How to convert MOV to MP4 on Windows, Mac or right in Chrome

Convert MOV to MP4 · 4 min read

You filmed something on an iPhone, moved it to a PC, and the .MOV won't play. Or a website says "MP4 only". Here are three free ways to convert MOV to MP4, starting with the one that takes a few seconds and doesn't upload your video anywhere.

Why a MOV file won't play in the first place

MOV is Apple's video container, the "box" the video sits in. MP4 is its close relative and the format almost everything accepts. The real trouble is usually what's inside the box: since iOS 11, iPhones record video in HEVC (also called H.265) to save space.

Windows doesn't play HEVC out of the box. It needs Microsoft's HEVC Video Extensions, a paid add-on from the Microsoft Store. Chrome plays HEVC only when your computer has a hardware decoder for it, and otherwise just shows a black frame or refuses the file. So converting MOV to MP4 is really two jobs: change the box, and, if the video is HEVC, turn it into H.264, which plays everywhere.

Method 1: convert in your browser, no upload

Convert MOV to MP4 is a free Chrome extension that does the conversion on your own computer. The video is read from your disk and never sent to a server, so a large file doesn't mean a long upload.

1. Add the extension to Chrome and click its icon.
2. Drop in your .MOV file, or several at once.
3. Check the time estimate. A MOV with H.264 inside takes seconds, an HEVC clip takes longer because it is re-encoded.
4. Download the MP4. Your original file stays untouched.

When the video inside is already H.264, the file is only rewrapped, so there is no quality loss at all. When it's HEVC, the extension converts it to H.264 using your computer's video hardware, and falls back to a built-in decoder when there's no hardware for it.

Method 2: convert MOV to MP4 on Windows with VLC

VLC is a free media player that can also convert files. It works well, but the menu is easy to get lost in.

1. Open VLC and go to Media → Convert / Save.
2. Click Add, pick your .MOV, then click Convert / Save.
3. In Profile, choose Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4).
4. Set a destination file name ending in .mp4 and click Start.

VLC always re-encodes, so even a clip that could have been rewrapped in seconds goes through a full conversion.

Method 3: convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac with iMovie

On a Mac, iMovie comes free and can save a clip as MP4.

1. Create a new movie in iMovie and drag your .MOV onto the timeline.
2. Go to File → Share → File.
3. Pick the resolution and quality. Avoid the ProRes option, which saves a .mov instead.
4. Click Next and save. iMovie exports an .mp4.

QuickTime Player's Export As won't help here: it saves another .mov.

Can I just rename .mov to .mp4?

Sometimes the renamed file opens, because the two formats are close relatives. But nothing inside changes. If the video is HEVC, the renamed file still won't play on a PC without the codec, and some upload forms check the contents rather than the name. A real conversion is safer.

Stop the problem at the source

If you regularly send iPhone videos to Windows users, change how the phone records:

• Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New videos are recorded in H.264. They are still .MOV files, but they play on almost anything and convert to MP4 in seconds without quality loss.
• Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic. The iPhone tries to convert videos when you copy them over a cable. It doesn't always do it, so keep a converter handy.

Need to go the other way? See our guide on how to convert MP4 to MOV.