12 Best Downscalers to Convert 4K to 1080p [Win/Mac/Online]

Movavi Video Converter is a handy tool that lets you convert videos and change their resolution. The app supports all popular media formats and can process multiple files at one time. The SuperSpeed technology ensures fast conversion. Movavi Video Converter also provides simple editing tools, like color adjustment, trimming and cropping, adding a watermark and subtitles. You can use the program for free during the trial period.     

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, macOS

How to change 4K to 1080p with Movavi Video Converter:

1. Open the program, click Add Media > Add video and select your file. 

2. Open the Video tab and pick the desired output format, for example, MP4. 

3. From the list of presets, choose the one with the 1080p resolution. 

4. Hit Convert. 

You can also check out a detailed guide:

Read the step-by-step instructions 

VLC is a popular media player commonly used to play media files like movies and music. Advanced users can also make use of VLC as a 4K to 1080p converter for free. It can convert files in many common formats like AVI, DVD, MPEG, and WMV.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, Linux, macOS

How to convert 4K videos with VLC:

1. Open the VLC program and click on the Media button in the top left.

2. From there, click on the Convert/Save button.

3. You'll then need to choose which video or videos you wish to add in and convert.

4. When you've added files, hit the Convert/Save button in the bottom right corner.

5. You'll need to choose the file name for your new video files and select the desired format too.

6. Once the right settings have been selected, click Start to begin the conversion.

Roxio Creator NXT Pro 8 is a suite of over 20 of Roxio’s best products for video editing and post-production. With this collection of software, you’re able to burn, edit, convert, and polish videos in any way you want. For 4K resolution vs. 1080p, the suite includes a program called Easy Video Copy & Convert that allows you to convert your larger 4K files. The program is a powerful asset once you master all the tools, but it’s only for Windows users.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows

How to use Roxio Creator NXT Pro 8:

1. Open Roxio Creator NXT and click Videos.

2. Click Copy and Convert Video and then Movies.

3. Find your video in the browser and click OK. You should see it appear in the Source list on the left side of your screen.

4. Under the Choose Output section, find and select the icon that reads WMV HD 1080p.

5. From here, you can select some customization options for the conversion, but once you’re ready, click the green button on the bottom right.

Acrok is a Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K video converter that’s free. It allows the user to convert both Blu-ray and DVD movies to formats of their choosing. The free version is only a trial, however, so you'll need to pay for premium to remove limitations and open up all the features like file editing, subtitles, and the full range of formats.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, macOS

How to convert 4K videos with Acrok:

1. Open the program.

2. Add the file(s) you wish to convert.

3. Select your desired output format and settings.

4. Click Convert to start the process.

HandBrake is a popular open-source video transcoder and converter. It can work with many different video files and comes with various built-in presets for popular devices like iPhones and Playstations. It can preserve quality while compressing file size, but its complex features may be complicated for beginners. You can use Handbrake as a 4K video converter.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, Linux, macOS

How to convert 4K videos with Handbrake:

1. Open the software and load in your files.
2. Choose from a preset or individually select the output file formats and settings you want.
3. Use advanced features to add in subtitles, title selections, chapter markers, etc.
4. Click Convert when you're ready to proceed.

Xilisoft Video Converter is able to convert more than 160 different audio and video formats, including 4K and 1080p videos, as well as 2D and 3D movie files. It works on Macs, for those looking how to convert 4K to 1080p on a Mac, but many of its features are locked behind a paywall, with the free trial not able to offer the full functionality of the software.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, macOS

How to convert 4K videos with Xilisoft:

1. Open the program and click on Add Files to add your video files to the list.

2. Select the videos for conversion.

3. Use the settings to adjust your desired file output format and quality.

4. Click Convert Checked Item(s) to continue.

MacX Video Converter Pro is a video processing and conversion tool designed exclusively for the Mac platform. Windows and Linux users will not be able to use this service. It works with 420 different formats and is able to compress large 4K files into smaller files while preserving quality, as well as offering screen capture, editing, and other features. As with other entries on this list, many of the features only appear in the full paid version, but there is a free trial of MacX Video Converter Pro for users to test out.

Platform: desktop

OS: macOS

How to convert 4K videos with MacX Video Converter Pro:

1. Open the 4K video converter on your Mac and click on the Video button to add your video files.

2. Select the files you want to convert and adjust the desired settings.

3. Hit the Convert button to begin the conversion process.

WinX HD Video Converter works on both Mac and Windows and offers simple HD video conversion, working with all kinds of video formats. It features many device presets for devices like iPhones, Apple TVs, and Xbox consoles.

Platform: desktop

OS: Windows, macOS

How to convert 4K videos with WinX HD Video Converter:

1. Open the software and click Add in the top left to add your files.

2. You'll then be able to use the various sliders and menus on the page to adjust audio quality, video quality, and so on.

3. Hit the Start button in the bottom right when you're ready to proceed.

HDconvert allows users to convert videos online with both free and premium options and features. You can convert a video to 4K from 1080p or downscale 4K to 1080p, as required, and this system supports a range of different output formats, like MOV, AVI, and MP4.

This 4K converter online offers maximum conversion speeds of up to 900 frames per second, but there are some limitations. All uploaded and converted files only get stored on HDconvert's cloud servers for 24 hours, so need to be accessed and downloaded quickly to avoid the files being lost.

You also don't have access to Ultra HD 4K quality on the basic free plan, so you'll need to pay to be able to convert to 4K and 1080p too. Premium features also remove the watermark from videos and remove file size and video length limits which are present on the free version.

Platform: online

OS: any (web-based)

How to use HDconvert

To convert video files with HDconvert, you'll need to open up the website and head to the Convert section. You can then click on the format you wish to convert to from the list available and then click on the Convert Video button to open up a new window. This window allows you to upload your video file to the HDconvert cloud servers. Once the file has been uploaded, you can proceed to convert it.

FreeConvert.com is another online video converter tool for converting 4K to 1080p and vice versa. This online tool is compatible with 60 different video formats, including the most popular options like MP4, AVI, and MKV, and it has both free and paid options. All files are protected with 256-bit encryption for security and privacy, as well as being deleted automatically after two hours.

The tool works with any web browser. On the free plan, users can only convert files of up to 1 GB in size. You can opt for four different payment plans to access premium features. The premium plans allow for files of up to 5 GB in size to be converted. 4K video file size can be quite large, so this tool may not be suitable for the conversion of lengthy 4K files.

The premium plans allow for unlimited conversions per day and up to 100 conversions simultaneously. Users can merge up to 100 files at a time with the Pro plan from FreeConvert.com, and none of the premium plans have ads, but certain premium members' files are treated with higher priority and therefore get faster conversion speeds than others.

Platform: online

OS: any (web-based)

How to use FreeConvert.com

To make use of FreeConvert.com, you'll need to open up the website's home page. You should see a Choose Files button in the center. You can click on this or drag and drop your files onto the window to start the upload process. Once your files have been uploaded, you'll be able to select a target video format and hit the Convert button to begin the process.