How to Install ffmpeg on macOS with Homebrew: Commands, Verification, and Usage Examples

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

ffmpeg is an open-source tool for converting, encoding, and editing video and audio from the command line. On macOS, Homebrew handles all dependencies automatically, making installation straightforward.

Installing Homebrew

If you haven’t installed Homebrew yet, paste the following into Terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Installing ffmpeg

With Homebrew set up, install ffmpeg in one command:

brew install ffmpeg

brew install ffmpeg — dependencies are resolved automatically

Once complete, the ffmpeg command is immediately available.

ffmpeg is installed and ready

Verifying the Installation

Check the installed version:

ffmpeg -version

ffmpeg version 5.0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2022 the FFmpeg developers
built with Apple clang version 13.1.6 (clang-1316.0.21.2.5)
libavutil 57. 17.100 / 57. 17.100
libavcodec 59. 18.100 / 59. 18.100
libavformat 59. 16.100 / 59. 16.100

The version above is from the time of installation (2022). For the current latest version, see ffmpeg.org. To update: brew upgrade ffmpeg.

Checking Available Codecs

The Homebrew ffmpeg formula includes many codecs. To see what is available:

ffmpeg -codecs | grep -E "h264|hevc|vp9|av1"

On Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3), hardware encoding via h264_videotoolbox and hevc_videotoolbox is also available — significantly faster than software encoding.

Common Usage Examples

Convert to MP4 (default settings):

ffmpeg -i input.mov output.mp4

Encode to H.265 (HEVC) with software encoder:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 output.mp4

Use Apple Silicon hardware encoding (hevc_videotoolbox):