See what is inside a video or audio file: container, codecs, resolution, frame rate, bitrates and audio details.
A video metadata viewer tells you what is really inside a video file. The name and icon say very little: two files called clip.mp4 can use different codecs, sizes and frame rates, and those details decide whether a video plays on a TV, uploads to a website, imports into an editor or looks smooth. This free video metadata viewer online reads the file in your browser and shows the details in a table as soon as you choose it. There is no upload and nothing to install, so it works as a video metadata viewer on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone alike. It reads audio files too. When something goes wrong with a video, checking the metadata is usually the first step.
The file is opened in your browser with the open source Mediabunny library, which reads the container’s own structure. Container, duration, codecs, resolution, rotation, sample rate and channels come straight from the file. Overall bitrate is computed as file size × 8 ÷ duration. Frame rate and video bitrate are computed from the first 200 video packets (about 6.7 seconds of a 30 fps video), because they are not simply stored in the file and have to be measured. Tags are added at the end as rows named Tag: title, Tag: creation_time and so on. Date tags are shown as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS UTC, and other readable text entries stored in the file (under 200 characters), such as the encoder app or a GPS location, are listed as they are.
Measured result from our own test on a 10-second MP4: Container MP4, Duration 10.00 s, Overall bitrate 4111 kbps, Video codec H.264 (AVC), Resolution 1280 × 720, Frame rate 30.00 fps, Video bitrate 4109 kbps, Audio codec AAC, Sample rate 44100 Hz, Channels 1 (mono). Worked backwards with the same formula, 4111 kbps × 10 s ÷ 8 is about 5.14 million bytes, which the viewer shows as 4.90 MB because it counts 1 MB as 1,048,576 bytes.
Click the box above or drag a video or audio file onto it. There is no Start button.
The details appear straight away: container, duration, codecs, resolution, frame rate, bitrates and audio.
Press Copy details to copy every row as plain text for a message, ticket or note.
File size, container, MIME type, duration, overall bitrate, video codec, resolution, rotation, frame rate, video bitrate, audio codec, sample rate and channels.
When the file stores them as readable tags, the recording date, GPS location, encoder app, title and artist are listed too.
One button copies the whole table as text, one row per line, ready to paste anywhere.
The file is read in your browser, not uploaded. No waiting, no sign-up and no program to download.
| Row | What it tells you | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| File name, File size | Name and size in MB and exact bytes | Your device |
| Container | The file type, such as MP4, QuickTime (MOV), Matroska (MKV) or WebM | Read from the file |
| MIME type | The type a browser or server uses, such as video/mp4 | Your device, or the container |
| Duration | How long it plays, in seconds | Read from the file |
| Overall bitrate | Data per second for the whole file | Computed: size × 8 ÷ duration |
| Video codec | How the picture is compressed: H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9 or AV1 | Read from the file |
| Resolution | Width × height as shown on screen, such as 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1920 | Read from the file |
| Rotation | Whether the player turns the picture, such as 90° for some phone videos | Read from the file |
| Frame rate | Images per second, such as 24, 30 or 60 fps | Computed from the first 200 packets |
| Video bitrate | Data per second for the picture alone | Computed from the first 200 packets |
| Audio codec | How the sound is stored: AAC, Opus, MP3, Vorbis, FLAC, AC-3 or PCM | Read from the file |
| Sample rate, Channels | Sound detail (such as 44100 or 48000 Hz) and 1 for mono, 2 for stereo | Read from the file |
| Tag rows | Title, artist, album, genre, comment, recording date (creation_time), GPS location, encoder app, brands and similar text | Read from the file, when present as readable tags |
Bitrate is the easiest number to misread. It is data per second, so file size grows with both bitrate and length. The chart shows how many megabytes one minute of video takes at common bitrates, including our 4111 kbps test file.
If a file is too big for an upload limit, a high overall bitrate is usually why. The video compressor lowers it.
Many people search for a video metadata viewer to find where or when a video was recorded. This viewer shows both when the file stores them as readable tags. Measured result from our own test on an MP4 written by FFmpeg with tags (Chrome, 2026-10-24), the tag rows read:
| Row | Value shown | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tag: title | Holiday clip | Title stored in the file |
| Tag: location | +28.6139+077.2090/ | GPS latitude and longitude in ISO 6709 form (here New Delhi) |
| Tag: creation_time | 2026-10-01T10:20:30Z | Recording date and time in UTC |
| Tag: encoder | Lavf62.12.101 | The software that wrote the file |
| Tag: major_brand, compatible_brands | Short codes | MP4 file type labels |
iPhone and Android videos often carry a location tag (on iPhone it is named com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709) and a creation date. Be aware of the limits: some phones store this information in binary data that this viewer does not decode, and messaging apps and editors often remove it when they save or send a video. If the rows are missing, you can also check these places:
If neither this viewer nor these places show a date or place, the file probably no longer contains it. Before you share a video, remember that a location row means anyone with the file can see where it was made.
If you see a black screen or a format not supported message, look at the Video codec row. iPhone videos are often H.265 (HEVC), which some Windows PCs, TVs and older phones cannot play. Converting to an H.264 MP4 with the MOV to MP4 converter usually fixes it. MKV files that will not play can go through MKV to MP4.
Websites and apps limit size, resolution or length. The table shows all three. If the file is too large, the bitrate shows why, and the video compressor can bring it down.
The Rotation row shows if the player is told to turn the picture. If a video looks sideways in some apps, the rotate video tool writes the turn into the picture itself.
Check frame rate and resolution before mixing clips, to avoid a 25 fps clip in a 30 fps project or a vertical clip in a horizontal timeline. If sizes do not match, resize video can fix it.
For music and voice notes, the table shows the codec, bitrate, sample rate and channels, plus tags like artist, album and encoder. That tells you, for example, whether a file is a real lossless FLAC or a small Opus voice note.
There is no download. The same page works in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone. On a phone, tap the box and pick the video from your gallery or files.
The viewer reads files on your device, not links, so it cannot show the details of a video on YouTube, TikTok or Facebook. Platforms also re-encode uploads, so their copy usually has different settings from your original. If you made the video, choose your original file here.
Most online video metadata viewers ask you to upload the file first and then show the result from their server. For a big video that means a long wait, and your private footage sits on someone else’s computer. This viewer reads the file in your browser. The library reads only the parts of the file it needs, such as the headers and the first video packets, which is why the details usually appear within a second or two, even for large files.
It is also honest about where each number comes from. Values read from the file are shown as they are; the two values that have to be estimated, frame rate and video bitrate, are computed from real packet data, and this page tells you that. The tool does not edit or strip metadata; it only reads it.
Every row is listed in the “What each detail means” table above, with its source. Codec names are shown in the form people know, such as H.264 (AVC) instead of the short id avc. File size is shown both in MB and in exact bytes. What we do not do: we do not change your file, we do not upload or store it, and we do not decode binary tags or show embedded images. Location and recording date appear only when the file stores them as readable tags. Copy details copies exactly the rows you see, so check for a location row before you paste details somewhere public.
| Feature | VidHaul video metadata viewer | Typical upload-based viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Upload needed | No | Yes, often the whole file |
| File size limit | No fixed limit | Often a limit on free use |
| Speed for large files | Usually a second or two, no upload wait | Depends on upload speed |
| Sign-up | Not needed | Sometimes needed |
| Works offline after loading | Yes, after the tool has run once on the page | No |
| Date, location and encoder tags | Shown when stored as readable tags | Often shown |
| Copy as text | Yes, Copy details | Varies |
| Privacy | File never leaves your device | A copy is stored on a server, at least for a while |
Only inspect files you own or have the right to use.
Open this page and choose your video file. The table appears straight away with container, codecs, resolution, frame rate, bitrate and audio details.
Drop the file onto this page and read the Video codec and Audio codec rows, for example H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP9 or AV1 for video and AAC or Opus for audio.
Yes, when the file stores it as a readable tag, for example a location row with GPS coordinates like +28.6139+077.2090/. Some phones keep location in binary data this viewer does not decode, and chat apps often remove it, so a missing row does not prove anything.
Yes. The table shows the frame rate, the overall bitrate and the video bitrate. Frame rate and video bitrate are worked out from the first 200 video packets, so they describe the start of the file.
Yes. Choose an MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG, OPUS, AAC or FLAC file to see the container, duration, bitrate, audio codec, sample rate, channels and tags like artist or album.
This page works on all of them in a current browser, so there is nothing to download. Open it in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox and choose the file.
Only for a video file on your device. The viewer does not open links. If you have the original file you uploaded, choose it here.
No. The details are read by your browser on your own device, so the file never leaves your computer or phone.