How to Merge MP4 Files in VLC Media Player Successfully?

Yes. VLC is a well-known media player with many extra features, like converting and merging media files. You can use VLC to join video files such as MP4, MKV, AVI, and MOV into one video for free. But it has strict requirements for the videos to be merged: they must share identical parameters, including format, resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio, and codecs.

Once you've aligned your clips to the same parameters, you can follow the steps below to learn how to join them together in VLC.

There are two main methods to merge MP4 with VLC: directly using the VLC interface or using the command line. Before proceeding, make sure you have the latest version of VLC installed on your computer.

Way 1: Merge Videos via VLC Interface

Step 1: Open VLC Media Player. Click Media > Open Multiple Files.

Step 2: Click + Add to import your MP4 files into the program (make sure to add them in the correct order, as the order cannot be changed later).

Step 3: Click ▼ next to the Play button and choose Convert.

Step 4: Select Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4) from the Profile drop-down list.

Step 5: Click Start to join MP4 files in VLC immediately.

Way 2: Merge Videos via VLC Command Line

Step 1: Put all source video clips in a single folder. Then click the File Explorer address bar, and replace it with cmd, then press Enter.

Step 2: Input the following command and press Enter:

"VLC installation path" file1.mp4 file2.mp4 file3.mp4 –sout "#gather:std{access=file,dst=mergedfile.ext}" --sout-keep

🔔 Note: Replace the VLC installation path with your actual path on your PC, e.g, C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe, and replace file1, file2, and file3 with your actual filenames.

Why VLC Video Merging Fails?

When merging MP4 files in VLC, you may encounter a series of problems, such as the merged file only playing the first video clip, missing audio, stuttering playback, dropped frames, or audio out of sync. This is usually caused by mismatched files. As mentioned earlier, VLC cannot merge files with different encodings. To solve this problem, you must first re-encode all the videos you want to merge in a uniform way, or use a dedicated video merger tool, such as the one in the next section.

Additionally, when merging videos using the command line, the merging process may still be in progress because no progress bar is displayed. If you open the file to be merged too early, it may also cause the merge to fail. You should first check if the file size no longer increases, then completely close VLC, and finally open the merged file.

If you have video clips from different sources and don't want to worry about formats, resolutions, frame rates, aspect ratios, and codecs, it's better to use a proper video joiner tool.

On Windows, you can try WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory, which has a completely free video joiner that combines videos without limitations. For example, you can merge an AVI video (1280 x 720p) and MP4 video (960 x 540p) into one file with simple clicks. Meanwhile, it can balance different resolutions smartly and output video in high quality.

Now, free downloadfree download the software to combine videos with this VLC alternative.

Now you know how to join MP4 files in VLC, just remember that merging videos with VLC is still error-prone, and you should ensure all files use the same encoding beforehand.

That said, you're most recommended to use the alternative, WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory, which provides an easier and faster solution to merge videos regardless of format, resolution, frame rate, aspect ratio, and codec. GetGet this reliable and powerful video joiner now!

1. Why does VLC merge only the first video?

If the following video files have different codecs, resolutions or aspect ratios, VLC often stops merging after the first clip. The fix for this is to make sure that all your input files have the same encoding parameters before you merge them in VLC.

2. Can VLC merge videos of different formats, such as MP4 and MKV?

No. VLC requires all source clips to be exactly the same format. To merge clips of different formats without errors, you need to use a dedicated tool like WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory.