OGM file (Ogg Media)
Ogg Media, an early open container.
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Convert OGM to MP4, free and without uploading it.
What is an OGM file?
In short: An OGM file (.ogm) is a video file in the OGM format. OGM was an unofficial attempt to make Ogg carry arbitrary video and multiple subtitle tracks, which the official specification did not support. It can be converted to MP4, MOV or GIF for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
A community extension of the Ogg container from around 2002, before Matroska took over.
OGM was an unofficial attempt to make Ogg carry arbitrary video and multiple subtitle tracks, which the official specification did not support. It was never standardised, and Matroska did the job properly, so OGM survives only in old collections.
What OGM is good at
- Multiple audio and subtitle tracks, unusual for its time
- Open, in spirit if not in specification
- Still readable by VLC
Where OGM falls short
- Never an official standard
- Abandoned in favour of Matroska
- Support is patchy even among players that read Ogg
When to use OGM
Convert OGM to MKV or MP4.
How to open an OGM file
VLC and a few older players.
| Windows | VLC, and little else. OGM was superseded by Matroska two decades ago. |
|---|---|
| macOS | VLC. |
| Linux | VLC or mpv. |
| Phone | VLC. |
| In a browser | No browser plays OGM. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
Because OGM was never standardised, two files can differ enough that one player reads one and not the other.
Inside a OGM file
OGM was a community effort to make the Ogg container carry video, at a moment when the official Ogg specification had not settled how to do it. Anime fansubbing groups adopted it around 2002 because it could hold multiple subtitle tracks and multiple audio languages in one file, which nothing else convenient could at the time.
It was superseded within a couple of years by Matroska, which did the same job with a properly designed specification behind it. OGM was never standardised and its tooling was abandoned, so what remains is a stratum of early-2000s archives and very little else.
| Full name | Ogg Media |
|---|---|
| Based on | The Ogg container, unofficially extended |
| Peak use | Roughly 2002–2005, largely fansubbing |
| Superseded by | Matroska (MKV) |
| Video codecs | Usually DivX or XviD |
| Standardised | No — it was a community extension |
Not sure the file really is an OGM? Identify it by its contents, whatever its extension says.
Questions
What is an OGM file?
OGM stands for Ogg Media. Ogg Media, an early open container. Files use the .ogm extension.
What does OGM stand for?
OGM stands for Ogg Media.
How do I open an OGM file?
On Windows: VLC, and little else. OGM was superseded by Matroska two decades ago. On a Mac: VLC. On a phone: VLC. Or convert an OGM here to a format that opens everywhere, free and without uploading it.
Can I convert OGM for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is OGM lossless?
That depends on the codec inside the container rather than the container itself. Everything written here is re-encoded, so expect one generation of loss.