AVI Format - ShareX Screenshot Output

AVI Format in ShareX

AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a legacy Microsoft video container format. It can contain video encoded with various codecs, making it flexible but dated for modern workflows.

AVI Characteristics

• Container format — AVI is a wrapper, not a codec itself
• Large file sizes — Typically much larger than MP4 or WebM
• Widely compatible — Supported by virtually all media players
• Limited streaming — Not optimized for web streaming or progressive download
• Legacy format — Developed in 1992, lacks modern features

When to Use AVI

AVI is rarely the best choice today, but it has niche uses:

• Legacy software compatibility — Some older video editors only import AVI
• Intermediate format — Uncompressed AVI for video editing (though there are better options now)
• Specific hardware — Some capture cards and devices output AVI
• Niche workflows — When your toolchain specifically requires AVI

Why Not AVI for Most Users

• MP4 is smaller, higher quality, and more widely compatible today
• WebM is better for web content
• AVI files are unnecessarily large for screen recordings
• Modern codecs (H.264, VP9) provide far better compression

For screen recordings in ShareX, MP4 (H.264) is the recommended default.