Movavi Knowledge Base - Can't add an video file

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Cannot add an video file

If Movavi Clips cannot add certain videos from your phone, it usually means the video uses a codec not supported by the app.

Why this happens

Some videos, especially those recorded in high-efficiency formats, use a codec called H.265 (HEVC). Movavi Clips doesn’t support this codec, so these videos will not appear in the app and cannot be added to projects.
This affects:

videos recorded on newer phones with high-efficiency recording enabled
videos downloaded or received that use H.265 compression

How to fix it

Option 1: Send videos via messengers

Sending videos through a messenger automatically converts them to a compatible format:

Send the video to yourself (or a friend!) via a messenger.
Download the video back to your phone from the messenger.
Try adding the downloaded video to your Movavi Clips project.

You can usually resolve this by converting the video to a widely supported format such as H.264. There are two simple ways to do this.

Option 2: Use a video converter

Convert the video using a third-party converter:

Go to Movavi Video Converter (free online tool).
Upload your video and convert it to MP4 format with H.264 codec.
Download the converted video to your phone.
Add it to your Movavi Clips project.

You can also use other video converter apps available on your phone.

Prevent future issues: change your camera settings

To avoid this problem with new recordings, you can change your phone camera settings to record in a compatible format.

On most Android phones:

Open the Camera app.
Tap Settings (gear icon).
Look for Video settings or Advanced video options.
Find Video Encoding or High-efficiency video.
Change the setting to:

H.264 or MP4
Most Compatible (instead of High Efficiency)
H.264 (Compatible) instead of H.265 (HEVC)

The exact menu names may vary by phone model, but look for options related to video format or encoding.

After changing this setting, new videos you record will work in Movavi Clips without conversion.