Media Codec Scanner
know what's inside any media file
Every codec, resolution and stream, at a glance.
Media Codec Scanner scans a file or a whole folder of video and audio and tells you exactly what's inside: the codec, resolution, bitrate, frame rate, audio tracks and subtitles. It's a modern rebuild of the beloved AVIcodec, reading today's formats the original never could.
- No ads
- No spyware
- No telemetry
- No account
- No expiry
Truly free, with no limitations and no baggage. Download it and it's yours.
Media Codec Scanner is not code-signed, so Windows or your browser may show a caution prompt on download or first run. Choose Keep, then Run anyway.
Verify your download (optional)
Confirm the file is genuine and untampered by checking its SHA-256 checksum against the one below. Nothing to install, the tools are built into Windows.
SHA-256: f81abbb6ef32f2b469054f950f9c7193b6e43c593737e52ad117f5226a9aaaa2
- PowerShell: Get-FileHash .\MediaCodecScanner-Setup.exe
- Command Prompt: certutil -hashfile MediaCodecScanner-Setup.exe SHA256
- 7-Zip: right-click the file → CRC SHA → SHA-256
The value must match the checksum above (case does not matter). You can also grab the checksum file. If it does not match, do not run it. Re-download and check again.
Reads modern and legacy media
Powered by the MediaInfo engine: MP4, MKV, WebM, HEVC/H.265, AV1, VP9, Opus and FLAC, plus every old AVI, DivX, XviD and MPEG the classic tools handled.
Scan whole folders, fast
Point it at a drive or folder and it walks the tree and analyzes several files at once, with a live progress bar you can cancel.
Sortable, resizable grid
A virtualized table stays smooth across thousands of files. Sort by any column, choose which columns show, resize them or let them auto-fit the window.
Codec intelligence
Turns a cryptic FourCC into a friendly codec name and a "where to get it" link, the signature trick of the classic AVIcodec, brought forward to today.
Every stream, in detail
Video, all audio tracks and subtitles, with resolution, bitrate, frame rate, aspect ratio, bit depth and HDR format, all a click away.
Export, open and drop
Export the whole list to CSV or JSON, double-click a row to open it in your player, or drag files and folders straight onto the window.
What's new
- v1.0.3latest
Scans more formats by default, including MPEG-TS, M2TS, 3GP, MKA, OGV, AIFF, WavPack and APE, and always analyzes files you drop in directly, whatever their extension. Friendly codec names and "where to get it" links now show up for classic AVI, WMV and WAV files.
- v1.0.2
Built-in update checking and an About panel with a link back to billkishonti.com.
- v0.2.1
Duplicate finder: hash files by CRC32 and clear redundant copies to the Recycle Bin, with hashing you can cancel instantly, even on USB and network drives.
- v0.1.1
In-place rename and recycle, and light and dark themes.
- v0.1.0
First public release: batch codec analysis for whole folders, friendly codec names with "where to get it" links, a sortable, resizable grid, the per-file detail panel, and CSV and JSON export.
Rebuilt for today
A classic tool, rebuilt for modern media.
AVIcodec was a favorite for telling you what codec a video needed, then it was discontinued and never learned MP4, MKV, HEVC or AV1. Media Codec Scanner keeps its spirit, the folder scan, the sortable grid, the friendly codec names, and rebuilds it on a new platform with a maintained analysis engine that understands modern media. I keep it up to date.
Credits
Media Codec Scanner stands on the shoulders of two projects. It is a modern rebuild inspired by AVIcodec, the classic media analyzer by Philippe Duby (P. Duby Productions), whose freely released source it builds on. Its analysis engine is MediaInfo, the open-source library by MediaArea.net, used under the BSD 2-Clause licence. With gratitude to both.