How to Install and Use FFmpeg on Ubuntu 20.04

FFmpeg is a powerful open-source collection of tools used for converting video and audio files from one format into another, resizing videos, streaming audio and video, and doing various other actions with media files. In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to install FFmpeg 4.4 on Ubuntu 20.04.

Removing Previous Installation

Before installing the new version of FFmpeg, you may want to remove any previous installations. To do this, run the following command:

sudo rm -rf /etc/apt//savoury1_ubuntu_ffmpeg4.gpg

If you want to completely remove FFmpeg and related dependencies, execute the following command:

sudo apt purge -autoremove -y ffmpeg

Once you have removed any previous installations, you can check if FFmpeg is installed by running the following command:

ffmpeg -version

Available Encoders and Decoders

You can also check which encoders and decoders are available for use with FFmpeg by running the following commands:

ffmpeg -encoders

ffmpeg -decoders

Downloading a Sample Video File

To test FFmpeg, you can download a sample video file using the following command:

wget -O test.mp4 https://example.com/video.mp4

Converting MP4 to MKV Using FFmpeg

Once you have downloaded a sample video file, you can convert it from MP4 to MKV format using the following command:

ffmpeg -i test.mp4 out.mkv

Installing FFmpeg 4.4 on Ubuntu 20.04

To install FFmpeg 4.4 on Ubuntu 20.04, run the following command:

sudo apt install -y ffmpeg

Adding the FFmpeg Repository

If you want to use a newer version of FFmpeg than what is available in the default repositories, you can add the Savoury1 PPA repository and then install the latest version of FFmpeg.

To add the repository, run the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:savoury1/ffmpeg4

Once you have added the repository, you can update your package list and install the latest version of FFmpeg by running the following commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install -y ffmpeg

Download ffmpeg deb