MOV to MP4 converter
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.mov
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Turn iPhone and Mac MOV videos into MP4 in seconds, with every frame left untouched.
Upload forms, video editors, Windows apps and smart TVs often ask for MP4 and reject MOV, even though the video inside is the same. MOV and MP4 are sibling containers, so when the MOV holds H.264 or HEVC video and AAC sound, as iPhone videos do, the streams can simply be copied into an MP4: no re-encoding, no quality loss, done in seconds even for large files. If a device can’t play HEVC, switch on “Make it play everywhere” to re-encode the picture as H.264. Everything happens in your browser.
How to convert MOV to MP4
- Add the MOV files (from an iPhone, a Mac screen recording or a camera).
- Leave “Make it play everywhere (H.264)” off for a fast copy with no quality change; turn it on only if the MP4 must play on older Windows PCs, Android phones or TVs that can’t handle HEVC.
- Convert and download the MP4s.
What happens to quality, size and metadata
With the default copy mode, the compressed video and audio data are moved into the new container byte for byte. Quality and file size stay the same, and a 2 GB video takes seconds because it is read in slices, never loaded whole. HEVC stays HEVC, which plays on recent Macs, iPhones, Windows PCs with HEVC support and most new phones. The H.264 option decodes and re-encodes the picture with your device’s video encoder at high quality; it takes much longer than copying, and the file may grow. Sound that MP4 can’t carry (for example PCM from some cameras) becomes AAC. MOVs with ProRes or other codecs are always re-encoded to H.264.
- Test files
- 3
- Average input
- 484 KB
- Average output
- 484 KB
- Size change
- 1.00× larger
- Time per file
- 25 ms
MOV vs MP4
| Full name | MOV | MP4 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | QuickTime File Format | MPEG-4 Part 14 |
| Introduced | 1991 | 2003 |
| Defined by | Apple · QuickTime File Format | MPEG · ISO/IEC 14496-14 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Chrome / Edge | Partly | Yes |
| Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox | Partly | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| iPhone / iPad | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Typical use | iPhone and Mac video recordings, screen recordings and video editing exports. | Phone videos, screen recordings, downloads from cameras and video for sharing. |
MOV MOV is Apple’s QuickTime container, introduced in 1991; MP4 was later based on it, so both are built the same way. iPhones record MOV files with HEVC or H.264 video and AAC sound. Windows and Android players and many web forms handle MP4 more reliably than MOV.
MP4 MP4 is a container defined in ISO/IEC 14496-14. It usually holds H.264 or HEVC video and AAC audio, plus chapters and metadata. It is the most widely supported video file: phones, browsers, TVs and social apps all play it.
Sources for this table
- developer.apple.com/documentation/quicktime-file-format
- www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000052.shtml
- developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Containers
- www.iso.org/standard/79110.html
- www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4337
- caniuse.com/mpeg4
- developer.android.com/media/platform/supported-formats
Browser support data: caniuse.com, CC BY 4.0.
Without this site
iPhone: Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible records H.264 instead of HEVC, and Settings › Apps › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC › Automatic converts videos when you copy them to a PC. Mac: QuickTime Player’s File › Export As › 1080p re-encodes, but saves a .mov file. Windows 11: Clipchamp can import a MOV and export it as MP4 (with re-encoding).
Troubleshooting
- The MP4 still won’t play on an old PC. The picture is HEVC, copied as it was. Convert again with “Make it play everywhere (H.264)”.
- “This browser can’t re-encode to H.264”. Some browsers lack a video encoder. We then copy the video unchanged; try Chrome, Edge or Safari for the H.264 option.
- No sound in the MP4. The MOV’s audio was in a format this browser can’t convert, and the note says so. Try Chrome or Edge on a computer.
- Is renaming .mov to .mp4 enough? Often it plays, but the file is still a MOV inside and strict upload checks may reject it. Converting rewrites it as a real MP4.
Questions and answers
How do I convert MOV to MP4 without losing quality?
Copy the streams instead of re-encoding them, which is the default here. The H.264 or HEVC video and AAC sound from the MOV are placed into an MP4 container unchanged, so quality and size are identical. It takes seconds, even for long iPhone videos.
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on Mac?
Open this page in Safari or Chrome on your Mac, add the MOV and press Convert. QuickTime Player’s Export As always produces .mov files and re-encodes, so it doesn’t give you an MP4. In the browser the video is copied into MP4 without re-encoding, and it never leaves the Mac.
Why won’t my iPhone video play on Windows or Android?
iPhones record HEVC video by default. Older Windows PCs need a paid HEVC extension, and some Android phones and TVs can’t decode it. Convert here with “Make it play everywhere (H.264)” on: H.264 MP4 plays on virtually every device made in the last 15 years.
Is MP4 better than MOV?
Not in quality: both are containers and can hold exactly the same video. MP4 is an ISO standard supported by more players, browsers, editors and upload forms, while MOV is Apple’s format and works best in Apple apps. For sharing, MP4 is the safer choice.