---
title: "Convert VP9 video to H264 Losslessly"
date: 2022-02-07T14:47:51.000Z
author: Z.SHINCHVEN
tags: [vp9, h264, lossless, transcode, YouTube]
canonical: https://atlassc.net/2022/02/08/vp9-to-h264-losslessly
---
[VP9](https://www.webmproject.org/vp9/) serves as the standard codec for YouTube, even though it's not frequently found in video editing tools. If you have a video encoded with the VP9 codec and you want to edit it, you may have to transform it into a more commonly used codec, such as H264.

This conversion, referred to as transcoding, can be effortlessly performed using [ffmpeg](https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/H.264). By executing the following command, you can convert a VP9 video to H264 without any loss of quality:

```bash
ffmpeg -i video.webm -y -vcodec libx264 -qp 0 -pix_fmt yuv420p -acodec copy video.mp4
```

Here's a breakdown of what each part of this command does:

- `ffmpeg`: Initiates the command-line tool for multimedia operations.
- `-i video.webm`: Specifies the VP9-encoded input file.
- `-y`: Overwrites the output file if it exists.
- `-vcodec libx264`: Sets the video codec to H.264.
- `-qp 0`: Maintains maximum quality with a quantization parameter of 0.
- `-pix_fmt yuv420p`: Sets the pixel format for compatibility.
- `-acodec copy`: Preserves the original audio quality by copying the audio codec.
- `video.mp4`: Names the output file in the H.264 format.

By understanding this command, you can efficiently convert VP9 videos to H264, making them more accessible for various editing tools.