What Is an MTS File and How to Open It on Mac, PC, iPhone, & Android?

There are a plethora of file types. Some are familiar to us like MP4, while others are strange to us like MTS. If you have some files with .mts extention, you must want to know what it is. And here we'll tell you what is an mts file and how to open, edit, convert, and compress it.

Part 1. What Is an MTS File?

MTS files are AVCHD videos with .mts file extension. MTS is short for MPEG Transport Stream and AVCHD is the abbreviation of Advanced Video Coding High Definition. MTS format is part of the AVCHD standard created in 2006 by Sony and Panasonic. Therefore it is used by many of these two companies’ HD camcorders, although Canon, JVC and Sanyo camcorders now also use the MTS file format. AVCHD files saved on a camcorder typically use MTS file extension. And the file extension will be kept as .mts when the AVCHD file is normally copied from a camera to a computer using the drag-and-drop method. If the AVCHD video is imported with PlayMemories Home™ or other software, the file extension will be changed to .m2ts. so, there is no functional difference between MTS and M2TS files.

MTS files always use MPEG-4 / H.264 video compression and contain compressed Dolby AC-3 codec or uncompressed linear PCM audio. MTS supports 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolution videos.

So now, I believe we all have a basic understanding of MTS files. Then, t he next step is to learn how to open .mts files.

Part 2. How to Open an MTS File?

There are many ways to play .mts files. Most Sony and Panasonic HD camcorders come packaged with software that can open and edit MTS files. And, some popular media players like VLC and 5KPlayer have the capability of playing MTS files.

To open .mts files on Windows (10), you can use:

• Windows Media Player
• VLC media Player
• 5KPlayer

To open .mts files on Mac, you can use:

• VLC media player
• 5KPlayer
• Eltima Elmedia Player

You can double click on the .mts file to play, or right click on it and open it with your favorite and MTS-compatible video player.

If you don't want to install third-party media player to play .mts files or fail to do this with a player, you can try to drag and drop .mts files into your browser window or install a codec pack for your built-in media player.

Above are the ways to play .mts files on Mac and Windows computer, but sometimes we might need to open .mts files on iPhone, iPad, or an Android mobile. Unfortunately, MTS files are not compatible with iOS or Android unless they are converted to another accepted format first.

How to convert .mts files to play on mobile?

It's easy with Winxvideo AI. This tool can convert any AVCHD videos files with .mts, .m2ts, .ts, and other video file formats like MP4, MOV, MOV, and DAV. There are over 420 output profiles with optimized presets for iPhone, iPad, and Android included. It won't take you too much time to convert videos as it supports GPU hardware acceleration to boost video processing speed. And, no obvious quality loss. You can free download it to have a try!

Step 1. Launch Winxvideo AI and click the + Video button to load a single or multiple .mts files to convert.

Step 2. On Output Profile panel, choose a desired format based on your own needs. For example, if you want to play .mts files on iPhone, you should go to Apple Device -> to iPhone Video and then choose an iPhone profile.

Tips:

• If the original .mts file is too large for you, you can click the setting icon to lower resolution and bit rate to reduce its file size.
• If you need to trim, crop, or subtitle your video, just click the Edit button.

Step 3. Click the RUN button to start converting .mts files to specified format. Once done, just transfer it to your mobile for playback.

Part 3. FAQs about MTS

Can VLC play MTS files?

Yes, VLC can play .mts files. Just launch VLC media player, click Media, and then select Open File to browse and open the MTS file you want to play. Despite that, you may also have trouble with MTS playback on VLC. If you cannot play MTS files after upgrading to a new version of VLC, rolling back to an old version may work. If the problem is still there, you may need to convert MTS files for use on VLC.

How to play MTS files on iPhone iPad?

iPhone and iPad don't have native support for MTS format. If you need to play MTS files on iPhone and iPad, you need to convert them or go to App Store and download a third-party MTS-compatible media player like VLC.

How to play MTS files on Android mobile/Android TV?

Android also doesn't come with native support for MTS format. To play .mts files on Android, you can use a 3rd party player such as VLC and MX player or convert them to an Android supported format.

How to play MTS files on Chromebook?

MTS isn't in the list of Chromebook supported file types. When you try to open a mts file, you may get an "Unknown file type" error message. To avoid this, you can upload MTS to Google Drive which has a built-in player, or convert MTS file to Chromebook format.

Can Windows 10 play mts files?

You can try playing MTS files with the Windows Media Player or Movie & TV app in Windows 10. If you fail but get errors nstead, you may miss required codec. then installing K-lite codec pack may help. Or you may convert MTS to WMV or other Windows 10 compatible formats.

Can QuickTime play mts files?

No. QuickTime cannot play mts files directly.

Does Plex play mts files?

No. Plex doesn't support mts files.

Do MTS files work in Adobe Premiere?

Yes. MTS is one of the supported native formats for importing to Adobe Premiere.

Is iMovie compatible with MTS files?

Yes. iMovie support AVCHD mts files.

Can I upload MTS files to YouTube?

We don't see MTS in the list of supported YouTube file formats, but some people have uploaded AVCHD MTS files to YouTube directly with success. You can try. If you fail, convert your MTS files to YouTube recommended encoding format.

Can I upload MTS files to Facebook?

Although Facebook recommends uploading MP4 or MOV files, it also supports other video formats including mts (AVCHD Video).

How to convert MTS files to MP4?

When we can't play MTS files directly or can't import it to a video editing program or a video-sharing site, converting MTS to MP4 may help. And this job can be easily done with Winxvideo AI.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch Winxvideo AI.

Step 2. Select Video Converter and click + Video button to load MTS files.

Step 3. Go to General Profiles and choose MP4 Video as output.

Step 4. Hit RUN to begin converting MTS to MP4 for Plex, YouTube, Facebook, iMovie, etc.