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MOV to MP4 Converter — Free, Fast, No Upload

iPhone and Mac videos are MOV files. This page repackages the video as MP4 in your browser without re-encoding the picture, so resolution and quality stay the same.

Free · no signup2 free files a day100% in-browser · no upload

Tap to select MOV files

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2 free files per day (2 left today) · Up to 10 MB each · Upgrade for more

✓ Files never uploaded✓ 100% browser-based✓ No account required
Need the reverse?MP4 → MOV

How to convert MOV to MP4 online

  1. 1

    Drop your MOV file

    Drag your QuickTime Movie file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.

  2. 2

    Wait while it converts

    Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server. Video takes roughly as long as the clip plays, so keep the tab open.

  3. 3

    Download your MP4

    Click Download to save the MPEG-4 Part 14 file.

MOV vs MP4: format overview

MOV

QuickTime Movie

Apple · 1991

Compression
lossy
Transparency
No
  • ✓ High quality, preferred by Apple ecosystem
  • ✓ Supports ProRes codec for editing
  • ✗ Poor Windows/Android compatibility without QuickTime
MP4

MPEG-4 Part 14

Moving Picture Experts Group · 2001

Compression
lossy
Transparency
No
  • ✓ Universal compatibility across all platforms
  • ✓ Excellent compression with H.264/H.265

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

MP4 magic bytes: 00 00 00 xx 66 74 79 70

Why convert MOV to MP4?

MOV is Apple's video format. It's what your iPhone records, what QuickTime saves, and what iMovie exports by default. On a Mac it just works. Elsewhere it's hit and miss: some Windows apps, older smart TVs and upload forms reject a .mov file even when the video inside is fine.

MP4 is the format almost every app, site and device expects. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Discord and email clients all take it.

Here's the useful part: MOV and MP4 are close relatives. Most iPhone and Mac MOV files hold H.264 or HEVC (H.265) video, and MP4 can carry both as they are. So this converter doesn't rebuild the picture — it copies the video stream into an MP4 wrapper. That's why it's fast and why the picture doesn't change.

Common reasons to convert MOV to MP4:

  • ›A website or app rejects your .mov upload
  • ›Sending an iPhone video to someone on Windows or Android
  • ›A video editor or school/work portal that only lists MP4
  • ›Getting an email attachment that previews inline

Quality & file size: MOV to MP4

The picture is not re-encoded. The video stream from your MOV is copied into the MP4 as it is, so resolution, frame rate and image quality stay exactly the same, and the file ends up about the same size. A 4K 60 fps clip stays 4K 60 fps.

The sound is copied too when it is already AAC, as it is in iPhone videos. Other sound is re-encoded to AAC at 192 kbps, the standard audio format for MP4.

The codec also stays the same. If your iPhone recorded in High Efficiency mode (the default), the MP4 still holds HEVC video. iPhones, Macs and most Android phones play it, but a Windows PC needs Microsoft's HEVC Video Extensions to play HEVC.

MOV files that use editing codecs such as Apple ProRes can't be copied into an MP4 as they are. For those, the converter re-encodes the video to H.264 instead. That takes much longer, and the picture is compressed once, so fine detail can soften slightly.

Frequently asked questions

Will converting MOV to MP4 reduce video quality?
Not for iPhone and most camera videos. Their H.264 or HEVC video and AAC sound are copied into the MP4 without re-encoding, so resolution, frame rate and sharpness stay the same. Editing codecs such as ProRes are the exception: they are re-encoded to H.264.
Can I just rename a .mov file to .mp4?
Sometimes. Apple says renaming works when the MOV uses H.264 video — on a Mac, select the file and choose File > Get Info to see the codec. Renaming changes only the name, not what's inside, so if an app still rejects the file, convert it here instead.
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac?
Use this page in Safari or Chrome: drop the MOV and download the MP4. Apple's own options are to rename an H.264 MOV to .mp4, or to import the video into iMovie and choose Share > Export File.
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on Windows?
Open this page in Edge or Chrome, drop the MOV, and download the MP4 — nothing to install. If the MP4 then won't play, the video is probably HEVC; install HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
Why won't my converted MP4 play on Windows?
Most likely the video is HEVC. iPhones record HEVC by default, and this converter keeps the codec as it is. Windows needs Microsoft's HEVC Video Extensions to play it.
How do I make my iPhone record MP4-friendly H.264 video?
Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. New videos will use H.264 instead of HEVC. Videos you already recorded don't change.
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on my iPhone?
Open this page in Safari, tap the box and pick the video, then save the MP4 to Files or share it. The free tier takes files up to 10 MB, which is only a few seconds of 1080p video, so most iPhone clips need Pro (up to 500 MB).
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on Android?
Open this page in Chrome, pick the .mov file, and download the MP4. It runs on the phone itself, so the video isn't uploaded anywhere.
Can it convert ProRes MOV files to MP4?
Yes. ProRes is an editing codec that the MP4 format can't hold, so the converter re-encodes the video to H.264, which every MP4 player supports. That takes much longer than a normal MOV conversion. ProRes files are also very large, so most need Pro (up to 500 MB).

Your MOV file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works