Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: ERROR: openssl not found during FFmpeg ./configure

FFmpeg OpenSSL not found error during configuration, how to fix?

Quick Answer: Ensure that the openssl library is installed and configured correctly. Check if pkg-config files are added to the correct location.

The FFmpeg library is unable to find the OpenSSL dependency during configuration, causing an error. This issue affects users who have installed FFmpeg on Ubuntu and are trying to build it with specific dependencies.

This error can be frustrating because it prevents the user from successfully compiling FFmpeg. However, by following the steps outlined below, you should be able to resolve the issue and continue building FFmpeg.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the OpenSSL library is not properly installed or configured on your system. This can happen if the installation process was incomplete or if the library was not correctly linked during compilation.
  • An alternative reason could be that the pkg-config files are not correctly added to the system's configuration directories, preventing FFmpeg from finding the OpenSSL dependency.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Installing and Configuring OpenSSL

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Install the OpenSSL library using the package manager. On Ubuntu, you can use the following command: `sudo apt-get install libssl-dev`.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Verify that the OpenSSL library is installed correctly by checking its version using the following command: `openssl version -a`.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Update the pkg-config files to include the path to the OpenSSL library. You can do this by running the following command: `sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/ssl-dev ssl-dev openssl-dev`.

Alternative Fix Method

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Check if the FFmpeg configuration file is correctly pointing to the OpenSSL library. You can do this by searching for the line `--with-openssl=/usr/lib/ssl/` in the `config.log` file and verifying that it points to the correct location.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: If the above step does not work, try setting the `OPENSSL_DIR` environment variable to point to the OpenSSL library. You can do this by running the following command before configuring FFmpeg: `export OPENSSL_DIR=/usr/lib/ssl`.

✨ Wrapping Up

Once you have installed and configured OpenSSL correctly, or followed the alternative fix method, you should be able to successfully configure FFmpeg and continue building it with the required dependencies.

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