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Guide · Open source

How to use FFmpeg-Builds: download and run static FFmpeg

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds publishes ready-to-run static builds of FFmpeg, the widely used tool for converting, editing and streaming audio and video, for Windows and Linux. It suits people who want FFmpeg without compiling it and its many dependencies. After this guide you will know which build to pick, what the variant and branch names mean, and how to build a variant yourself.

FFmpegBtbN/FFmpeg-Builds · ★ 11.9k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Pick your platform. Choose Windows (x86_64) or Linux (x86_64) builds. For 32-bit Windows you must build it yourself.
  2. 2Choose a variant. Use lgpl if you want to avoid GPL-only libraries such as libx264 and libx265, or gpl if you need them.
  3. 3Choose master or a release branch. Use the default master build, or add a release branch addin such as 8.1.
  4. 4Download the archive. Get the matching archive from the project's automatic daily builds or the latest build's consistent URL.
  5. 5Extract and run. Unpack the archive and run the ffmpeg binary from the command line.
  6. 6Build locally if needed. Clone the repository, install bash and docker, then run makeimage.sh and build.sh with your target and variant.

Which platforms and builds are available?

The project provides static Windows (x86_64) and Linux (x86_64) builds of ffmpeg master and the latest release branch. Auto-builds run only for win(arm)64 and linux(arm)64. There are no win32/x86 auto-builds, though you can produce win32 builds yourself.

Windows builds target Windows 7 and newer, provided UCRT is installed. The README states the minimum supported version is Windows 10 22H2 and gives no guarantees on anything older. Linux builds target RHEL/CentOS 8 (glibc-2.28 and linux-4.18) and newer.

  • Windows: UCRT must be installed for builds to run on older systems.
  • Linux: glibc 2.28 or newer and kernel 4.18 or newer.
  • macOS is not covered by the README.

Choose a variant: gpl, lgpl or nonfree

The variant decides which libraries are included. The gpl variant includes all dependencies, even those that require full GPL instead of just LGPL. The lgpl variant leaves out GPL-only libraries, most prominently libx264 and libx265. The nonfree variant includes fdk-aac in addition to the gpl set.

Each variant also has a -shared version. Those come with the libav* family of shared libraries instead of pure static executables.

  • gpl: everything, including libx264 and libx265.
  • lgpl: no GPL-only libraries such as libx264 and libx265.
  • nonfree: gpl set plus fdk-aac.
  • gpl-shared, lgpl-shared, nonfree-shared: same sets, with shared libav* libraries.

Pick a branch: master, release or a specific version

By default, builds come from ffmpeg master. Addins let you build from a release branch instead. Supported branch addins are listed in the README as 4.4 through 9.0, with one entry per release branch.

The README also describes a debug addin, which keeps debug symbols in the binaries and increases output size by about 250MB. An lto addin is marked as highly experimental, broken for Windows and only sometimes working for Linux.

  • Master: the default, the most recent development code.
  • Release branch: add the branch number as an addin, for example 8.1.
  • debug: keeps debug symbols; the README says this adds about 250MB.
  • lto: marked highly experimental in the README.

Build FFmpeg yourself with Docker

If you need a build the auto-builds do not provide, such as win32, you can build it locally. The README lists bash and docker as prerequisites. First clone the repository, then build the image and run the build script with a target, a variant and optional addins.

On success, the resulting zip file is written to the artifacts subdirectory.

  • Targets: win64, win32, linux64, linuxarm64.
  • The linuxarm64 target skips some dependencies: davs2 and xavs2 (aarch64 support broken), libmfx and libva (no aarch64 support).
git clone https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds ./makeimage.sh target variant [addin [addin] [addin] ...] ./build.sh target variant [addin [addin] [addin] ...]

Understand the release retention policy

Builds run daily at 12:00 UTC (or GitHub's idea of that time) and are released automatically on success. The last build of each month is kept for two years, and the last 14 daily builds are kept.

The special latest build floats and gives consistent URLs that always point to the most recent build, which is useful for scripts that should not change their download link.

Check which dependencies are included

The README does not list every library inline. For a list of included dependencies, check the scripts.d directory, where every file corresponds to its respective package.

What people use it for

  • Converting video or audio files on Windows without installing a compiler toolchain.
  • Running a recent FFmpeg master build on a Linux machine with a modern glibc.
  • Producing a win32 build for a 32-bit Windows target by building it yourself.
  • Testing a release branch, such as 8.1, against a master build.
  • Scripting FFmpeg steps on a server with a stable download URL from the latest build.

Frequently asked questions

Does FFmpeg-Builds work on macOS?

The README only covers Windows and Linux builds, so it does not list a macOS target. Use another source for macOS FFmpeg.

Is FFmpeg-Builds free to use?

The project is released under the MIT licence, as stated in its listing. FFmpeg's own licence depends on the variant: gpl and nonfree builds include GPL-licensed components, while lgpl builds leave out GPL-only libraries.

Do I need to install anything before using the builds?

The source lists no prerequisites for downloading a build. Building locally requires bash and docker.

Why is there no 32-bit Windows build?

The auto-builds only run for win(arm)64 and linux(arm)64. The README says you can produce win32 builds yourself using the instructions in the repository.

Will it run on Windows 7 or Windows 8?

The README says Windows builds target Windows 7 and newer if UCRT is installed, but the minimum supported version is Windows 10 22H2 with no guarantees on older systems.

What are the alternatives to FFmpeg-Builds?

Comparable projects include the official FFmpeg downloads, Gyan.dev FFmpeg builds and John Van Sickle static builds. Pick based on which variants, platforms and update schedule you need.

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Our verdict

FFmpeg-Builds suits Windows and Linux users, and developers who want daily master builds or a specific release branch without compiling FFmpeg. Skip it if you are on macOS, need 32-bit Windows builds without building them yourself, or must run on Windows older than 10 22H2.

Install options & downloads