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.flv

What is a .flv file?

FLV is Adobe Flash's video container format — the format behind early YouTube, Newgrounds, and browser-based video before HTML5 replaced Flash entirely.

Safe format
Type Video
By Adobe / Macromedia
MIME video/x-flv

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What is it

FLV is Adobe Flash's video container format — the format behind early YouTube, Newgrounds, and browser-based video before HTML5 replaced Flash entirely. Flash's ghost. Flash Player was officially killed in December 2020, but FLV files still haunt older video archives, downloaded web content, and enterprise media libraries nobody has migrated. Modern browsers refuse to play them. VLC handles them fine, but if you need to share the video or play it on a phone, convert to MP4. The content is usually salvageable — the container is the problem, not the codec.

Technical details
Full Name
Flash Video
MIME Type
video/x-flv
Developer
Adobe / Macromedia
Magic Bytes
46 4C 56 01
Safety
.flv is a known, safe format.
What opens it
VLC
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FAQ
How do I play FLV files?
VLC (free, all platforms) plays FLV files without issue. If you need the video in a modern format, convert to MP4 with <a href="https://fwip.app/tools/flv-to-mp4/">fwip</a> — runs in your browser, nothing gets uploaded.
What's the difference between FLV and MP4?
FLV was designed for Flash Player, which is dead. MP4 is the universal standard that plays everywhere. There is no reason to keep video in FLV unless you are archiving it exactly as-is.
Is Flash really dead?
Completely. Adobe ended Flash Player support on December 31, 2020, and browsers have removed it entirely. FLV files still work in standalone players like VLC, but the ecosystem that created them is gone.
Related formats
.mp4
MPEG-4 Part 14
.swf
Shockwave Flash