How to Install FFmpeg on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 22.04)

Most video conversion, audio extraction, and streaming workflows on Linux run through FFmpeg at some point. Ubuntu ships it in the default Universe repository, so you can install FFmpeg on Ubuntu Linux with a single APT command and keep it updated alongside the rest of your system.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS all carry FFmpeg in their default repositories. Anyone who needs a newer upstream release or custom build flags can compile from source instead, with an update script to simplify future rebuilds.

Install FFmpeg on Ubuntu Linux with APT

Ubuntu ships FFmpeg in the Universe repository, so most systems can install it directly without adding third-party sources.

Ubuntu Release	Default FFmpeg	Support Window	Best For
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS	FFmpeg 8.0.x	Standard support through 2031	New deployments needing the latest Ubuntu-packaged FFmpeg features
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	FFmpeg 6.1.x	Standard support through 2029	Production systems balancing feature set and stability
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	FFmpeg 4.4.x	Standard support through 2027	Legacy stacks pinned to Jammy-era multimedia libraries

For most users, the Ubuntu repository is the recommended method because it is straightforward, receives security updates through APT, and avoids maintenance overhead from custom builds.

Refresh the package index and apply any pending upgrades before installing new software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This guide uses sudo for administrative commands. If your account does not have sudo privileges yet, follow this guide to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu Linux.

Install the FFmpeg package, which pulls in codec libraries for H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, and more:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

Check the installed version to confirm FFmpeg is working:

ffmpeg -version

ffmpeg version 8.0.1-3ubuntu2 Copyright (c) 2000-2025 the FFmpeg developers
configuration: --prefix=/usr --extra-version=3ubuntu2 --enable-gpl --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libaom ...
libavutil      60.  8.100 / 60.  8.100
libavcodec     62. 11.100 / 62. 11.100
libavformat    62.  3.100 / 62.  3.100

If this version output does not match your Ubuntu package branch, you probably still have a source build in /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg. Check with which ffmpeg and compare against /usr/bin/ffmpeg -version to confirm what APT installed.

Double-check which repository the package came from and whether APT sees a newer candidate:

apt-cache policy ffmpeg

ffmpeg:
  Installed: 7:8.0.1-3ubuntu2
  Candidate: 7:8.0.1-3ubuntu2
  Version table:
 *** 7:8.0.1-3ubuntu2 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

If you run Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or 22.04 LTS, the command output follows the same format but reports the release-specific package versions from those repositories. You can check package details for each release at Ubuntu Packages: FFmpeg.

If you plan to build software against FFmpeg libraries, install the development headers as well:

sudo apt install libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-dev

Compile FFmpeg from Source on Ubuntu Linux (Optional)

Use this method when you need a newer upstream FFmpeg branch, custom compile flags, or a /usr/local build separate from Ubuntu’s packaged version.

Known gotcha: a source install under /usr/local/bin usually takes precedence over Ubuntu’s APT binary in /usr/bin. If versions look inconsistent later, check with which ffmpeg.

Install the source-build prerequisites first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config nasm yasm libx264-dev libx265-dev libvpx-dev libmp3lame-dev libopus-dev libaom-dev libass-dev libfreetype6-dev libvorbis-dev libtheora-dev libtool libva-dev libvdpau-dev libxcb1-dev libxcb-shm0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev zlib1g-dev wget curl git

Use the GitHub API with curl to detect and download the latest stable FFmpeg source tag automatically:

mkdir -p "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/src"
cd "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/src"

FFMPEG_TAG=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/tags?per_page=100 | grep -oP '"name": "\Kn[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?(?=")' | head -n 1)
echo "Latest stable FFmpeg tag: $FFMPEG_TAG"

curl -fL "https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/archive/refs/tags/${FFMPEG_TAG}.tar.gz" -o "ffmpeg-${FFMPEG_TAG}.tar.gz"
tar -xzf "ffmpeg-${FFMPEG_TAG}.tar.gz"
ln -sfn "FFmpeg-${FFMPEG_TAG}" ffmpeg-current

Latest stable FFmpeg tag: n8.0.1

Run ./configure to enable the codecs you need, then compile with all available CPU cores and install to /usr/local:

cd "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/src/ffmpeg-current"

./configure \
  --prefix=/usr/local \
  --disable-static \
  --enable-shared \
  --enable-gpl \
  --enable-libx264 \
  --enable-libx265 \
  --enable-libvpx \
  --enable-libmp3lame \
  --enable-libopus \
  --enable-libaom \
  --enable-libass \
  --enable-libfreetype \
  --enable-libvorbis \
  --enable-libtheora

make -j"$(nproc)"
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig
hash -r

The ldconfig command refreshes the shared library cache so the system finds the new FFmpeg libraries. The hash -r command clears your shell’s path lookup cache so it picks up the new binary location. Confirm the binary your shell resolves:

which ffmpeg
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1

/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg
ffmpeg version 8.0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2025 the FFmpeg developers

When both APT and source builds are installed, /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg usually takes precedence over /usr/bin/ffmpeg. Use which ffmpeg whenever version behavior seems inconsistent.

Create an Update Script for Source-Compiled FFmpeg

Source builds do not update through APT. Create this script at $HOME/ffmpeg-build/update-ffmpeg.sh to check for new stable tags and rebuild automatically when a newer version is available:

cat <<'EOF' > "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/update-ffmpeg.sh"
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# Paths used by this guide
SRC_ROOT="$HOME/ffmpeg-build/src"
SRC_LINK="$SRC_ROOT/ffmpeg-current"

echo "Checking currently installed FFmpeg version..."
CURRENT_VERSION=$(ffmpeg -version 2>/dev/null | head -n 1 | grep -oP 'version \K[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+){1,2}' || echo "not-installed")
echo "Current version: $CURRENT_VERSION"

echo "Fetching latest stable FFmpeg tag from GitHub..."
LATEST_TAG=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/tags?per_page=100 | grep -oP '"name": "\Kn[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?(?=")' | head -n 1)
LATEST_VERSION="${LATEST_TAG#n}"
echo "Latest tag: $LATEST_TAG"

if [[ "$CURRENT_VERSION" == "$LATEST_VERSION" ]]; then
  echo "FFmpeg is already up to date."
  exit 0
fi

mkdir -p "$SRC_ROOT"
cd "$SRC_ROOT"

echo "Downloading FFmpeg $LATEST_VERSION..."
curl -fL "https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/archive/refs/tags/${LATEST_TAG}.tar.gz" -o "ffmpeg-${LATEST_TAG}.tar.gz"

echo "Extracting source archive..."
tar -xzf "ffmpeg-${LATEST_TAG}.tar.gz"
ln -sfn "FFmpeg-${LATEST_TAG}" ffmpeg-current
cd "$SRC_LINK"

echo "Configuring build..."
./configure \
  --prefix=/usr/local \
  --disable-static \
  --enable-shared \
  --enable-gpl \
  --enable-libx264 \
  --enable-libx265 \
  --enable-libvpx \
  --enable-libmp3lame \
  --enable-libopus \
  --enable-libaom \
  --enable-libass \
  --enable-libfreetype \
  --enable-libvorbis \
  --enable-libtheora

echo "Compiling FFmpeg (this may take several minutes)..."
make -j"$(nproc)"

echo "Installing FFmpeg to /usr/local..."
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig
hash -r

echo "Update complete."
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1
EOF

Mark the script as executable with chmod, then run it to verify the update check works:

chmod +x "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/update-ffmpeg.sh"
"$HOME/ffmpeg-build/update-ffmpeg.sh"

Checking currently installed FFmpeg version...
Current version: 8.0.1
Fetching latest stable FFmpeg tag from GitHub...
Latest tag: n8.0.1
FFmpeg is already up to date.

Common FFmpeg Commands on Ubuntu Linux

Once FFmpeg is installed, these commands cover the tasks most users perform first.

Task	Command
Container conversion (MKV to MP4)	ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v copy -c:a copy output.mp4
Re-encode to H.264 + AAC	ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4
Extract audio to MP3	ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -q:a 2 audio.mp3
Resize video to 720p	ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1280:720" -c:a copy output-720p.mp4

Convert MKV to MP4 Without Re-encoding

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v copy -c:a copy output.mp4

The -c:v copy -c:a copy flags tell FFmpeg to stream-copy both video and audio without re-encoding, so the conversion is nearly instant and lossless. Stream-copy only works when the source codecs are already MP4-compatible (H.264 or H.265 video, AAC audio). If the source uses incompatible codecs, use the re-encode command below instead.

Re-encode Video with H.264 and AAC

ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

The -crf 23 flag controls visual quality on a scale from 0 (lossless) to 51 (lowest quality), and 23 is a good balance between file size and sharpness. The -preset medium flag trades encoding speed for compression efficiency. The -b:a 128k flag sets the audio bitrate. Use this command when you need a smaller or more compatible output file.

Extract Audio Track to MP3

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -q:a 2 audio.mp3

The -vn flag drops the video stream, while -q:a 2 keeps high-quality variable bitrate audio.

Resize Video to 720p

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1280:720" -c:a copy output-720p.mp4

For aspect-ratio-safe scaling, replace 1280:720 with 1280:-1 or -1:720.

Troubleshoot FFmpeg on Ubuntu Linux

Symptom	Likely Cause	Quick Fix
command not found	Package missing or stale shell cache	sudo apt install --reinstall ffmpeg && hash -r
Unknown encoder 'libx264'	Active build missing the encoder library	Reinstall Ubuntu’s FFmpeg package
Permission denied	No write access to output directory	Write to a user-owned directory
Wrong version reported	Source build shadowing APT binary	Check path with which ffmpeg

ffmpeg Command Not Found

If FFmpeg is not detected after installation, your package may not have installed correctly or your shell command cache may be stale.

bash: ffmpeg: command not found

Check whether the binary is present on your path:

which ffmpeg

/usr/bin/ffmpeg

If no path is returned, reinstall the package and refresh your shell cache:

sudo apt install --reinstall ffmpeg
hash -r

Verify the fix:

ffmpeg -version | head -n 1

ffmpeg version 8.0.1-3ubuntu2 Copyright (c) 2000-2025 the FFmpeg developers

Unknown Encoder Errors (libx264, libx265, libaom)

This error appears when your active FFmpeg build does not include the encoder you requested.

Unknown encoder 'libx264'

Check which encoders are available in your current FFmpeg binary:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -encoders | grep -E 'libaom-av1|libx264|libx265'

If the encoders are compiled in, you will see lines like these:

 V....D libaom-av1           libaom AV1 (codec av1)
 V....D libx264              libx264 H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10 (codec h264)
 V....D libx264rgb           libx264 H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10 RGB (codec h264)
 V....D libx265              libx265 H.265 / HEVC (codec hevc)

For more grep filtering tricks, such as case-insensitive search or pattern exclusion, the full command guide covers those options.

If those encoders are missing, reinstall Ubuntu’s FFmpeg package to restore the distro build:

sudo apt install --reinstall ffmpeg

Re-run the grep encoder check above to confirm the libraries are restored.

Permission Denied When Writing Output Files

FFmpeg needs write access to the destination directory. This often happens when saving to system paths without root permissions.

output.mp4: Permission denied

Check who owns the target directory and whether your user has write access:

ls -ld /path/to/output-directory

drwxr-xr-x 2 user user 4096 Mar  1 12:10 /home/user/videos

Write to a directory you own, such as your home folder, then re-run your conversion command.

APT and Source-Build FFmpeg Version Mismatch

If you installed FFmpeg from source and APT on the same system, check which binary your shell is executing before troubleshooting codec behavior.

which ffmpeg
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1

If this reports /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg, you are using the source build. If you want Ubuntu’s packaged version instead, remove the source binaries in the removal section below and refresh your shell cache with hash -r.

Remove FFmpeg from Ubuntu Linux

If you no longer need FFmpeg, remove it with APT and clean unused dependencies.

sudo apt remove ffmpeg
sudo apt autoremove

If you also installed FFmpeg development headers, remove those packages separately:

sudo apt remove libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-dev

Confirm FFmpeg is no longer installed:

apt-cache policy ffmpeg

ffmpeg:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 7:8.0.1-3ubuntu2
  Version table:
     7:8.0.1-3ubuntu2 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/universe amd64 Packages

Remove Source-Compiled FFmpeg Files (If Installed)

The following commands permanently remove the source-compiled FFmpeg binaries and build workspace under $HOME/ffmpeg-build/. Back up any custom build notes or scripts before cleanup.

sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/ffprobe /usr/local/bin/ffplay
rm -rf "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/src" "$HOME/ffmpeg-build/update-ffmpeg.sh"
hash -r

If the APT package is still installed, the system binary should take over automatically:

which ffmpeg
ffmpeg -version | head -n 1

/usr/bin/ffmpeg
ffmpeg version 8.0.1-3ubuntu2 Copyright (c) 2000-2025 the FFmpeg developers

If you are troubleshooting path behavior after uninstalling, this primer on the which command in Linux can help you confirm which binary your shell is selecting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

FFmpeg is set up on Ubuntu with working H.264, H.265, AV1, and VP9 encoders through either APT or a custom source build. For a GUI transcoding workflow, add HandBrake on Ubuntu. For playback testing, grab VLC on Ubuntu or the lighter MPV on Ubuntu. For recording and streaming, see OBS Studio on Ubuntu, and for audio editing, Audacity on Ubuntu.