OGV File Format (.ogv)
An OGV file holds video wrapped in Xiph.Org's Ogg container, almost always Theora-encoded video paired with Vorbis audio, built as a patent-free alternative at a time when H.264 carried real licensing costs.
OGV at a glance#
| Full name | Ogg Video |
|---|---|
| File extension | .ogv |
| Category | Video Files |
| Developer | Xiph.Org Foundation |
| First released | 2003 |
| MIME types | video/ogg |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Specification | RFC 5334 (Ogg Media Types) |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads and writes this format |
What a .ogv file can hold#
These are the things a OGV file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Embedded metadata | Yes |
|---|---|
| Audio | Yes |
| Video | Yes |
| Streaming | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of OGV#
What OGV does well
- Both Theora and Vorbis ship free of any patent licensing fee, which is why free-software projects standardised on it
- Was the default video format for Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons for years, before Wikimedia moved to VP9
- The Ogg framing was designed for streaming, so a player can start decoding partway into a file
Where OGV falls short
- Theora compresses noticeably worse than H.264 or VP9 at the same file size
- Chrome disabled Theora playback by default in version 120 and removed it soon after; Firefox followed in version 126
- Hardware video decoding for Theora barely exists, so playback leans entirely on the CPU
Reach for OGV only when a target system specifically requires Ogg Theora, such as older Wikimedia tooling or a free-software media pipeline that has not moved on.
Convert OGV to MP4 or WebM for anything that needs to play in a current browser, since native Theora support has been dropped from both Chrome and Firefox.
How to open a .ogv file#
A .ogv file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts OGV into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | VLC, MPC-HC (with a codec pack) |
| macOS | VLC, IINA |
| Linux | VLC, GNOME Videos, mpv |
| Web | FileFlip |
OGV questions people ask#
What plays OGV files today?
VLC opens OGV files on Windows, macOS and Linux without any extra codecs, since it bundles its own Theora and Vorbis decoders. mpv and GNOME Videos on Linux handle it the same way. Neither Chrome nor current Firefox will play an OGV file dropped straight into the browser any more.
Does Wikipedia still use OGV?
Wikimedia sites used OGV as their standard video format for years because Theora and Vorbis carry no patent licensing, matching the free-content mission of the projects. Wikimedia has since moved to VP9 for new video, though a large amount of older OGV footage remains on Wikimedia Commons.
Is Ogg the same thing as OGV?
Ogg is the container format, and OGV is the specific case of an Ogg file holding a Theora video stream, the same way MP4 is a container and M4V is one particular use of it. A plain .ogg extension more often holds Vorbis audio with no video track at all.
Converting OGV files#
Convert OGV to another format
Convert another format to OGV
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.