Video & Audio Format Guide
Everything you need to know about the most popular media formats - from Instagram-native MP4 and AAC to archival favorites like FLAC and MKV.
Video Formats
MP4
MPEG-4 Video
Everything about the MP4 video format - how it works, pros & cons, device compatibility, and why it is the default format for Instagram Reels.
Learn moreWEBM
WebM Video
Learn about WebM - Google's open, royalty-free video format. Compare WebM to MP4, understand browser support, and see how it powers YouTube.
Learn moreMOV
Apple QuickTime
Everything about MOV - Apple's QuickTime video format. Learn about its pros and cons, compatibility with social media, and when to use MOV vs MP4.
Learn moreAVI
Audio Video Interleave
Learn about the AVI video format - its history, pros and cons, compatibility, and why it has been largely replaced by MP4 and MKV for modern use.
Learn moreMKV
Matroska Video
Learn about MKV (Matroska) - the open-source video container that supports any codec. Discover pros, cons, device support, and common use cases.
Learn moreGIF
Graphics Interchange Format
Everything about the GIF format - how animated GIFs work, pros and cons, file size issues, and why MP4 is often a better alternative.
Learn moreAudio Formats
MP3
MPEG Audio Layer 3
Learn everything about the MP3 audio format - how it works, quality levels, pros & cons, device support, and common uses for music and social media.
Learn moreWAV
Waveform Audio
Discover the WAV audio format - uncompressed lossless quality, file sizes, device support, and when to choose WAV over MP3 or FLAC.
Learn moreAAC
Advanced Audio Coding
Learn about AAC - the audio format Instagram actually uses. Compare AAC to MP3, understand quality differences, and see how it fits your workflow.
Learn moreM4A
MPEG-4 Audio
Understand the M4A audio format - how it relates to AAC and MP4, when to use it over MP3, and how it fits into Instagram audio workflows.
Learn moreOGG
Ogg Vorbis
Learn about Ogg Vorbis - the open-source, royalty-free audio format. Discover quality comparisons with MP3 and AAC, plus compatibility details.
Learn moreFLAC
Free Lossless Audio Codec
Everything about FLAC - the free lossless audio format. Learn when to use FLAC vs MP3, understand file sizes, and explore compatibility details.
Learn more