Easily Download and Install FFmpeg on a Windows PC

Download Article

Get the FFmpeg audio and video converter running on your PC

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 15, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

• Installing FFmpeg
|
• Troubleshooting
|
• Video
|
• Expert Q&A
|
• Tips

|Show more |Show less

FFmpeg is an open-source media tool you can use to convert any video format into the one you need. The tool is command-line only, so it doesn't have a graphical, clickable interface. If you're used to regular graphical Windows programs, installing FFmpeg may seem complicated at first—but don't worry, it's pretty easy! This wikiHow guide teaches you the simplest way to install FFmpeg on your Windows PC, with troubleshooting tips to help you along the way.

Quick Steps

1. Install 7-Zip first so you can extract FFmpeg.exe and other files.
2. Download the latest full release build from www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds.
3. Extract the FFmpeg folder and move it to the root of your main drive.
4. Add the FFmpeg folder to your system path.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

How to Install FFmpeg on Windows

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Install 7-Zip. If you don't have 7-Zip already installed, you'll need it to be able to extract the FFmpeg files. This tool is free, and you can download it from 7-zip.org.

   • Once you've downloaded the installer, double-click the downloaded file, then follow the on-screen instructions to install.
2. 
   2
   Go to www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds. This page hosts the precompiled FFmpeg binary files you'll need for Windows.
   Advertisement
3. 
   3
   Click the release builds link. You'll see this in the left panel.
4. 
   4
   Click the link to download ffmpeg-release-full.7z. The full text of the link is www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/ffmpeg-release-full.7z. This link downloads the latest FFmpeg files to your PC in a compressed format.

   • The full release of FFmpeg works on Windows 10 and later. If you're using Windows 7 or Windows 8, you will need to download ffmpeg-release-essentials.7z instead.
   • You can also download FFmpeg in the command prompt by running this command: winget install -e --id Gyan.FFmpeg --exact.
5. 
   5
   Extract the downloaded file. Here's how:

   • Right-click the Windows/Start button and select File Explorer.
   • Click the Downloads folder in the left panel (you may have to click This PC first to find it).
   • Right-click the file that begins with "ffmpeg" and ends with ".7z."
   • (Windows 11 only) Click Show more options.
   • Select the 7-Zip menu and click Extract Here. This creates a new folder with the same name as the .7z file.
6. 
   6
   Rename the extracted folder FFmpeg. To do this:

   • Right-click the folder.
   • If you're using Windows 10, click Rename. If you have Windows 11, click the icon of an "A" followed by a cursor at the bottom of the menu.
   • Type FFmpeg and press Enter.
7. 
   7
   Click the FFmpeg folder once and press Control+X. This "cuts" the folder from the Downloads folder so you can paste it into the root of your hard drive.
8. 
   8
   Click This PC in File Explorer. It's the computer icon in the left panel.
9. 
   9
   Double-click your hard drive. It's usually called "Windows (C:)" or "OS (C:)," but the name and drive letter may vary.
10. 
    10
    Right-click a blank area of the right panel and select Paste. This moves the folder to the root of your hard drive.
11. 
    11
    Open Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, just type cmd into the Windows search bar, right-click Command Prompt, select Run as administrator, and then click Yes.
12. 
    12
    Add FFmpeg to your system path. To do this from the command line, type or paste setx /m PATH "C:\ffmpeg\bin;%PATH%" and press Enter. When you're finished, close the Command Prompt window.

    • You've now installed FFmpeg and set the proper environment variables.
    • To confirm that FFmpeg is working, open a new command prompt window (FFmpeg won't work in the other Command Prompt window), type ffmpeg -version, and then press Enter.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting

Download Article

1. 
   1
   When I double-click ffmpeg.exe, it opens and then disappears. FFmpeg is a command-line program, so double-clicking the file won't actually run it. To use FFmpeg commands, you'll need to open a command prompt window. To learn more about converting audio and video with FFmpeg at the command line, check out our handy guide to FFmpeg.
2. 
   2
   When I try to add FFmpeg to the system path, I get "Access to the registry path is denied." This error occurs when you're not using an elevated (Administrator) command prompt. To add FFmpeg to the system path, open the Command Prompt like this:

   • Press the Windows key and type cmd.
   • Right-click "Command Prompt."
   • Select Run as administrator.
   • Click Yes to confirm.
3. 
   3
   I get the error "'ffmpeg' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." If you get the error immediately after installing FFmpeg, it's typically because you're typing it into the same Command Prompt window you used to install FFmpeg. You must close that window and open a new Command Prompt to test and run FFmpeg.
4. 
   4
   I get the error "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000005)." This error occurs when you try to use the full build of FFmpeg on an older, unsupported version of Windows like Windows 7 or 8. If you're still using a much older version of Windows and want to use FFmpeg, install the Essentials build instead.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

• Question

  Isn't the folder path case-sensitive? If you rename it to "FFmpeg" but the path has "C:\...\ffmpeg\bin", won't that cause an error?

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  Windows directory names are not case-sensitive. Don't worry, it'll definitely work!

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 18 Helpful 25
• Question

  How can I get WSL (Ubuntu) to recognize this if I've installed it? Works with Powershell. (Using Windows Terminal)

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  If you're using Ubuntu via WSL, you have a couple of options. If you want to run the FFmpeg binary, you can cd into /mnt/c/FFmpeg/bin (replace "c" if you put the FFmpeg folder on a different drive letter) and run the command ./ffmpeg.exe (add whichever flags you need), or skip the Windows stuff and just install the FFmpeg package in an Ubuntu terminal with "sudo apt install ffmpeg."

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 16
• Question

  I clicked the following buttons, ffmpeg.exe, ffplay.exe and ffprobe.exe, they turned up for a glance then disappeared. What's happened? Thank you.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA
  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.

  

  Nicole Levine, MFA

  wikiHow Technology Writer

  Expert Answer

  These applications can only be run from the command line. If you try to double-click them in File Explorer, you'll experience the behavior you've witnessed. Instead, open Command Prompt, then run the "ffmpeg" command to view all possible command line options.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 11 Helpful 25

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

• FFmpeg is a command-line-only program, meaning you can only use it in the Command Prompt. This may prove difficult for users who aren't familiar with Command Prompt.
  Thanks

  Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• You must have an administrator account to install FFmpeg.
  Thanks

  Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement