Windows

Method A: Use the gyan.dev Build (Recommended)

gyan.dev is a Windows build provider officially linked from ffmpeg.org/download.html.

Step 1: Download

Open https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/ and choose a file according to the following guidelines.

Step 2: Extract

Extract the downloaded ZIP to an easy-to-find folder such as C:\ffmpeg. Example structure after extraction:

C:\ffmpeg\
  bin\
    ffmpeg.exe
    ffprobe.exe
    ffplay.exe

Step 3: Add to PATH

1. Search for “Environment Variables” in the Start menu → open “Edit the system environment variables”
2. Click “Environment Variables” → select Path under User variables → click “Edit”
3. Click “New” and add C:\ffmpeg\bin
4. Close with OK

Step 4: Verify

Open a new Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

ffmpeg -version

If you see output like ffmpeg version 7.x..., the installation is complete.

Method B: Use winget (Windows Package Manager)

Windows 10/11 includes winget by default. From Command Prompt or PowerShell:

winget install --id=Gyan.FFmpeg -e

When winget installs FFmpeg, it also sets up the PATH automatically. After installation, verify with ffmpeg -version in a new shell.

Note: The build installed via winget is the same as the one from gyan.dev (as of 2026).

macOS

Method A: Use Homebrew (Recommended)

Homebrew is the de facto standard package manager for macOS.

Install Homebrew (if not already installed)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install FFmpeg

brew install ffmpeg

By default, major codecs including H.264, AAC, and VP9 are included.

Verify

ffmpeg -version

Method B: Use a Static Build (evermeet.cx)

If you prefer not to use Homebrew, static builds from evermeet.cx are officially linked from ffmpeg.org/download.html.

1. Download the latest ffmpeg / ffprobe / ffplay binaries from the site
2. Place them in /usr/local/bin/ and grant execute permissions:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg

3. If a macOS Gatekeeper warning appears, allow it from “System Settings → Privacy & Security”

Linux

Ubuntu / Debian-based

FFmpeg is included in Ubuntu’s official repositories.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg

The installed version depends on the distribution release.

Verify

ffmpeg -version

Fedora / RHEL / CentOS-based

FFmpeg is included in Fedora’s official repositories.

sudo dnf install ffmpeg

For RHEL/CentOS, you may need to enable the RPMFusion repository (see RPMFusion official site).

When You Need the Latest Version (BtbN Static Builds)

If the distribution package is outdated, static builds from BtbN are officially linked from ffmpeg.org/download.html.

wget https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases/download/latest/ffmpeg-master-latest-linux64-gpl.tar.xz
tar xf ffmpeg-master-latest-linux64-gpl.tar.xz
sudo mv ffmpeg-master-latest-linux64-gpl/bin/ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/
sudo mv ffmpeg-master-latest-linux64-gpl/bin/ffprobe /usr/local/bin/

Note: The wget command above requires network access and is not subject to automated CI verification. Please verify on a real machine.

Installation Verification Command

On any OS, verify after installation with this command.

ffmpeg -version

Example output (Ubuntu 24.04):

ffmpeg version 6.1.1-3ubuntu5 Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers
built with gcc 13 (Ubuntu 13.2.0-23ubuntu4)
configuration: --prefix=/usr --extra-version=3ubuntu5 ...
libavutil      58. 29.100 / 58. 29.100
libavcodec     60. 31.102 / 60. 31.102
libavformat    60. 16.100 / 60. 16.100
...

Check Supported Capabilities

ffmpeg -formats
ffmpeg -codecs

Troubleshooting

ffmpeg: command not found

The PATH is not set correctly. Check the following.

• Windows: Is the bin/ folder of the extracted location included in PATH? (Try opening a new shell)
• macOS: Is Homebrew’s bin included in PATH? (Check with echo $PATH)
• Linux: Has the installation completed? (Try which ffmpeg or type ffmpeg)

Encoder libx264 not found

The installed build does not include libx264.

• Ubuntu: The package installed with sudo apt-get install ffmpeg includes libx264
• Windows: Use at least the essentials build from gyan.dev
• macOS: The build installed with brew install ffmpeg includes libx264

Tested with: ffmpeg 6.1.1 / Ubuntu 24.04 (GitHub Actions runner) Primary sources: ffmpeg.org/download.html / gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/