You can import different video file formats into Unity. For Unity to preview video files, the files must be compatible with the platform where you run the Unity Editor. Different platforms support different video file formats.
Note: Your files must also be compatible with the target build platforms for your users. Unity provides options for transcoding video files to commonly supported formats, but you can also manage compatibility yourself.
Each Editor platform supports different video file formats.
| Extension | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| .asf | X | ||
| .avi | X | ||
| .dv | X | X | |
| .m4v | X | X | |
| .mov | X | X | |
| .mp4 | X | X | |
| .mpg | X | X | |
| .mpeg | X | X | |
| .ogv | X | X | X |
| .vp8 | X | X | X |
| .webm | X | X | X |
| .wmv | X |
Encoding must use a supported codec. Each platform supports specific codecs that can change with each version of the platform. Video files that use unsupported codecs trigger an error message in the Editor and you must convert them to a compatible codec before you can use them. For more information about codec support, refer to the official platform documentation for your Editor, such as Windows codec compatibility and macOS codec compatibility.
The optimal supported video codec for most platforms is H.264. However, the optimal encoding for Linux is a .webm container with VP8 for video and Vorbix for audio.
The easiest way to ensure video compatibility for different platforms is to enable transcoding in Unity, which will re-encode the video for compatibility when you make a build. However, this can result in longer build times and lower video quality. To transcode video clips, refer to Video Clip Importer.
To use video clips that aren’t supported by the Editor platform but are supported by your target platform, refer to Use unsupported video files in the Editor.