MOV to MP4
Turn MOV to MP4 in seconds: iPhone, Mac and camera video gets a new wrapper, and compatible video keeps every frame. Free, no sign-up, no watermark.
- Free & unlimited
- No sign-up
- Files never uploaded
- No watermark
- Up to 2 GB per file
How to convert MOV to MP4
Fast Copy, the default mode, is the right choice for nearly every iPhone and Mac recording.
- 1
Open the .mov file
Drag a .mov or .qt file onto the page, or click to browse. The page reads its size, duration and resolution before anything runs.
- 2
Keep Fast Copy, or pick Re-encode
Fast Copy moves compatible H.264 or HEVC video and AAC sound into MP4 untouched; anything else is converted on its own. Choose Re-encode when the target needs H.264, a smaller file or a lower resolution.
- 3
Save the MP4
The download keeps your file name, now ending in .mp4. The result screen compares old and new sizes and, after Fast Copy, says if the video had to be re-encoded and how many audio tracks were converted.
Why a MOV to MP4 converter can be this quick
MP4 was built on Apple's QuickTime design, so the two files are close relatives.
Same frames, new wrapper
A MOV from an iPhone or a Mac almost always holds H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, all of which MP4 can carry. When they are in a compatible format, Fast Copy hands those streams over as they are, so nothing is compressed a second time.
Seconds, and we timed it
In our Fast Copy tests a 543 MB 1080p H.264 MKV took about 2.5 seconds and a 1.6 GB MKV about 10, in Chrome on an Apple Silicon laptop. A MOV to MP4 rewrap is the same kind of job.
iPhone HEVC still plays on Apple gear
HEVC footage keeps its codec and gets the hvc1 tag that QuickTime, Photos and iOS look for. Need H.264 for an older PC or TV instead? Switch to Re-encode.
ProRes is converted for you
ProRes from Final Cut or a pro camera can't live inside MP4. It is turned into H.264 automatically, even in Fast Copy, and the result screen tells you it happened.
Built to play on the web
The MP4 is written with its index at the start of the file, often called faststart. A browser can begin playback before the whole video has loaded.
Convert .mov to .mp4: rename, export or convert?
The four routes searchers usually weigh, and what each one really does to the file.
| This converter | Renaming to .mp4 | iMovie or Windows Photos | Upload sites | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What happens to the picture | Copied as is in Fast Copy when compatible | Nothing, only the name changes | Re-encoded on export | Depends on the site |
| Works for | Any MOV up to about 2 GB | H.264 files, per Apple's own advice | Whatever the app can import | Limits depend on the service |
| ProRes footage | Turned into H.264 | Not a valid MP4 | Exported as a new file | Depends on the site |
| Typical wait | Seconds with Fast Copy | Instant | A full export | Upload, queue, download |
| Your video leaves the device | No | No | No | Yes, kept on their servers; retention depends on the service |
| Install | None, a browser tab | None | Built in, or from the app store | None |
| Several files at once | One at a time | Any number | One project at a time | Often yes |
Who needs to convert MOV to MP4
MOV is the default inside Apple's world. Trouble starts when the clip has to leave it.
Mac screen recordings
The screenshot toolbar and QuickTime Player save recordings as .mov. Bug trackers, help desks and docs tools that list only .mp4 take the converted file without complaint.
iPhone clips for Android friends
Gallery and chat apps on Android handle .mp4 more reliably than .mov. A Fast Copy file keeps the quality you shot; pick Re-encode if their phone is old.
Camera footage headed for an editor
Many cameras record MOV. A rewrap gives editing and web tools the extension they expect while a compatible camera encode stays exactly as it was.
Review copies of ProRes masters
A ProRes export is too heavy to email or stream. Re-encode at 1080p or 720p for an H.264 copy a client can open on most laptops, and keep the master.
Course, job and client portals
Portals that accept a single format nearly always pick MP4. Convert the MOV you already have instead of going back to the editor to export again.
Renaming the extension vs a real conversion
Renaming works sometimes. Apple's support page suggests it for a MOV whose codec is H.264: check in Finder under File, Get Info, then change the extension. It works because most players look inside the file and find streams they know.
Renaming changes the label only. The file is still QuickTime underneath, so stricter software can refuse it, which is why one Windows user on Microsoft's forum reported that renaming did nothing. A renamed ProRes MOV is worse off: MP4 players can't decode ProRes at all.
Fast Copy costs a few seconds more than renaming and writes a real MP4: new header, index at the front, HEVC tagged hvc1, ProRes and unsupported audio converted. Use it when the file has to work the first time.
Mistakes that slow down a QuickTime conversion
Mistake: Renaming an iPhone HEVC or ProRes MOV and sending it to a Windows user.
Do this instead: Convert with Re-encode instead. H.264 opens in the default players without extra codecs.
Mistake: Re-encoding a clip that only needed a new container.
Do this instead: Leave Fast Copy on. With a compatible codec it keeps every frame, while a 1080p re-encode takes about as long as the clip runs.
Mistake: Expecting a long ProRes master to rewrap in seconds.
Do this instead: ProRes always gets re-encoded, and a 1080p re-encode runs at about real time because the browser uses one CPU core. Choose 720p for a review copy, or use a desktop encoder.
Mistake: Loading a MOV well over 2 GB.
Do this instead: The tab runs out of memory around that size. Trim or split it in QuickTime Player first, or use desktop FFmpeg for that one file.
What happens to your MOV file, and the limits
Converted on your own machine
Your file is converted on your own device and is never uploaded to our servers. The page fetches the engine, unmodified FFmpeg 5.1.4 compiled to WebAssembly, about 32 MB from jsDelivr on the first visit, then loads it from cache.
Free, one file at a time
No account, no watermark and no cap on how many MOVs you convert. There is no batch queue, so a folder of clips goes through one by one.
About 2 GB per file, tested
Browser memory for WebAssembly sets the ceiling. A 1.6 GB test file converted; a 2.1 GB file stopped with an out-of-memory message.
When a desktop app is the better pick
Hour-long ProRes masters, files past 2 GB and big batches go faster in HandBrake or FFmpeg, which use every core. We haven't tested phone browsers, so use a computer.