Supported Audio & Video Formats
Audio uploads are available on every plan, including Community. Video requires Starter or above. Transcription of either requires Starter or above — on Community the AI describes a recording but cannot read it.
Audio formats
| Format | Container | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | MP3 | Most common; widely compatible |
| WAV | WAV | Uncompressed; preferred for preservation masters |
| M4A | MP4 | Apple's lossless / lossy container |
| FLAC | FLAC | Lossless compression; recommended over MP3 for archival |
| OGG | OGG | Open container; less common in archives |
| AAC | AAC / M4A | Lossy; common from mobile recorders |
File size limits: Community 50 MB per file; Starter and Professional 500 MB; Institution up to 5 GB.
Video formats
| Format | Container | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 | MP4 (H.264 / H.265) | Most common; recommended for upload |
| MOV | QuickTime | Common from broadcast and consumer cameras |
| WebM | WebM | Open web video format |
| AVI | AVI | Older container; supported for historical files |
| MKV | Matroska | Modern open container |
File size limits: Starter and Professional 2 GB per file; Institution up to 5 GB. Video cannot be uploaded on Community.
Video is metered at one credit per started minute of runtime; audio at one credit per started five minutes. Transcription is included — it costs nothing beyond that.
Preservation guidance
The Library of Congress maintains recommended formats for archival use. In summary:
| Use case | Preferred | Acceptable | At-risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio master | WAV (uncompressed, 24-bit / 96 kHz) | FLAC | MP3 |
| Audio access copy | FLAC | MP3 320 kbps | M4A AAC |
| Video master | MP4 H.264 (high bitrate) or MOV ProRes | MKV | AVI, WMV |
| Video access copy | MP4 H.264 | WebM | older codecs |
Archivers.ai doesn't transcode your uploads — what you upload is what's stored and exported in BagIt / preservation packages. Upload the highest-quality version your plan allows.
Container vs codec
A format is the container; what's inside is the codec. Files are accepted on the strength of their extension, stored as uploaded and never transcoded — so an unusual codec inside an accepted container will store and export perfectly well but may not play in the browser. See Playing audio & video.
What about subtitles?
SRT and VTT files can't be uploaded as items, and there's no way to supply your own transcript in place of the platform's. Transcription is opt-in per file, so if you'd rather not have one, simply don't run it. Archivers.ai writes SRT and VTT — transcripts leave in both formats as part of a BagIt export.
See also
- Playing audio & video — the inline player
- Transcription — automatic speech-to-text
- Uploading files — overall plan limits