The video formats are the digital containers that save videos and audio. Some video formats are advanced enough to save subtitles and still images in it too. MP4 is the dominant container format that occupies the majority of space in the video format share on the Internet. One biggest reasons for its dominance is its total support for video streaming for all kinds of online websites. Video editors also like to create videos in MP4 format so that they can upload them on the Internet without any hassle.

When you have a video in MP4 format, then you can play it on any media playing application like VLC, Windows Media Player, Format Player, Movies & TV player, etc. Additionally, most users like to run their videos on the VLC player as it supports the maximum number of formats, extensions, codecs, and sizes.

When you have a corrupt MP4 file, then it does not mean that it will show some signs of corruption, but many symptoms denote that the video is not a healthy file and you should repair it as soon as possible. A corrupt video file may affect other files too.

Symptoms of a corrupt MP4 file

If the video is running and the screen is blank.
If the video is running and there is no sound in it.
If the video and audio are not synchronized properly.
If the player’s screen freezes while playing the MP4 video file.
If the video has grainy pixels.
If the video is chopping, flickering, or tilting abnormally.
If the player is showing errors while trying to run the video.

Now, there can be numerous reasons behind the corruption in the MP4 file and you should know the quick methods that can tackle the corruption and make the video playable again.

Thankfully, our free VLC player is not just a player but a mini video repair tool too. It has some features that can right some minor corruption and run the video. We will show you some unique methods one by one.

Method-1. Change the output settings.

When the MP4 video is playing, but it is showing a blank or distorted screen, then you should change the output settings to render the file at acceptable settings and reduce interference.

In the VLC player, go to Tools and choose preferences.

In the video category, go to the Output dropdown and select DirectX or another output parameter suitable for your video. Then, click Save.

Method-2. Set the File Caching to an upper value

Did you save the MP4 file from a website to view it offline? then there may be some buffer cache that can hang the player while running the video. If the video is flickering, lagging, or the audio-video has no sync, then you should increase the value of File Caching in VLC’s preference settings.

In the VLC player, choose Tools and click on Preferences.
In Show Settings, click All and expand the Input/Codecs section. There, go to File Caching (ms) and set the value to 1000 or higher. Click Save.

Method-3. Convert the MP4 video to another format.

VLC player allows converting the format of a video too. It is a suitable method to fix some minor corruption or indexing issues in the file. You can also change the basic settings of the video using some features like encapsulation, video codec, audio codec, and subtitles.

In VLC Player, click on the Media option and choose Convert/Save.

Click Add to select the video file. After browsing the video, click Convert/Save button.

In the Profile section, click on the Edit button.

Take the assistance of all the features to create such a video that has no integrity issue while playing again. Apply the settings and convert the video in some other another format.

Final Words

The VLC media player is a freeware tool that can remove corruption in a limited manner and its features allow you to convert, repair, or edit the playing capability for MP4 files. If you are a professional video editor, YouTuber, or VFX/CGI Engineer, then these free methods are not useful in recovering the video. You require professional video software efficient enough to scan the video file and remove all types of corruption completely. The video repair tool will recover the video in its same format, size, length, aspect ratio, audio quality, and other properties.