How to use it
- Drop your MOV file onto the page.
- Check the codec info and the suggested mode.
- Click Convert to MP4.
- Download the MP4.
Why MOV to MP4 is usually instant
MOV and MP4 are both containers: boxes that hold a video stream and an audio stream. Videos from an iPhone, a Mac or most cameras store H.264 or HEVC (H.265) video with AAC audio, and those streams are allowed inside MP4 as they are. So the converter simply repackages them into an MP4 box, without decoding or re-encoding a single frame.
That means:
- It takes seconds, even for long videos.
- The picture and sound are bit-for-bit identical to the original.
- The file size stays about the same.
The tool checks the codecs first and tells you whether the file can be repackaged as is. If part of the file doesn't fit in MP4, such as uncompressed PCM audio, only that part is converted.
When to encode to H.264
Tick Encode to H.264 when you need maximum compatibility:
- Your video is HEVC (H.265), which most iPhones record by default. iPhones, Macs and most newer devices play it, but some older Windows PCs, TVs and websites don't.
- The video uses VP8, VP9 or AV1. These can go into MP4, but QuickTime, iPhones, many TVs and editing apps won't play them.
- A repackaged file still won't open somewhere.
Encoding decodes and recompresses every frame, so it's slower (from seconds to several minutes depending on length and your device) and quality can drop slightly. Audio is converted to AAC when the browser can encode it.
Tip: if you regularly share iPhone videos with Windows users, you can make the iPhone record H.264 in the first place under Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible. New videos then need no encoding at all.
MOV vs. MP4
| MOV | MP4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Developed by | Apple (QuickTime) | ISO / MPEG standard |
| Typical codecs | H.264, HEVC, ProRes; AAC, PCM | H.264, HEVC, AV1; AAC, MP3 |
| Plays on Windows | Usually, depending on codec | Yes |
| Web upload | Accepted by most sites | Accepted everywhere |
| Editing | Common in Final Cut, Premiere | Common everywhere |
If you edit on a Mac, MOV is fine. For sharing, uploading to a website or playing on a TV or Windows PC, MP4 is the safer choice. ProRes MOV files from professional cameras need to be encoded, and their large size can exceed your browser's memory.
Private by design
Your video never leaves your device: the file is read, converted and saved entirely in your browser, so there's no upload wait, no size-based paywall and nothing stored on a server. The flip side is that very large files depend on your device's memory. The tool warns you when a file is large; on a phone, close other apps and tabs, and for multi-gigabyte files a computer is more reliable.
Video processing uses your browser's built-in WebCodecs engine. It works in current Chrome and Edge (desktop and Android), Safari 16.4 or later, and Firefox 130 or later on desktop.
Need a smaller file afterward? Use the video compressor. Other formats: MKV to MP4 and WebM to MP4.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting MOV to MP4 lose quality?
Not when the video is repackaged, which is the default for iPhone and QuickTime files: the video and audio streams are copied unchanged. Only the optional H.264 encoding recompresses the video.
How do I convert iPhone video to MP4?
Drop the MOV file here and click Convert to MP4. If you need it to play on older Windows PCs or TVs, tick Encode to H.264 first, since iPhones often record in HEVC.
Is there a file size limit?
There's no fixed limit, but the finished video is assembled in your browser's memory. Files of several gigabytes work best on a computer.
Are my videos uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.
Why is the converted file almost the same size?
Because repackaging doesn't recompress the video. To make it smaller, use the video compressor.
Last updated: November 12, 2026