Convert MOV to MP4

Drop your MOV files above — one, or a whole batch — choose a conversion mode, and pressConvert to MP4. Each file is converted in turn; save them individually or download a ZIP of all of them. The result card says whether each video was copied unchanged or re-encoded.

Why MOV to MP4 is usually instant

MOV is Apple's QuickTime format, and MP4 was built on the same design — both are containers that hold a video track, an audio track and a little metadata. What usually matters is the codec inside, and the codecs an iPhone or Mac records, H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, are exactly the ones MP4 holds natively. So rather than decoding and re-compressing every frame, the converter lifts the existing video and audio out of the MOV and writes them into an MP4. Nothing is re-encoded, the quality is identical, and a ten-minute clip converts in about the time it takes to copy the file. Upload-based converters typically re-encode anyway, which is slower and loses a little detail.

When you need maximum compatibility

Since the iPhone 7, iPhones have recorded in HEVC (H.265) by default — the "High Efficiency" setting — because it makes files about half the size. HEVC plays on Apple devices and recent hardware, but Windows needs a paid extension for it, many older Android phones and smart TVs cannot play it, and some editing and upload tools reject it. Changing the container to MP4 does not change that, because the video inside is still HEVC.

Maximum compatibility re-encodes the video to H.264, the format every phone, PC, TV, browser and editor can play. It uses your device's hardware encoder, so it is still several times faster than real time on most machines, and the file comes out somewhat larger than the HEVC original. If your video already uses H.264, it is copied either way. For HEVC videos that are not MOV files — from Android phones, drones or cameras — useHEVC to MP4.

Files that cannot be converted here

Some professional MOV files use Apple ProRes, an editing format browsers cannot decode. Export those from Final Cut, Premiere or DaVinci Resolve as H.264 or HEVC, or use a desktop converter. MOV files with uncompressed PCM audio — from some cameras and audio recorders — convert fine; the audio becomes AAC so every player can handle it.

After converting

MP4 is the format to use for sharing and uploading. If the converted file is still too big for where it is going, theVideo Compressor can bring it under an exact size — for example the 25 MB email limit. If a portrait iPhone video appears sideways in some app, Rotate Video fixes it without re-encoding. To convert WebM recordings instead, use WebM to MP4.