Is this AVI to MOV converter really free?

Yes. Up to 5 files at a time, no signup, no catch. The free tier adds a small watermark to image output — Pro ($9.99/mo or $49/yr) removes it, raises the file size limit to 500 MB, and unlocks unlimited batch conversion.

Are my files uploaded to a server?

No — and you can verify it yourself. Open DevTools → Network tab, then convert a file. You'll see zero upload requests. Everything runs right in your browser. We never see your files.

How long does conversion take?

Usually 1–3 seconds for a typical file. The very first conversion on a fresh page load may take 5–20 seconds while the converter engine loads — after that it's instant. Your CPU does all the work locally.

What is the file size limit?

Free: up to 10 MB per file, 5 files per batch. Pro: up to 500 MB per file, unlimited batch. If you're working with large videos or RAW photos, Pro is built for that.

Can I batch convert multiple AVI files at once?

Yes — drop multiple files at once (or Ctrl/Cmd+click to select them) and they all convert in parallel. Free accounts handle up to 5 files per batch; Pro has no limit.

How large can my video files be?

Free accounts support files up to 10 MB — enough for short clips and GIFs. Pro raises that to 500 MB, which covers most 1080p videos. For files over 1 GB, a native app like HandBrake will be faster.

Will the video lose quality during conversion?

When only the container changes (e.g., MKV → MP4 where both use H.264), there's zero quality loss — it's a lossless rewrap. When the codec changes, we encode at CRF 23, which is near-transparent for most content.

Why won't iMovie open AVI files?

iMovie on modern macOS does not support AVI files because Apple removed QuickTime's AVI decoder in recent macOS versions. Converting to MOV (H.264) gives iMovie a format it fully supports.

What codec does the MOV output use?

The converter outputs H.264 video in a MOV container with AAC audio — the standard format fully supported by all Apple software including Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and QuickTime Player.

How private is this converter?

Completely private — by design, not policy. There is no upload endpoint. Files are processed right inside your browser tab and disappear the moment you close it. We collect only anonymous page-view counts; your file content is never seen or stored.

AVI to MOV Converter — Free, Online, No Upload

How to convert AVI to MOV online

1
Drop your AVI file
Drag and drop your Audio Video Interleave file onto the converter, or click to browse your files. You can select up to 5 at once. Nothing leaves your device — conversion happens right here in the browser.
2
Hit Convert — it happens locally
Click Convert and watch it go. There's no upload, no server queue, no waiting. The converter runs Audio Video Interleave → QuickTime Movie entirely in your browser tab. Most files finish in 1–3 seconds.
3
Download your MOV
Your QuickTime Movie file is ready. Click Download, or grab a ZIP if you converted a batch. Close the tab and everything disappears — no copies kept anywhere.

AVI vs MOV: format overview

AVI

Audio Video Interleave

Microsoft · 1992

Compression: lossy
Transparency: No

✓ Universal Windows compatibility
✓ Simple container format — widely supported
✗ Large file sizes (minimal compression)

MOV

QuickTime Movie

Apple · 1991

Compression: lossy
Transparency: No

✓ High quality, preferred by Apple ecosystem
✓ Supports ProRes codec for editing

AVI magic bytes: 52 49 46 46 xx xx xx xx 41 56 49 20

MOV magic bytes: 00 00 00 xx 66 74 79 70 71 74

Why convert AVI to MOV?

AVI files are a relic of the Windows video world from the early 1990s, and Apple has never embraced them. QuickTime Player cannot open most AVI files without third-party codecs. Final Cut Pro and iMovie reject them outright. If you have old camcorder footage, home videos, or archived recordings in AVI format and want to edit or preserve them on a Mac, the AVI container is a fundamental obstacle.

MOV is Apple's native video container — the format that QuickTime Player, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and every Apple tool understands by default. It was designed alongside macOS and iOS and supports the codec combinations that Apple hardware is optimized for. Video in a MOV container opens instantly on any Mac without additional software, plugins, or codec packages.

Converting AVI to MOV gives your old footage a home in the Apple ecosystem. The video — often DivX, Xvid, or uncompressed AVI — is re-encoded to H.264 inside a QuickTime container. This is a lossy transcode, so using the highest available quality setting preserves the most detail from your source footage. The output is smaller than uncompressed AVI sources and immediately editable in iMovie or Final Cut Pro. This is the standard conversion path for digitized home video and old camera footage entering a Mac editing workflow.

Quality & file size: AVI to MOV

Typical file sizes: AVI 200–600 MB → MOV 150–500 MB.

Both AVI and MOV use lossy compression. We transcode at high quality settings (equivalent to MOV's recommended web quality) to minimize generational loss.

Color depth: AVI supports standard color, MOV supports standard color.

Transparency: AVI does not support transparency. MOV does not support transparency — transparent areas become solid white.

Frequently asked questions

Privacy: how FormatDrop handles your files

Your AVIfiles are converted 100% inside your browser. They are never uploaded to our servers, never stored, and never seen by anyone other than you. This isn't a privacy policy claim — it's an architectural guarantee: our server has no endpoint that receives file bytes.