X HEVC Encoder - free Windows app

Free HEVC Encoder for Windows

X HEVC Encoder converts any video to HEVC (H.265) on Windows 11 and 10. Use x265 for the smallest files, or your NVIDIA, Intel or AMD graphics card for speed - the app detects which encoders you have.

libx265 software x265 CLI NVIDIA NVENC AMD AMF Intel QSV CRF quality control Resolution scaling VBV bitrate cap HDR metadata Windows 7-11
Download X HEVC Encoder Free - Windows 7/8/10/11 - v1.3.2 - .exe - requires FFmpeg
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The basics

What is an HEVC encoder?

An HEVC encoder turns video into the HEVC (H.265) format.

HEVC keeps the same picture quality as H.264 at roughly half the file size, which is why it is used for 4K, HDR, phone cameras and Blu-ray.

There are two kinds of HEVC encoder. Software encoders such as x265 run on your CPU and give the best quality per megabyte. Hardware encoders - NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync (QSV) and AMD AMF - are built into your graphics chip and are many times faster.

X HEVC Encoder is a free Windows app that drives all of them from one window, so you can pick quality or speed per video.

Quick recommendation

Which HEVC encoder should you use?

Best quality

x265 (libx265)

The reference open-source HEVC encoder. Smallest files at a given quality - the right choice for archiving, movies and anything you keep.

Runs on any CPU - slow

Fastest

NVIDIA NVENC

Hardware encoder on GeForce GTX 950 and newer, with 10-bit HEVC from the GTX 10 series. On RTX 40 and RTX 50 cards the quality is close to x265 at its faster presets, at many times the speed.

NVIDIA GPU - very fast

Laptops

Intel Quick Sync (QSV)

Built into Intel processors with graphics from 6th gen Core (10-bit from 7th gen) and every Intel Arc card. Fast and easy on the battery.

Intel CPU or Arc GPU - fast

AMD

AMD AMF

Hardware HEVC encoding on Radeon RX 400 and newer. Note that the RX 6400 and RX 6500 XT have no hardware encoder at all.

AMD Radeon GPU - very fast

Not sure what your graphics card supports? Check it with the HEVC hardware encoding and decoding checker. Want a fully open-source alternative to x265? X HEVC Encoder also runs Kvazaar.

Step by step

How to encode a video to HEVC on Windows

1

Download X HEVC Encoder and FFmpeg

Put X-HEVC-Encoder.exe and ffmpeg.exe in the same folder. Nothing is installed.

2

Pick your video and a preset

Choose the source file, then a use case - Archival, Streaming, HDR/4K, Web, Blu-ray or Mobile. The app sets the encoder, CRF and profile for you.

3

Press Encode

Pick x265 for the smallest file or NVENC, QSV or AMF for speed, then press Encode (or Ctrl+Enter). Progress, speed and time left are shown live.

What it does

Features

6 encoder modes

libx265 via FFmpeg, standalone x265 CLI, Kvazaar (open-source BSD), NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF and Intel QSV. Auto-detects which are available.

6 use case presets

Archival, Streaming, HDR/4K, Web/Social, Blu-ray and Mobile - each pre-configures CRF, preset speed and profile.

Editable FFmpeg command

Shows the exact command before encoding. Edit it directly or paste from the HEVC Settings Guide - your changes run as-is.

Auto source detection

Reads resolution, codec, fps, bit depth and HDR flag via FFprobe. Suggests Main10 profile automatically for HDR sources.

HDR10 metadata passthrough

Passes colorprimaries, transfer function and color matrix through the encode for correct HDR display.

Output transforms (v1.3)

Resize to 4K / 1440p / 1080p / 720p / 480p with lanczos scaling. Convert frame rate. Apply x265 tune presets. Cap peak bitrate via VBV (-maxrate / -bufsize) for streaming.

Real-time progress

Progress bar with speed and ETA. Full FFmpeg log tab for troubleshooting. Portable .exe - no installer.

X HEVC Encoder - free Windows HEVC encoding GUI showing encoder selection, CRF slider, preset options and FFmpeg command preview

X HEVC Encoder v1.3.2 - Windows 10/11

Release notes

What's new in v1.3.2

Fix
Encode button hidden on small screens

On 1366x768 monitors (18.5-inch displays and many laptops) the window was taller than the screen and the Encode button ended up below the taskbar. The window now fits your screen, the Encode and Cancel buttons are always pinned at the bottom, and the settings scroll when space is tight. - Thanks Raj for reporting it ;)

New
Ctrl+Enter to encode

Start an encode from the keyboard, wherever you are in the window.

Fix
Title bar icon

The X HEVC Encoder icon shows in the window title bar again instead of the default feather.

Previous: v1.3

New
Output transforms

Resize the output to 4K, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p or a custom W x H using lanczos scaling. Drop the frame rate to 60/50/30/25/24 fps. Apply x265 tune presets (grain, fastdecode, zerolatency, animation). Cap the peak bitrate using VBV (-maxrate / -bufsize) for streaming-bound encodes.

New
Settings persistence

Encoder, CRF, preset, profile, format and last-used folders are saved to %APPDATA%\xcodecpack\hevc and restored on next launch.

Fix
Encoding start crash

Resolved an internal error that caused encoding to fail immediately when the FFmpeg subprocess emitted its first output line. - Thanks Vitalu for reporting it ;)

Previous: v1.2

New
Kvazaar HEVC encoder support

Added support for Kvazaar - the open-source BSD-licensed HEVC encoder from Tampere University. Multi-core friendly and a free alternative to x265.

Requirements

What you need to download

X HEVC Encoder is a GUI front-end and does not bundle the encoders itself - this keeps the download small and lets you use whichever version you already have. Place the executables in the same folder as X HEVC Encoder.

Required

FFmpeg (with libx265)

Required for all encoding modes. Download a static Windows build from free-codecs.com - it includes libx265, FFprobe and all codecs in a single .exe.

Download FFmpeg
Optional

x265 CLI (standalone encoder)

The standalone x265.exe gives slightly better performance and more direct control than libx265 via FFmpeg. Uses a two-step pipe: FFmpeg decodes, x265 encodes, FFmpeg muxes.

Download x265 CLI
Optional

Kvazaar (open-source HEVC encoder)

Kvazaar is an open-source BSD-licensed HEVC encoder from Tampere University. Multi-core friendly and a fully free alternative to x265. Uses the same two-step pipe: FFmpeg decodes, Kvazaar encodes, FFmpeg muxes.

Download Kvazaar
Optional

GPU hardware encoders (NVENC / AMF / QSV)

Hardware encoders are built into your GPU and activated via driver - no separate download needed. X HEVC Encoder detects them automatically at launch. Requires an NVIDIA (Maxwell+), AMD (RX 400+) or Intel (Skylake+) GPU.

Also useful

HEVC Video Extensions (playback)

After encoding your file, you need this free Microsoft extension to play HEVC video in Windows Media Player and the Movies & TV app. Not required for encoding - only for playback in Windows apps.

Download HEVC Video Extensions
Which encoder should I use?

HEVC encoders compared: speed and quality

Encoder Speed Quality Best for
libx265 Slow Best Archival, final exports
x265 CLI Slow Best Archival, advanced params
kvazaar Medium Good Open-source BSD encoding
hevc_nvenc Very fast Good Live capture, quick exports
hevc_amf Very fast Good Live capture, quick exports
hevc_qsv Fast OK Battery-friendly laptop encodes

Hardware encoders are 5-10x faster than libx265 but produce larger files at the same CRF. For archival use libx265 or x265 CLI. For streaming or quick exports use NVENC/AMF.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the best HEVC encoder?
For quality, x265 is the best free HEVC encoder - it gives the smallest files at a given quality. For speed, the hardware encoder in your graphics card (NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV or AMD AMF) is many times faster. X HEVC Encoder runs all of them, so you can choose per video.
Is there a free HEVC encoder for Windows?
Yes. X HEVC Encoder is free and portable. It uses FFmpeg with x265, which are also free, plus the hardware encoders already built into your graphics card.
Should I use a hardware or a software HEVC encoder?
Use software (x265) when file size and quality matter most, such as archiving films. Use a hardware encoder (NVENC, QSV or AMF) when speed matters, such as game captures or quick exports. Hardware encoders make somewhat larger files at the same visual quality.
Which graphics cards have a hardware HEVC encoder?
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 and newer (10-bit from the GTX 10 series), Intel processors with graphics from 6th gen Core (10-bit from 7th gen) and all Intel Arc cards, and AMD Radeon RX 400 and newer - except the RX 6400 and RX 6500 XT. Check your exact model with the HEVC hardware support checker.
How much smaller is HEVC than H.264?
At the same visual quality, HEVC files are typically about 40-50% smaller than H.264. The saving is largest on 4K and HDR video.
Does X HEVC Encoder fit on a small or laptop screen?
Yes. Since v1.3.2 the window sizes itself to your screen, so the Encode button stays visible on 1366x768 monitors, 18.5-inch displays and small laptops. The settings scroll when space is tight, and Ctrl+Enter starts encoding from anywhere in the window.
Can I resize, change frame rate or cap the bitrate?
Yes - v1.3 added an Output transform panel with resolution scaling (4K, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p or a custom W x H using lanczos), frame rate conversion (60/50/30/25/24 fps), x265 tune presets (grain, fastdecode, zerolatency) and a VBV max bitrate cap for streaming. Typical Max bitrate values: 6000 kbps for Twitch / 1080p60, 8000-12000 for YouTube 1080p, 35000-45000 for YouTube 4K. Buf size defaults to 2x Max bitrate when blank. Settings are saved between sessions.
Why doesn't X HEVC Encoder include FFmpeg or x265?
Bundling FFmpeg would make the download significantly larger. By keeping them separate, you can use any FFmpeg version you already have, update encoders independently, and X HEVC Encoder stays small and portable. FFmpeg, x265 CLI and Kvazaar are all free downloads from free-codecs.com.
What CRF value should I use?
For archival quality use CRF 18-22 (visually lossless). For everyday use CRF 24-28 gives excellent quality at much smaller file sizes. For web and streaming CRF 28-32 is sufficient. The Archival preset starts at CRF 20 and the Streaming preset at CRF 28 as sensible defaults. See the HEVC Encoding Settings Guide for a full breakdown.
What is Kvazaar and how is it different from x265?
Kvazaar is an open-source HEVC encoder developed at Tampere University in Finland. It is BSD-licensed (more permissive than x265's GPL license) and designed to scale well on multi-core CPUs. In terms of quality per bitrate, x265 is generally ahead - so for archival use we still recommend libx265 or x265 CLI. Kvazaar is a great choice if you specifically need a permissively licensed open-source HEVC encoder, or if you want to compare encoder output. Kvazaar uses QP rather than CRF for rate control - the slider works the same way (lower = better quality).
Can I encode multiple files at once?
X HEVC Encoder encodes one file at a time. Batch encoding is planned for a future update. As a workaround you can run multiple instances of X HEVC Encoder simultaneously - each will use its own FFmpeg process.
Does it support 4K and HDR encoding?
Yes. Select the HDR/4K use case preset which automatically sets Main10 profile, enables HDR metadata passthrough (colorprimaries, transfer function, color matrix) and uses a slow preset for maximum quality. For best 4K results use libx265 or x265 CLI software encoding.
Related HEVC tools

HEVC Encoding Settings Guide

Interactive command builder for FFmpeg x265 settings. Live command preview for every use case.

Open guide

HEVC Hardware Support Checker

Check if your GPU supports HEVC hardware encode - confirm NVENC, AMF or QSV availability before downloading.

Check your GPU

X Codec Pack

Play HEVC, MKV and 50+ formats. Full HEVC hardware-accelerated playback via LAV Filters.

Download free
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