MP4 to MOV Converter
Turn MP4 videos into QuickTime MOV files with H.264 video and AAC audio, for the editors, clients and Apple-based workflows that ask for .mov by name.
Video Converter
or drag MP4, MOV, MKV … files here ·
Up to 95 MB each· 20 files at once· Removed after 30 min
Your files are removed from our servers 30 minutes after processing.
Lower is better quality and a bigger file. 18 looks identical to the source, 23 is the default, 28 and above shows visible softening.
Frames per second. Keep the source rate unless a platform asks for a specific one; 15–20 fps is plenty for GIFs.
Only used for PowerPoint files and single still images: how long each slide or picture stays on screen.
Auto uses AAC for MP4/MOV and Opus for WebM. Copy keeps the original sound untouched when the new format supports it.
192 kbps is transparent for music; 128 kbps is enough for speech.
Width of the animation in pixels; height follows the aspect ratio. 480 px suits chats, 720 px or more gives a high-quality GIF but a much larger file.
GIF holds at most 256 colors. Fewer colors make a smaller file but cause banding on gradients and skin tones.
Mixes palette colors in a fine pattern to hide banding. Sierra gives the smoothest result; none gives the smallest file.
Whether the animation repeats endlessly or plays one time and stops.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
The converted file will be at or just under this size.
Files are deleted 30 minutes after processingPrivacy policy
Most Apple apps already open MP4. Convert to MOV when someone asks for the .mov format by name.
When an MP4 has to become a MOV
This conversion is far less common than the reverse, and for a good reason: QuickTime Player, Photos, iMovie and Final Cut Pro all open MP4 files with H.264 video. If the only goal is to watch or edit a clip on a Mac, try opening the MP4 first.
There are still real cases for MOV. A video editor or agency may ask for every delivery as .mov to keep their project folders consistent. A motion-graphics template or an older plug-in may only list MOV as an input. Some broadcast and signage systems built around QuickTime accept nothing else. In each case the person on the other side cares about the container, not about a different picture.
That is exactly what the converter changes. The video is written as H.264 inside a QuickTime container, with AAC audio, which is the MOV variant that every QuickTime-based app handles without extra codecs.
MP4 and QuickTime MOV side by side
MP4
MP4 video
The MPEG-4 Part 14 container, standardized in 2001 and now the default for online video. It usually carries H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, all lossy, plus optional subtitles. Phones, browsers, smart TVs and social platforms all play it.
- Lossy
- Open standard
MOV
MOV video
Apple's QuickTime movie container, first released in 1991. It can hold lossy footage such as iPhone recordings or high-quality ProRes masters, and some codecs inside it support transparency. Macs and editing software handle it well; some Windows players and websites accept MP4 more readily.
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- Vendor format
Why convertGoing this way trades the near-universal MP4 container for QuickTime's own format. It adds compatibility only with tools that insist on MOV, so choose it to meet a stated requirement and keep the MP4 for everything else.
Both containers come from the same design. Apple's QuickTime File Format was the model for the MP4 file format, which is why the two hold the same codecs and look alike to most players. MOV can additionally carry professional codecs such as ProRes, which is one reason editors prefer it; the files made here use H.264 or H.265 instead.
A practical consequence: converting MP4 to MOV does not make a video look better or edit faster. Any edit-friendly benefit of MOV comes from intermediate codecs like ProRes, which store each frame more completely and take far more space. An H.264 MOV behaves exactly like the MP4 it came from, just with the extension a workflow expects.
How to convert MP4 to MOV
Add the MP4 files
Drop up to 20 MP4 videos on the box above, or press Choose Files.
Check the output
MOV with H.264 video and AAC audio is preset. Switch the codec to H.265 under Advanced settings only if the recipient asked for HEVC.
Convert and send
Press Convert and download the .mov files, ready to import into Final Cut Pro, iMovie or QuickTime Player.
MP4 to MOV questions
Do Apple apps really need MOV, or do they open MP4 too?
QuickTime Player, Photos, iMovie and Final Cut Pro all open MP4 files with H.264 video. Convert to MOV when a person, a template or an older tool specifically asks for the .mov extension.
Which codec does the MOV file use?
H.264 by default, with AAC audio, because that pairing opens in every QuickTime-based app. You can choose H.265 (HEVC) instead under Advanced settings for a smaller file on recent Apple devices.
Can this make a ProRes MOV for editing?
No. The codec choices here are H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1. ProRes masters are made in editing software such as Final Cut Pro or with Apple's Compressor.
Will the MOV be bigger than my MP4?
About the same, since both hold H.264 video at a similar quality. A large difference usually means the source used a different codec, for example a highly compressed MP4 from a website.
Does the MOV keep subtitles or chapter markers from the MP4?
Only the video and the main audio track are carried over. Add captions again in your editor, or keep them as a separate subtitle file with the Subtitle Converter.
Who usually asks for MOV
If you are not sure whether you need MOV at all, the people below are the usual reasons. If none of them applies, the MP4 you already have is probably the better file to send.
When a brief says MOV, it is worth asking which codec it means. If the answer is ProRes, the edit has to be exported from editing software. If the answer is H.264 or simply any MOV, this converter produces exactly that.
Video editors on a Mac
Keep every clip in a project as .mov so media management in the editor stays consistent.
Agencies and clients
Delivery specs that list QuickTime MOV with H.264 as the required file type for review copies.
Signage and kiosk operators
Players and schedulers built around QuickTime that only list MOV among their inputs.
Checking the file before delivery
Open the converted file in QuickTime Player before you send it. In the Window → Show Movie Inspector panel, QuickTime lists the format, the resolution and the frame rate, which lets you confirm that the MOV matches the brief without opening an editor.
Play the first and last few seconds as well. If you trimmed the clip during conversion, that is where a wrong start or end time would show. Sound and picture should stay in sync from start to finish, since only the container and the encoding changed, not the timing.
Settings, limits and file handling
The defaults keep the clip as close to the source as possible: Resolution and Frame rate stay as recorded, and the quality setting is the same one used for every video conversion on the site. If the brief asks for a particular size, such as 1080p, set it under Advanced settings, and use Start at and End at to deliver only the part that was requested.
Each batch takes up to 20 videos, each up to 95 MB. Uploaded files are removed after processing and the MOV files 30 minutes later. For the opposite direction, MOV to MP4 makes iPhone and Mac videos play everywhere, and the Video Converter covers WebM, AVI, MKV and the other formats.
- files per batch
- 20
- per file
- 95MB
- minutes until results are deleted
- 30
| Other ways to get MP4 | |
|---|---|
| Other ways to get WEBM | |
| Other 3GP conversions | |
| Other AVI conversions | |
| Other GIF conversions | |
| Related conversions |
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