# WebRTC Codec Support Checker - H.265/HEVC Browser Compatibility Tool
Check your browser's WebRTC codec support, focusing on H.265/HEVC compatibility. Learn how to enable H.265 in Chrome and other browsers for better video compression.
Author: VDO.Ninja
Keywords: H.265, HEVC, H265, WebRTC, OBS, WHIP, codec support, video compression, Chrome H.265, browser compatibility, video codec, codec checker, WebRTC codec

WebRTC Codec Support Checker

H.265 (also known as HEVC or H265) is a modern and efficient video codec capable of high-efficiency video compression. Due to licensing requirements, its availability in browsers is limited, but support is improving.

## 🎉 Chrome Now Supports H.265 Natively!

Great news! Starting from Chrome version 136 and above, H.265/HEVC is now supported natively for WebRTC without requiring any flags or special configuration.

Platform requirements:

- ✅ Windows, macOS: Works out of the box
- ⚠️ Linux: Requires VAAPI support

## Checking codec support...

## Supported Codecs

## H.265/HEVC Browser Support

H.265/HEVC support varies by browser:

- Chrome/Chromium v136+: Supported natively (no flags needed!)
- Chrome/Chromium v135 and below: Can be enabled manually with flags
- Safari-based browsers: Supported natively
- Thorium browser: Supported natively
- Firefox: Generally not supported
- Other browsers: Check individual browser documentation

## Enabling H.265 in Older Chrome Versions (v135 and below)

### Method 1: Using a Desktop Shortcut

1. Right-click on your Chrome desktop shortcut (create one if you don't have it)
2. Select "Properties"
3. In the "Target" field, after the quotes containing the Chrome executable path, add a space and then paste: `--enable-features=PlatformHEVCEncoderSupport,WebRtcAllowH265Receive,WebRtcAllowH265Send --force-fieldtrials=WebRTC-Video-H26xPacketBuffer/Enabled`
4. The complete target should look similar to: `"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --enable-features=PlatformHEVCEncoderSupport,WebRtcAllowH265Receive,WebRtcAllowH265Send --force-fieldtrials=WebRTC-Video-H26xPacketBuffer/Enabled`
5. Click "Apply" and "OK"

Note: You must launch Chrome using this modified shortcut to enable H.265 support.

### Method 2: Using Command Prompt

1. Close all running Chrome instances
2. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog
3. Type "cmd" and press Enter to open Command Prompt
4. Navigate to Chrome's installation directory (typically): `cd "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application"`
5. Run Chrome with the parameters: `chrome.exe --enable-features=PlatformHEVCEncoderSupport,WebRtcAllowH265Receive,WebRtcAllowH265Send --force-fieldtrials=WebRTC-Video-H26xPacketBuffer/Enabled`

Important: These settings need to be applied each time you launch Chrome. Using a modified shortcut (Method 1) is more convenient for regular use.

## Important Compatibility Notice

While H.265/HEVC offers excellent compression efficiency, there are some important considerations:

- Not all WebRTC viewers support H.265, even if their browser technically can decode it
- Different H.265 implementations may not be compatible with each other
- Using H.265 in SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) broadcasting applications is not recommended due to these compatibility issues

VDO.Ninja handles this gracefully by automatically falling back to other codecs if H.265 negotiation fails. You can specify a codec preference order using the codec parameter in your viewer link:

`Example: &codec=h265,av1,h264,vp8`

This tells VDO.Ninja to try codecs in order: first H.265, then AV1, then H.264, and finally VP8, ensuring the best available codec is used for each connection.