Free tool · Video
Best Export Settings for YouTube
Export an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz, in variable bitrate. For 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 fps YouTube recommends 8 Mbps of video and 384 kbps of stereo audio, and 12 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fps. Those numbers come from YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026. Pick your resolution, frame rate and SDR or HDR below for the full set.
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24, 25 and 30 are the standard band. 48, 50 and 60 are the high band.
Seconds (90), m:ss (1:30) or h:mm:ss (01:02:03). Used for the size estimate.
Recommended settings
- Container
- MP4
- Video codec
- H.264
- Profile
- High
- B frames
- 2 consecutive
- GOP
- Closed, 15 frames (half the frame rate)
- Chroma subsampling
- 4:2:0
- Video bitrate
- 8 Mbps
- Audio codec
- AAC-LC
- Audio sample rate
- 48 kHz
- Audio bitrate (stereo)
- 384 kbps
Estimated file size for 10:00: about 628.8 MB at the low end of the recommended bitrate, audio included.
Values from YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
The full settings set, in one place
Most advice on YouTube exports stops at a bitrate. YouTube's own page asks for more than that, and the extra settings are the ones that decide whether a file is processed correctly. All of the following is from YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026.
Container and file
The container is MP4. The page adds two file-level rules: no edit lists, or the video might not get processed correctly, and the moov atom at the front of the file, which is the Fast Start option in many encoders. Both are properties of how the file is written, not of the picture.
Video codec and structure
The codec is H.264, progressive scan with no interlacing, High Profile, two consecutive B frames, a closed GOP with a length of half the frame rate, and CABAC entropy coding. Chroma subsampling is 4:2:0. The bitrate is variable, and no bitrate limit is required.
Audio
The page lists AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio as audio codecs, with stereo, stereo plus 5.1, or stereo plus Eclipsa Audio as channel layouts, at a 48 kHz sample rate. Recommended audio bitrates are 128 kbps for mono, 384 kbps for stereo and 512 kbps for 5.1. This tool lists AAC-LC, the first of those codecs on the page.
Frame rate and color
Encode and upload at the frame rate you recorded. For SDR the recommended color space is BT.709 for transfer characteristics, primaries and matrix. YouTube converts primaries that need high bit depth without a supported HDR transfer function, such as BT.2020, to 8-bit BT.709, and converts full color range to limited range.
Should I export in 4K or 1080p for YouTube?
Export at the resolution you shot and edited in, and use the bitrate for that resolution. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026, lists SDR bitrates of 8 Mbps for 1080p and 35 to 45 Mbps for 2160p at 24, 25 or 30 fps. That is roughly four to six times the data for 4K. At the low ends, a 10 minute upload is about 2.7 GB at 4K against about 0.6 GB at 1080p, audio included.
The same page carries one 4K-specific sentence: to view new 4K uploads in 4K, use a browser or device that supports VP9. That is a viewing requirement, not an upload one, and it means some of your audience will see a lower resolution however you export. The page does not say that a 4K upload looks better when watched at 1080p, so we do not claim it. The practical rule is ours rather than YouTube's: export 4K only when the footage is genuinely 4K and you can afford the upload time and file size, because upscaling 1080p footage to 4K adds bytes without adding detail.
To see exactly what each choice costs in file size, use the video bitrate calculator.
Should I export at 44.1 or 48 kHz?
Export at 48 kHz. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026, gives the sample rate as 48kHz and does not list 44.1 kHz among its recommendations.
If your source audio is 44.1 kHz, set the export to 48 kHz and let the editor resample once, at export, rather than stacking several conversions. We make no claim about how audible the difference is, because YouTube's page does not make one. The page only gives the target, and the target is 48 kHz.
Is MP4 or MOV better for YouTube?
MP4. The first line of the settings list on YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026, is Container: MP4, and MOV does not appear in the recommended settings. We are not saying a MOV file will be rejected, because that page does not say so and we have not tested it. We are saying that MP4 is the container YouTube names, so it is the one with no guesswork attached.
The container also carries the two file rules from the page: no edit lists, and the moov atom at the front of the file. Both are properties of how the file is written, so check them when a file fails to process properly and the codec settings look right.
Should I export my video in 30 or 60 fps?
Export at the frame rate you recorded. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026, says content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded, and lists 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 as common rates, with other rates also acceptable. Converting 30 fps footage to 60 fps does not add motion information, and the page gives no reason to do it.
What the frame rate changes is the bitrate. The page's tables have a standard column for 24, 25 and 30 fps and a high column for 48, 50 and 60 fps. At 1080p SDR that is 8 Mbps against 12 Mbps, which is 1.5 times the data per second. At 1440p it is 16 against 24 Mbps, at 720p 5 against 7.5 Mbps. If you shot at 60 fps, expect a file about half as large again as the same clip at 30 fps.
Recommended video bitrates, SDR and HDR
Both tables are transcribed from YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings), checked October 2026. Standard frame rate means 24, 25 or 30 fps; high frame rate means 48, 50 or 60. Where Google prints a range the tool uses the low end.
| Resolution | SDR standard | SDR high | HDR standard | HDR high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8K | 80 to 160 Mbps | 120 to 240 Mbps | 100 to 200 Mbps | 150 to 300 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K) | 35 to 45 Mbps | 53 to 68 Mbps | 44 to 56 Mbps | 66 to 85 Mbps |
| 1440p (2K) | 16 Mbps | 24 Mbps | 20 Mbps | 30 Mbps |
| 1080p | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
| 720p | 5 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps | 6.5 Mbps | 9.5 Mbps |
| 480p | 2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
| 360p | 1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
Source: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171. Checked October 2026.
The page also notes that these are recommendations for uploads and that audio playback bitrate is not related to video resolution. Our reading: these numbers describe the file you upload, not the stream viewers receive, because YouTube processes every upload before playback.
Editor-specific settings
We have not listed menu paths for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or CapCut here. Their export dialogs change between versions and we only publish steps that the vendor's own documentation backs. The settings above are the targets; map them to whatever your editor calls the same fields, usually Format or Container for MP4, Codec for H.264, and Profile, Keyframe distance, and Bitrate encoding for the structure and bitrate. If an editor offers a YouTube preset, compare its values with the card above before trusting it.
If you work from a command line, the ffmpeg command generator builds the matching commands, and the other free tools cover related jobs. All of them run in your browser.
How to find the best export settings for YouTube
Step 1
Choose resolution, frame rate and dynamic range
Pick the resolution you are exporting, the frame rate you recorded and whether the footage is SDR or HDR.
Step 2
Read the settings card
The card lists the container, codec, profile, GOP, chroma, video bitrate and audio settings YouTube recommends for that combination.
Step 3
Copy the settings into your editor
Use Copy as text, then set the same values in your editor's export dialog. Enter a video length to see the estimated file size.
When you outgrow this tool
Linkeddit Studio exports H.264 with AAC audio as MP4 at 2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p or 480p with no watermark, so you choose the quality tier once per export.
This tool is free and complete on its own, with no account. Linkeddit Studio is the desktop editor for the same job on files on your own disk: it exports H.264 with AAC audio as MP4 at 2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p or 480p with no watermark, and a Claude Code or Codex agent can run the export for you. Studio is a one-time purchase.
FAQ
Best Export Settings for YouTube questions
Direct answers on container, codec, bitrate, GOP and color, each tied to YouTube's own help page.
What are the best export settings for YouTube?
YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) recommends an MP4 container with H.264 video (High Profile, 2 consecutive B frames, closed GOP of half the frame rate, CABAC, 4:2:0 chroma, progressive scan), AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz, and variable bitrate. For 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 fps that means 8 Mbps video and 384 kbps stereo audio.
What bitrate should I use for 4K on YouTube?
YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) lists 35 to 45 Mbps for 2160p SDR at 24, 25 or 30 fps and 53 to 68 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fps. For 2160p HDR it lists 44 to 56 Mbps and 66 to 85 Mbps. The tool above returns the low end of each range.
Does YouTube need a constant bitrate?
No. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) says variable bitrate, and that no bitrate limit is required, though it offers recommended bitrates for reference.
What does a closed GOP of half the frame rate mean?
A GOP is a group of pictures between full reference frames. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) asks for a closed GOP with a length of half the frame rate, so a 30 fps video has a GOP of 15 frames and a 60 fps video has 30. The tool shows the exact number for the frame rate you pick.
Should I upload at the frame rate I recorded?
Yes. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) says content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded, and that 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 are common while other frame rates are also acceptable.
What should I do with interlaced footage?
Deinterlace it before uploading. YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) asks for progressive scan with no interlacing, and gives the example that 1080i60 should become 1080p30.
What color space does YouTube recommend for SDR?
YouTube Help (Recommended upload encoding settings, checked October 2026) recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads, for the transfer characteristics, the color primaries and the matrix coefficients. For HDR it points to its separate Upload HDR videos article, so this tool lists bitrates for HDR but not HDR color settings.
Is my video uploaded when I use this tool?
No. The tool never asks for a video file. It looks up values and does arithmetic on what you type, it runs in your browser, and nothing is sent to Linkeddit or anywhere else.
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