How to convert MOV to MP4
Here is the thing most converter sites do not tell you: MOV and MP4 are usually the same video in a different wrapper.
MOV is Apple's container. MP4 is the standard one. Both normally hold H.264 video and AAC audio. Converting between them often means rewriting the wrapper and leaving the video stream untouched. That takes a second or two and loses nothing.
Sites that upload your file, re-encode it, and hand it back ten minutes later are doing far more work than the job needs, and the result is worse.
Convert in your browser
Our converter does the wrapper swap locally. The file is never uploaded.
- Drop the .mov file in.
- Leave Size and Format on Original.
- Leave frame-accurate off. That is what keeps it a copy instead of a re-encode.
- Press Export.
You get an .mp4 with the same picture and the same audio, usually within a couple of seconds regardless of how long the clip is.
When it does have to re-encode
The stream copy is not always possible. You will need a real re-encode if:
- The MOV holds ProRes or another professional codec rather than H.264. Cameras and screen recorders do this.
- You are also changing the resolution or the aspect ratio.
- You need a frame exact trim at the same time.
In those cases the export takes longer, because every frame goes through the encoder.
Questions
Does converting MOV to MP4 lose quality?
Not if the video stream is copied rather than re-encoded, which is the normal case for iPhone footage. Only a re-encode costs quality.
Why will my MOV not play on Windows or Android?
The container, not the video. Most players outside Apple's ecosystem handle MP4 more reliably even when the video inside is identical.
Is there a file size limit?
Our editor works on whatever your browser can hold in memory. Very large files, above a few gigabytes, are better handled on a desktop.