Is H.265 the same as HEVC?
Yes. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is the name of the standard, and H.265 is its ITU number. In the same way, H.264 and AVC are two names for the older codec.
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HEVC vs H.264: smaller files or wider compatibility
HEVC (H.265) needs fewer bits for the same picture; H.264 plays on almost everything. Here is how to choose, and how to see which one your video uses.
HEVC (also called H.265) can store the same picture as H.264 in noticeably fewer bits, often approaching half the file size for 4K footage, and it supports 10-bit HDR. H.264 (also called AVC) makes bigger files but plays on practically every phone, computer, browser and TV made in the past fifteen years. Choose HEVC for recording and keeping footage when your devices handle it, and H.264 when a file must play anywhere without questions.
Most people meet the choice on an iPhone, where High Efficiency records HEVC and Most Compatible records H.264, or when an HEVC clip refuses to play on a Windows PC. This guide compares the two codecs point by point, shows the iPhone setting, and explains where AV1 fits in.
Not sure which codec a file already uses? Open it in the video codec checker: the Video section names the codec, profile and bit depth, and the file never leaves your device.
Choose HEVC or H.264 on an iPhone
These steps follow Apple’s support article on HEIF and HEVC media. The setting affects new recordings only.
Open the Camera settings
Open the Settings app and tap Camera.
Tap Formats
Tap Formats to see the capture format options.
Pick a format
Tap High Efficiency to record HEVC (and take HEIF photos), or Most Compatible to record H.264 (and take JPEG photos). New videos use the format you chose; existing ones stay as they are.
Optionally keep originals when copying to a computer
Apple notes that importing HEVC media into Photos, Image Capture or a PC may convert it to H.264. To stop that, go to Settings > Apps > Photos and tap Keep Originals.
HEVC and H.264 side by side
| H.264 (AVC) | HEVC (H.265) | |
|---|---|---|
| Published | 2003 | 2013 |
| File size for the same quality | Baseline | Usually clearly smaller; the standard was designed to roughly halve the bitrate, with the biggest gains at 4K |
| HDR and 10-bit | Possible but rarely supported by players | Standard: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision all use 10-bit HEVC |
| Typical resolution | Up to 4K; most common at 1080p | 4K and 8K are routine |
| Phone recording | iPhone Most Compatible; many older phones | iPhone High Efficiency (default); most recent Android phones |
| Windows built-in apps | Plays out of the box | Needs HEVC Video Extensions unless the PC maker included HEVC support |
| Browsers | All browsers | Safari; Chrome and Edge where the hardware can decode it; Firefox on Windows with hardware decoding |
| Older TVs, cars, projectors | Almost always | Often not, especially 10-bit |
| Editing load | Light; smooth on modest computers | Heavier; needs hardware decoding for smooth scrubbing |
| Royalties | One patent pool; long settled | Several patent pools, which is why some software charges for it or leaves it out |
| Codec tags in MP4/MOV | avc1 (sometimes avc3) | hvc1 or hev1 (Apple players need hvc1) |
Savings depend on the encoder, the resolution and the content. A fast hardware encoder in a phone is less efficient than a slow software encoder, and simple static scenes compress well in either codec, so the gap you see on your own files may be smaller than the headline figure.
How HEVC gets the same picture into fewer bits
Both codecs work the same basic way. They store a complete picture (a key frame or I-frame) every so often and describe the frames in between as changes from their neighbours (P-frames and B-frames). That run from one key frame to the next is called a group of pictures, or GOP.
HEVC wins by being more flexible inside that structure:
- Bigger, adaptive blocks. H.264 divides each frame into 16 × 16 pixel macroblocks. HEVC uses coding tree units of up to 64 × 64 that split into smaller blocks only where there is detail, so a clear sky costs very little.
- Finer prediction inside a frame. HEVC has 35 intra-prediction modes against H.264’s 9, so it can describe edges and gradients more precisely.
- Better motion prediction. Motion vectors can be shared and merged between neighbouring blocks, which cuts the cost of describing movement.
- An extra clean-up filter. Sample adaptive offset (SAO) reduces ringing around edges, so the encoder can spend fewer bits without visible artefacts.
The price is computing power. Encoding and decoding HEVC takes considerably more work, which is why phones and computers use dedicated hardware for it and why software-only playback of 4K HEVC can stutter on an older PC.
iPhone: High Efficiency or Most Compatible?
Since the iPhone switched to HEVC by default, most iPhone videos are HEVC files in a MOV container. The choice under Settings > Camera > Formats only decides what the camera writes:
- High Efficiency records HEVC video and HEIF photos. Apple’s HDR recordings (Dolby Vision HDR, turned on or off under Settings > Camera > Record Video > HDR Video) are stored as 10-bit HEVC.
- Most Compatible records H.264 video and JPEG photos, which work with more devices and operating systems but take more storage.
- Apple ProRes, on Pro models, appears under Video Capture in the same Formats screen. Apple says ProRes files can be up to 30 times larger than HEVC, so it is for editing, not for sharing.
You often don’t need Most Compatible to share with people on older devices. Apple says AirDrop, Messages and email may hand the recipient an H.264 copy automatically if their device can’t use HEVC, while iCloud Photos keeps the original format. The trouble usually starts when the original file is copied by cable, cloud drive or USB stick to an older PC or TV.
| Your situation | Better setting |
|---|---|
| Short of storage, recording lots of 4K | High Efficiency |
| You want HDR video, which iPhones store as HEVC | High Efficiency |
| You hand raw files to an older Windows PC or a TV via USB | Most Compatible |
| You edit on an older computer without HEVC hardware decoding | Most Compatible |
| You share mostly through Messages, AirDrop or iCloud Photos | High Efficiency is fine |
Which to choose for each job
Sharing a file directly
If you don’t know what will play it, use H.264 video with AAC audio in an MP4. It is the format least likely to produce a codec not supported error.
Uploading to YouTube and social apps
Platforms re-encode everything you upload, so the codec you send matters less than its quality. YouTube’s list of supported upload formats includes HEVC (H.265), while its recommended upload settings describe H.264 High Profile. Either works; send the highest-quality version you have rather than converting first. The bitrate guide lists YouTube’s recommended bitrates.
Editing
H.264 and HEVC are both long-GOP codecs, so editors must rebuild frames from the previous key frame when you scrub. Modern computers decode either in hardware; on older machines H.264 is smoother, and many editors offer proxy files or an intermediate codec such as ProRes for heavy projects.
Archiving
Keep the original camera file, whatever its codec. Every conversion between codecs loses some detail, so converting HEVC to H.264 for safekeeping trades quality for compatibility you can recreate later.
Where AV1 fits in
AV1, from the Alliance for Open Media, is newer again and royalty-free. It typically compresses at least as well as HEVC and is widely used by streaming services. Chrome, Edge and Firefox play it, Android has included an AV1 decoder since Android 10 (mandatory from Android 14), and Windows plays it with Microsoft’s free AV1 Video Extension. Older phones and computers without an AV1 hardware decoder may play it slowly or not at all, and few cameras record it, so for most people the practical choice for their own recordings is still HEVC or H.264.
H.266 (VVC), the successor to HEVC, exists as a standard but had very little playback support on consumer devices at the time of writing.
Compare the two on your own clips
Published comparisons use test footage and carefully tuned encoders. Your phone’s results are what count, and they are easy to measure:
- Record the same scene for 30 seconds with High Efficiency, then again with Most Compatible, at the same resolution and frame rate.
- Open each file in metadata.video with Open a file. Nothing is uploaded.
- In Video, compare the codec card (HEVC vs H.264), the bitrate and the bitrate graph; Overview shows the file size.
- Watch both on the device you care about. If the HEVC file looks the same and plays everywhere you need, keep High Efficiency.
The bitrate checker explains the bitrate readings, and the resolution checker confirms both clips really were recorded at the same size.
HEVC and H.264: common questions
Is HEVC better quality than H.264?
At the same bitrate, HEVC usually looks better; at the same quality, it makes a smaller file. Given plenty of bitrate, both can look excellent, so the difference matters most for 4K, HDR and limited storage.
Why won’t my HEVC video play on Windows?
Windows needs Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store unless your PC maker included HEVC support. VLC plays HEVC without it. See the codec not supported guide for other fixes.
Should I use High Efficiency or Most Compatible on my iPhone?
High Efficiency saves space and is the codec iPhone HDR recordings use; Most Compatible avoids problems when you copy raw files to older computers and TVs. If you mostly share through Messages, AirDrop or iCloud Photos, High Efficiency is usually fine because Apple converts for recipients who need it.
Does converting HEVC to H.264 lose quality?
Yes, a little, because the picture is decoded and compressed again. To keep losses small, convert at a generous bitrate or quality setting, and keep the original file.
Does YouTube accept HEVC?
Yes. HEVC (H.265) is in YouTube’s list of supported upload formats. YouTube re-encodes every upload, so there is no need to convert to H.264 first.
How do I know which codec my video uses?
Open it in the video codec checker: the Video section names the codec (H.264 or HEVC), its profile and bit depth. On a Mac, QuickTime’s Window > Show Movie Inspector also shows the compression format.