MOV (QuickTime File Format)
MOV is Apple's QuickTime video container, used by iPhones and many cameras. Learn how it relates to MP4 and how to convert MOV for wider compatibility.
- Type
- Video
- File extensions
- .mov, .qt
- MIME type
- video/quicktime
What is MOV?
MOV was developed by Apple for QuickTime. The MP4 format was later standardized based on it, so the two containers are closely related and often hold the same codecs, such as H.264 or HEVC.
Because of that, converting MOV to MP4 can often be done by copying the streams into a new container without re-encoding, which is fast and lossless.
When to use MOV
- Recording and editing on Apple devices
- Professional editing codecs such as ProRes
Limitations
- Less compatible than MP4 on Windows, Android and some websites
- Files with professional codecs are very large
Compatibility
Plays natively on Apple devices; other platforms depend on the codec inside.
Compared with other formats
- MP4: MP4 is the most compatible container for sharing.
Tools for MOV files
Video to GIF
Turn a section of an MP4, WebM or MOV video into a high-quality animated GIF using a generated palette.
Video Converter
Convert videos between MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV with codec and quality options.
Video Cutter
Remove an unwanted section from the middle of a video and join the remaining parts.
Video Trimmer
Keep only the part of a video between a start and end time.
Video Merger
Join multiple video clips into a single MP4 in the order you choose.
Video Compressor
Reduce video file size with quality-based or target-size compression.
Video Resizer
Change video resolution, for example from 4K to 1080p or 720p.
Video Cropper
Crop the video frame to a region or aspect ratio such as 9:16 for vertical video.
Video Rotator
Fix sideways or upside-down videos by rotating them 90, 180 or 270 degrees.
Video Reverser
Play a short video clip backwards, with or without reversed audio.
Video to MP3
Extract the audio track from any video and save it as an MP3.
Video to WebM
Convert videos to WebM (VP9/Opus) for open, web-friendly playback.