OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
MOV to MP4
iPhone and QuickTime Video to MP4, No Upload
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How the MOV To MP4 works
This MOV to MP4 converter takes a MOV file from an iPhone, a Mac screen recording or a camera and saves it as an MP4. When the video inside is already H.264, it is moved into the new file untouched, which takes seconds and loses nothing. HEVC video is converted to H.264 so the MP4 plays on Windows, Android and older TVs. Nothing is uploaded.
MOV to MP4: close relatives
MOV is Apple's QuickTime format, introduced in 1991. When the MPEG group needed a container for MPEG-4 it based the design on QuickTime, and MP4 was published in 2001 as part of that standard. The two still share the same structure of boxes, or atoms. So converting is often only a matter of rewriting the wrapper. The picture and sound are copied across bit for bit.
Why iPhone videos need converting
Since iOS 11 in 2017, iPhones record video in HEVC (H.265) by default, under the camera's "High Efficiency" setting. HEVC files are about half the size of H.264 at the same quality, but many Windows PCs, Android phones, smart TVs and web upload forms cannot play them. This page re-encodes HEVC to H.264, which plays almost everywhere. A MOV recorded with the "Most Compatible" setting is already H.264, and the page copies it.
The results panel says which happened. "Copied without re-encoding" means the picture is identical to the original.
Sound and extras
iPhone and Mac recordings carry AAC sound, which MP4 accepts as it is. Older cameras sometimes record uncompressed PCM sound in MOV files, and the page converts that to AAC. Extra tracks are left out, such as the timecode and metadata tracks some cameras add.
Speed and size
Copying runs about as fast as the file can be read. Re-encoding HEVC uses your device's video hardware and usually runs several times faster than real time on a recent computer. The H.264 file is larger than the HEVC original, often about 1.5 to 2 times. To bring it down, use the MP4 compressor afterwards.
FAQ
Will the MP4 lose quality?
Not if the MOV held H.264: the video is copied exactly. HEVC video has to be re-encoded, which loses a little detail, but at the high quality setting used here the difference is hard to see.
Why does it say my browser cannot decode HEVC?
Reading HEVC needs hardware support. Safari 17 or later on a Mac or iPhone always has it. Chrome and Edge use it when the computer's graphics hardware supports HEVC, which most made since about 2016 do.
Can I convert several MOV files at once?
One at a time. Each file converts quickly, so drop the next file in once the download is done. The settings stay as they were, so a batch of phone clips goes through quickly.
Is the video uploaded?
No. The conversion happens in this browser tab and the file never leaves your device. The page only needs the internet to load itself and the converter library, and the finished file is saved straight from memory to your downloads.
See also: all Audio & Video tools, Units, Images, Documents, Data & Code.
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