'how do I convert mp4 files to mov files for quicktime?' – from Apple Community
Load MOV files to the MOV to YouTube Mac app. Drag & drop MOV files to the mac Video Converter. Or go to the main menu and choose “Add Files' to locate the MOV files you want to upload to YouTube. Upload MOV to YouTube. After importing your MOV videos, please go to the 'Export' menu. Play MOV video files smoothly on both PC and Mac. Support almost all video formats, like MOV, MP4, AVI, etc. Correct image color, quality and more. Offer bonus features, like snapshot. Cons; After the free-trial, you need to purchase a license. Select 'MOV - QuickTIme Video (.mov).' It's in the column on the right side of the drop-down menu. It's next to the QuickTime logo with the blue 'Q'. If you don't see this option in the menu to the right, click Free Video in the column to the right. This displays a list of video formats you can convert to for free.
Why convert MP4 to MOV on Mac?
In short, MOV file format is fully supported by Mac, while part of MP4 files can’t be opened by QuickTime natively on Mac because of codec incompatibility.
- After downloading, install and launch this free YouTube to MOV converting software on your Mac. 2 Load the YouTube videos Click 'Add File' to import the YouTube videos you want to convert from the pop-up window.
- This free MOV converter lets you convert videos to the Apple Quicktime MOV format. Upload your file or select an URL to convert the file. For example, to convert a video from AVI to MOV, just select the AVI source file and click on the 'Convert file' button.
- According to Apple, QuickTime can play most of MP4 videos with MPEG-4, MPEG-2, H.264 video codec and MP3, AAC codec. However, MP4 is a container format which can include HEVC/MPEG-H Part 2/H.265, MPEG-2 Part 2, MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-4 Part 10 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.263, VC-1, Dirac, audio (MP3, AAC, SLS, TTSI, and ALAC) and subtitles (MPEG-4 timed text). So, if there is any incompatible coding format in your MP4 video, QuickTime will fail to play it.
- MP4 can also include still images and links that can’t be handled by QuickTime.
You see MP4 is quite a complex video container format which has diverse codec combination. That’s why sometimes QuickTime Player can play MP4 files while sometimes doesn’t. That’s why you need to convert MP4 to MOV that’s fully supported by QuickTime, iMovie or iTunes on Mac.
Here we highlight 6 familiar tools to most of you Mac users so that you can make use of your existing tool without any downloading. Of course, if you prefer any good options listed here, you can try them as well.
3 Ways to Convert MP4 to MOV on Mac
Way 1. macXvideo – Losslessly Convert MP4 to MOV Format on Mac
Digiarty macXvideo is a 100% clean and free desktop MP4 to MOV converter to convert videos from MP4 to MOV on macOS at blazing fast speed, and also lets you repair corrupted MP4 video files with highest possible quality restored. This freeware empowers you to free encode between any video for playback on mobile devices or upload to YouTube/FB SNS sites without trouble.
- 200+ most popular formats supported: convert from/to MP4, MOV, MKV, HEVC, H.264, AVI, FLV, MP3, etc. up to 4K.
- Hardware acceleration supported: Intel QSV, Nvidia Cuda, AMD GPU decoding offers 5x faster conversion speed.
- Auto Copy feature enables you to convert MP4 to MOV with intact video quality when both formats use H.264 codec.
- Extra bonuses: trimming, cropping, compressing, upscaling, and parameter adjustment.
How to convert MP4 to MOV on Mac with macXvideo?
Step 1. Click on the Donwload button above, install and run it on your Mac.
Step 2. Import the MP4 file you want to convert by clicking the 'Add File' button.
Step 3. Select MOV as the output format. The optimized default settings ensure the best output quality. If you need MOV videos for editing in iMovie or playing on QuickTime, iTunes, iPhone, etc, you can select the specific presets from the list directly.
Step 4. Click on the 'Browse' button to choose where you want to save the converter video.
- On the interface, please don't forget to check the Hardware acceleration engine and Auto Copy boxes. As mentioned above, the two features will help accelerate the whole mp4 to mov conversion when possible.
- Here you can see the editing features below the video information. Click any button on the bar to enter into the editing window, where you can cut, crop, add subtitles, add effects, rotate videos and etc.
- The gear icon stands for the parameters settings where you can adjust the bit rate, resolutions, frame rate, codecs etc.
Step 4. Press the 'RUN' button to start the conversion process.
Note: Other Mac MP4 to MOV converters out the market also include AnyMP4 Studio Free MP4 Converter, Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate, FonePaw Video Converter Ultimate, Aiseesoft Video Converter for Mac, Acethinker Video Master, Freemake, to just name a few.
Way 2. cloudconvert – Online MP4 to MOV video Converter
Online video converter can be used directly on any platforms in theory. Here, cloudconvert online video converter is chosen to help you convert MP4 to MOV on Mac easily. It is quite a powerful online file converter which is capable of converting videos, audio, vectors, spreadsheets, presentations, images, fonts, ebooks, documents, CAD and archives.
- Convert MP4 to MOV, AVI, FLV, MKV, MP4, WebM and WMV at will.
- Freely choose the output resolutions, aspect ratios, quality, video audio codec, fps and bitrate.
How to convert MP4 to MOV on Mac with cloudconvert?
Step 1. Open https://cloudconvert.com/mp4-to-mov with your Safari browser on Mac.
Step 2. Click “Select File” to choose your video from your computer.
Step 3. Choose MOV as the output format.
Step 4. Click on “Convert” button.
Step 5. After converting, just download the converted file to your Mac.
However, you should note that most of the conversion process will reduce the video quality especially when transcoding 4K MP4 videos. Besides, you have to upload your videos first and then download the converted ones, but most of the online converters will keep your videos in their cloud service for about 24 hours. So, if your video is quite private, this way is not that safe to your personal privacy.
Note: Other online MP4 video converters also include Zamzar, Wondershare Online UniConverter, online-convert.com, Convertio, etc.
Way 3. Apple QuickTime Player – Export MP4 as MOV
Not just a video player, QuickTime can also help convert MP4 to MOV on Mac for iTunes, iMovie, Web, iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. And your video will be exported as a QuickTime movie (.mov) using H.264 or HEVC codec.
Step 1. Launch QuickTime Player on your Mac.
Step 2. Open your MP4 file you want to convert with QuickTime Player.
Step 3. Choose 'File' and then click “Export As”.
Step 4. Choose an option from the drop-down menu like 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p, Audio Only.
Step 5. Rename your file and choose a location to save the converted file.
Step 6. Click 'Save' and then QuickTime Player will start changing your MP4 video into MOV video.
Note: Actually, this only change the file extension and is not a real conversion as the data is not transcoded. If you want to convert your MP4 files to MOV with different coding formats, you have to use one of the above two ways. Besides, QuickTime Player only supports converting videos to MOV but doesn’t export movies as MP4 videos.
About MP4 and MOV
MP4 is nowadays an industry standard format which is the extension for MPEG-4 Part 14 in essence. It is a media container that contains digital video, audio streams, subtitles, still images and other data. It will also store advanced data like 3D graphics and UHD videos. This format has a very efficient compression method that makes it easier to be distribute among web and different devices.
MOVis a QuicTime file that applies proprietary compression algorithm developed by Apple. It's also a media container that uses tracks to hold data like video, audio, text, etc. Generally, MOV is a high-quality file format and the MOV videos will be larger than MP4. Check MOV VS MP4 for more detailed info about the two formats.
Formats | MOV | MP4 |
Type | Video Container | Video Container |
File extension | .mov | .mp4 |
Developed by | Apple | International Organization for Standardization |
Video Codecs | MPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later), | HEVC/MPEG-H Part 2/H.265, MPEG-2 Part 2, MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-4 Part 10 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.263, VC-1, Dirac, other, audio (MP3, AAC, SLS, TTSI, and ALAC), and subtitles (MPEG-4 timed text). |
Compatibility | Mac-based programs and iDevices | Web, Mac and Windows, Android and iDevices |
Quality | High quality | High quality |
File Size | Large | Smaller |
Summary: If you are looking for MOV Players for Mac with extra functionalities, better performance and a lightweight application, then you are in the right place. Here we tested 6 best MOV Players for Mac.
The Best Media Player with Menu Navigation Support
DVDFab Player 5 is a dreaming multimedia playback software that plays DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, ISO files and movie folders with native navigation menus.MOV file format is a format native to QuickTime player of Mac and should natively play in it. However, since you are here, I assume you are looking for some extra functionalities, better performance and a lightweight application from your MOV player for Mac. Let us help you get extras you are looking for in a MOV player for Mac.
DVDFab Player 5
DVDFab Player 5 for Mac is a free MOV player for Mac. A highly powerful media player for Mac that can play anything and everything you would want to in a media player. It is a 4k UHD media player, meaning it supports the highest quality media file you can throw at it. It supports menu playback on regular Blu-rays and 4k Ultra HD Blu-rays. If you have a television which supports graphics for a 4k or HDR10 movie, then activate the HDR10 toggle to watch your movie in the best possible way using this MOV player for Mac.
Youtube To Mov Converter Mac Online
It has 2 playback modes - TV and PC mode, each of which offers a unique playback experience. Use the TV mode if you have a large screen television at home and improve the experience further by connecting a state-of-the-art acoustic system to your Mac to take advantage of the capabilities of this MOV player for Mac to give Hi-Res Audio Output, up to Dolby Atmos & DTS:X. DVDFab Player 5 can output lossless high-resolution audios such as Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master and DTS:X etc.
It has a lot of advanced options as well to control the playback like playing it is slow or fast speed, rotate, take a snapshot, change aspect ratio and adjust color properties like brightness, contrast and saturation.
To play a MOV file, install this MOV player for Mac from DVDFab Player 5 official website, launch the application and load or just drag and drop the MOV file to the application screen to start the playback.
MPV player
This MOV player for Mac is a fork of mplayer2 and MPlayer. This player has no GUI of its own and most of the functionality is controlled by the CLI. However, it does have a small controller that floats on the screen when mouse movement is detected and otherwise hides during playback. It has an OpenGL based video output that makes it capable of video scaling, color management, frame timing, interpolation, HDR and more. It leverages the FFmpeg hwaccel APIs to support VDPAU, VAAPI, DXVA2, VDA and VideoToolbox video decoding acceleration. It is a cross-platform application and you might need to refer some “How to” article to learn how to use it.
MPlayerX
This MOV player for Mac though is free to use, comes embedded within an installer that is basically adware. You need to carefully avoid installing any extra software that are offered as ads. Once it is installed though, you don’t need to worry about any further issues. It supports a wide variety of codecs and is an actively updated software. It can detect and convert encoded subtitles. In addition to Latin, Eastern Asian languages, Arabic and Hebrew are supported as well. It can be controlled by Apple Remote. If you plugin a SPDIF cable, this MOV player for Mac automatically detects and streams the audio-video output through the cable.
VLC Media Player
This is a free, open-source MOV player for Mac. It is quite well known for its support of a wide variety of media files and codecs. In addition to Mac, it is available for all major platforms including Windows, Linux and even Android. The application comes with an inbuilt video converter, a basic video editor, audio/video download and the ability to directly stream a video file in the application with an URL.
Macgo Mac Media Player
Another free MOV player for Mac that plays high-quality videos for you in its free version. It generates lossless audio and supports DTS5.1 audio system. It has support for playing both inbuilt subtitles as well as externally added ones. You can use it to play videos on your iPhone, iPad or iPod using the AirX functionality. The application can be downloaded from the Mac Store and is available for Mac OS X 10.8 - 10.14 Mojave.
Youtube To Mov Converter Mac
Cisdem Video Player
A completely free MOV player for Mac that is ready for macOS Mojave. It can play 5k as well as Full HD 1080P video. There is no need for adding any external plugin or codec as it supports all major video and audio formats. It has a simple and easy to use interface and loads videos fast. It plays native subtitles as well adding on external subtitles.
Youtube To Mov Mac
That finishes our list of the best MOV players for Mac. All these players allow you to play MOV and many other video and audio file formats for free. Download the player of your choice and enjoy your movie!
From this article, you have known the best MOV Players for Mac to play MOV and many other video and audio file formats. Then would you like to convert these musics from MOV to MP3? Here are several best tools we tested.
1. Download online videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and over 1000 other sites
2. Allow users to choose their preferred video quality to download, up to 8K in resolution
3. Download an entire playlist or process 5 download tasks to maximize work efficiency
4. Enable turbo-speed to download 10 times faster so as to save users' invaluable time
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DVDFab Video Converter for MacConvert videos to various video/audio formats
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