Video · .flv
What Is an FLV File?
A .flv file is a video format used by Adobe Flash Player.
- Extension
- .flv
- Full name
- Flash Video
- Type
- Video
- MIME type
- video/x-flv
- Developed by
- Adobe (originally Macromedia)
About FLV Files
FLV was the format behind most web video in the 2000s, including early YouTube, played through the Adobe Flash plug-in. Flash was retired at the end of 2020 and no browser plays FLV any more. Old downloads and archives still contain FLV files, and some live-streaming software uses the format internally. VLC plays them, and converting to MP4 is easy because many FLV files already contain H.264 video.
How to Open an FLV File
- Windows & Mac
- Play it in VLC or MPC-HC.
- iPhone & Android
- Use VLC for Mobile.
FLV File Questions
Why won't my browser play FLV?
Flash Player was discontinued in 2020, so browsers no longer support FLV. Use VLC or convert it to MP4.
Can I convert FLV to MP4 without quality loss?
If the FLV contains H.264 video, FFmpeg can copy it into an MP4 container without re-encoding.