What is a .mts file?
AVCHD Camcorder Video · Video · Sony / Panasonic (AVCHD) · 2006
An .mts file is AVCHD video, the format many Sony and Panasonic camcorders record. It is an MPEG-2 transport stream carrying high-definition H.264 video, and is the same content as the .m2ts files on AVCHD discs.
What is a .mts file used for?
MTS is a transport stream, built for reliable playback rather than editing, so it uses recurring 0x47 sync bytes instead of a single header. Camcorders write .mts to memory cards; the on-disc form is .m2ts.
VLC plays MTS directly. For smooth editing and sharing, convert it to MP4 with HandBrake, which many video editors prefer.
What opens a .mts file?
The .mts format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- VLC
- PowerDirector
- HandBrake (convert)
macOS
- VLC
- iMovie
- HandBrake (convert)
Linux
- VLC
- mpv
- HandBrake
Open a .mts file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .mts. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with VLC or PowerDirector.
- On Mac, use VLC or iMovie.
- On Linux, try VLC or mpv.
- Still stuck? Convert the .mts to mp4, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .mts file?
Almost always because no installed app understands MTS. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .mts at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .mts file
You can convert a .mts file to mp4, mkv, mov using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
MTS has no fixed magic number, so there is no signature table on this page. Its bytes alone do not prove the format: identification relies on the extension, the structure of the content and the program that created it. The magic-numbers reference lists the formats that do carry one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .mts file?
An .mts file is AVCHD video, the format many Sony and Panasonic camcorders record. It is an MPEG-2 transport stream carrying high-definition H.264 video, and is the same content as the .m2ts files on AVCHD discs.
How do I open an .mts file?
Play it in VLC, which handles AVCHD directly. For editing, convert it to MP4 with HandBrake first, since many editors handle MP4 better.
What is the difference between MTS and M2TS?
Same AVCHD content. Camcorders record .mts to memory cards; the version stored on AVCHD discs and Blu-rays is .m2ts, with slightly different packaging.
How do I convert MTS to MP4?
Use HandBrake: load the .mts and encode to MP4 with H.264. VLC can also convert it.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references. How sources are ranked and what is deliberately left out is set out in the methodology.