Free MP4 to MOV converter

How do I convert MP4 to MOV?

Add the MP4 above, keep MOV as the output and click convert. An MP4 with H.264 or HEVC video and AAC audio is moved into a MOV container without re-encoding, so the conversion is quick and the quality stays exactly the same. Other codecs are re-encoded to H.264. Everything happens on your device.

Do you actually need MOV?

Often you don’t. Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Keynote, QuickTime Player and the Photos app all open MP4 files with H.264 or HEVC video. Before converting, try importing the MP4 directly. Converting to MOV makes sense when:

• A client, agency or post-production house asks for MOV deliverables.
• A template, plugin or automation in your workflow only picks up .mov files.
• An older Apple app or device refuses the MP4 but accepts a MOV.
• You keep a project folder consistent with footage from iPhones and Mac screen recordings, which are MOV already.

MP4 vs MOV: what changes and what doesn’t

MOV and MP4 are closely related: MP4 was developed from Apple’s QuickTime format. Both usually hold H.264 or HEVC video and AAC audio. So an MP4 to MOV conversion doesn’t make the video better or worse; it changes the box the video is stored in.

MOV is not the same as ProRes

A common mix-up: editors sometimes ask for “MOV” when they mean an editing format such as Apple ProRes, which is usually stored in a MOV file. This tool writes MOV files with H.264 video (or the HEVC already in your MP4), not ProRes, because browsers can’t encode ProRes. If someone needs ProRes for color grading or heavy editing, export it from Final Cut Pro, Compressor or another desktop app. For everyday editing and delivery, H.264 in MOV is fine.

Importing into Final Cut Pro and iMovie

1. Try the MP4 first: drag it into the browser of your library or project.
2. If it’s rejected or shows no picture, the codec is usually the problem rather than the container. Check it in the video metadata viewer.
3. Convert to MOV here; a codec Apple apps don’t support is re-encoded to H.264 along the way.
4. Import the MOV. Final Cut Pro can create optimized media from it if you edit heavily.

How to check the MOV on a Mac

Open the file in QuickTime Player and choose Window › Show Movie Inspector. It lists the format of the video and audio, the size in pixels and the frame rate, so you can confirm the MOV matches what your client or workflow asked for before you send it. If they asked for a particular codec or frame rate that the file doesn’t have, say so early: a container change can’t add an editing codec, and changing the frame rate is a job for an editor.

The same details, plus the bitrate and the file’s creation date, are shown by the video metadata viewer on any computer.

Going the other way

To share a MOV with people on Windows, Android or the web, convert it back with MOV to MP4. MP4 remains the safer choice for anything you send to other people or upload to a website, because more apps, browsers and platforms accept it without question.

Tips

Trim before you import

Shorter clips import and render faster. Cut unneeded footage with the video trimmer before bringing it into your editor.

Keep the original

Keep the source MP4 until you’ve checked the MOV plays to the end with sound.