MP4 to MOV converter
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.mp4.m4v
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Settings
Rewrap an MP4 as a QuickTime MOV for Mac editing apps, keeping every frame exactly as it was.
Some Mac workflows, editing apps and upload forms list .mov as the format they want, and a folder of iPhone footage is easier to manage when every clip has the same extension. MP4 and MOV hold the same kinds of video, so an MP4 with H.264 or HEVC picture and AAC or MP3 sound can be moved into a QuickTime container without touching the picture. That copy takes seconds, even for a long screen recording or a 1 GB clip from a drone or action camera. Several files can go in at once, and none of them leaves your device.
How to convert MP4 to MOV
- Add one or more MP4 files from your camera, phone, screen recorder or downloads folder.
- Keep “Make it play everywhere (H.264)” switched off: the video is copied into MOV with zero change. Switch it on only when the MP4 uses a codec your editor rejects and you want a fresh H.264 picture.
- Convert, then save each MOV or download the whole batch as one ZIP.
What happens to quality, size and metadata
In the default mode nothing is decoded. The compressed H.264 or HEVC frames and the AAC or MP3 sound are written into the .mov file as they are, so picture, sound, resolution and frame rate match the MP4 and the size changes by only a few kilobytes of container data. If the MP4 carries sound in another format, only the audio is converted, to AAC. With “Make it play everywhere (H.264)” on, the picture is decoded and encoded again by your browser’s built-in encoder; that takes roughly as long as playing the video or more, and the result is usually the same size or smaller. Converting changes the wrapper, not the image: a blurry or broken MP4 stays blurry or broken as a MOV.
MP4 vs MOV
| Full name | MP4 | MOV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Part 14 | QuickTime File Format |
| Introduced | 2003 | 1991 |
| Defined by | MPEG · ISO/IEC 14496-14 | Apple · QuickTime File Format |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Chrome / Edge | Yes | Partly |
| Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox | Yes | Partly |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| iPhone / iPad | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Typical use | Phone videos, screen recordings, downloads from cameras and video for sharing. | iPhone and Mac video recordings, screen recordings and video editing exports. |
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.
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.
Sources for this table
- www.iso.org/standard/79110.html
- www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4337
- caniuse.com/mpeg4
- developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Containers
- developer.android.com/media/platform/supported-formats
- developer.apple.com/documentation/quicktime-file-format
- www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000052.shtml
Browser support data: caniuse.com, CC BY 4.0.
Without this site
Mac: QuickTime Player opens most MP4s, and File › Export As › 1080p (or 720p, 4K) writes a .mov, but it re-encodes the picture and takes much longer than a copy. Final Cut Pro and iMovie import MP4 directly, so check whether you need MOV at all before converting. iPhone: there is no built-in MP4 to MOV option; the Photos app saves videos it records as MOV already. Windows: no built-in tool; the free VLC player can do it through Media › Convert / Save.
Troubleshooting
- The app still refuses the file. The editor may be rejecting the codec, not the extension. Convert again with “Make it play everywhere (H.264)” on, which gives the most widely accepted picture.
- Can I just rename .mp4 to .mov? QuickTime often plays a renamed file, but strict import checks look inside and may reject it. Converting writes a real QuickTime file.
- A file over 2 GB on a phone. Phones can run out of memory on very large videos. Use a computer with Chrome, Edge or Safari for those.
- You need it the other way round. For iPhone clips that must become MP4, use MOV to MP4.
Questions and answers
How do I convert MP4 to MOV without losing quality?
Add the MP4 here and leave the H.264 option off. The video and sound streams are copied byte for byte into a MOV container, so nothing is compressed again and the quality cannot drop. A 10-minute 1080p clip is usually done in a few seconds, and the file never leaves your computer or phone.
How do I convert MP4 to MOV on a Mac?
Open this page in Safari or Chrome, add the MP4 and press Convert; the MOV is saved to Downloads. QuickTime Player can also export a .mov through File › Export As, but it re-encodes the video, which is slower and can soften fine detail. The browser copy keeps the original frames.
Is MOV better quality than MP4?
No. Both are containers, and they can hold the very same H.264 or HEVC video. Quality depends on the codec and bitrate inside, not on the extension. MOV is Apple’s QuickTime format and fits Mac editing apps; MP4 is the ISO standard that more players, websites and phones accept.
Does Final Cut Pro or iMovie need MOV files?
Usually not: both import MP4 with H.264 or HEVC video. Converting to MOV helps when a project template, a client or an older plugin insists on .mov, or when you want your clips to match iPhone footage. If an import fails because of the codec, use the H.264 option.