Drift is a desktop application that automatically transcodes video files using HandBrakeCLI. Point it at a folder, choose a preset, and Drift will watch for new video files and encode them in the background.
- Watch folder — monitors a directory for new video files and automatically queues them for encoding
- Parallel encoding — run up to 8 encodes simultaneously
- HandBrake presets — use any built-in HandBrake preset or import your own custom presets
- System tray — minimizes to the tray so encoding continues in the background
- Crash recovery — if the app is interrupted, in-progress items are re-queued on next launch
- Pause/resume — pause the queue at any time without losing your place
- Queue reordering — drag to reprioritize items so urgent encodes jump to the front
- Cancel in-progress encodes — stop a running encode without removing it from the queue
- Media metadata — view resolution, duration, codec, audio tracks, subtitles, and file size for each queued item
- Copy output path — copy the encoded file's path to the clipboard with one click
- Dark mode — switch between light and dark themes
- Auto-updates — Windows and Linux (AppImage) builds update automatically
- HandBrakeCLI — Drift does not bundle HandBrakeCLI; you must install it separately
Download the CLI from the HandBrake downloads page and either add it to your PATH or set the path in Drift's settings..
Download the CLI from the HandBrake downloads page and either add it to your PATH or set the path in Drift's settings.
See the instructions for installing the CLI on Linux here.
Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.
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Launch Drift — on first launch you may see an error banner if HandBrakeCLI is not detected. That's expected before configuration.
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Open the Settings tab and configure:
- Watch Directory — the folder Drift will monitor for new video files
- Output Directory — where encoded files will be saved
- HandBrakeCLI Path — leave empty if
HandBrakeCLIis already in yourPATH, otherwise browse to the binary - HandBrake Preset — type to search through all built-in presets (default:
Fast 1080p30), or import a custom preset JSON exported from HandBrake GUI - Max Parallel Encodes — how many files to encode at once (1-8)
- Video Extensions — comma-separated list of file extensions to watch (default:
.mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, .wmv, .flv, .webm, .m4v, .ts) - Queue Existing Files — check this to queue files already in the watch directory when the watcher starts
- Theme — choose between light and dark mode
Click Save Settings when done.
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Drop video files into your watch directory. They will appear in the Queue tab and begin encoding automatically.
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Manage the queue from the Queue tab:
- Pause / Resume — temporarily stop encoding
- Reorder — drag items up or down to change encoding priority
- Cancel — stop an in-progress encode (with confirmation)
- Clear Completed — remove finished items from the list
- Retry — re-queue a failed item
- Remove — delete an item from the queue (with confirmation)
- Copy output path — click the copy icon on a completed item to copy its file path
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Close the window to minimize Drift to the system tray. Encoding continues in the background. Click the tray icon to restore the window.
MIT — Copyright Sean Smith 2026