MOV to MP4 converter, free

1. 1Drop a MOV file into the box above, or choose one from your device. MP4 and WebM files work too, up to 1 GB.
2. 2Read what the tool found in the file, for example “HEVC video, AAC audio, 1 min 12 s”, and what it will do with it.
3. 3For an HEVC video, leave it to re-encode to H.264, or choose Keep HEVC for a faster, smaller file that plays on Apple devices.
4. 4Select Convert to MP4. Repackaging takes a few seconds. Re-encoding takes roughly as long as the video plays.
5. 5Download the MP4. It keeps the original name, ending in .mp4.

MOV and MP4 are both containers: a wrapper that holds the video, the sound and details such as the length and which way up the picture goes. MOV is Apple’s QuickTime format, and MP4 is the international standard that drew on QuickTime’s design, so the 2 are close relatives.

Whether a file plays depends more on the codec inside, the way the picture itself is compressed. In both MOV and MP4 it is usually H.264 or HEVC. H.264, also called AVC, is the older codec and plays on almost every phone, computer, browser and TV. HEVC, also called H.265, makes smaller files at the same quality, but fewer players can decode it.

An iPhone saves video as a MOV file. With the camera set to High Efficiency, the format Apple recommends, the video inside is HEVC, because it takes less storage than H.264 at the same quality.

When you send the video by AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that cannot play HEVC, Apple says the iPhone may share it as H.264 instead.

To record H.264 from the start, open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats and choose Most Compatible. Your phone then uses more storage for each video.

The tool reads the file first and tells you which of these it will do before you start.

• H.264 video: it copies the video and sound into an MP4 without re-encoding them, so the picture does not change. This takes a few seconds, even for a long video.
• HEVC video: your browser decodes each frame and encodes it again as H.264, at a high bitrate so the difference is hard to see. Expect it to take roughly as long as the video plays, longer for 4K or on an older computer.
• HEVC with Keep HEVC: the video is copied as it is, in a few seconds. Choose it when the file is going to an Apple device or to a platform that accepts HEVC.
• VP9 or AV1, from a WebM file: re-encoded to H.264, like HEVC.

To play HEVC, Windows needs HEVC Video Extensions, an add-on from the Microsoft Store. A computer without it may not open the file, or may play the sound with no picture. An H.264 MP4 plays without the add-on, which is why the tool re-encodes HEVC unless you choose otherwise.

Browsers differ too. Safari plays HEVC, while Chrome, Edge and Firefox list only partial support on Can I use, so an HEVC video plays on some computers and not on others.

Re-encoding needs an H.264 encoder in the browser, which Chrome, Edge and Safari on a computer have. Where the browser has none, the tool repackages an HEVC video as it is and tells you the MP4 may not play on Windows or in some browsers.

The tool copies the sound as it is whenever MP4 can hold it, which covers the AAC sound in iPhone videos. Sound that MP4 cannot hold is encoded again by your browser, and if that fails, the tool stops and says so rather than giving you a silent MP4.

Some cameras record uncompressed PCM sound, which many players cannot play inside an MP4. The tool turns it into AAC, the sound every MP4 player reads. In a browser that cannot encode AAC, the PCM is kept and the tool tells you.

No. The conversion runs in your browser: it reads the file, copies or re-encodes it and builds the MP4 on your device. The video is not sent to ReelCaption or anyone else, so you can convert client footage or a private clip.

If you then caption the MP4 in the studio, the video still stays on your device. Only the audio track, about 1 MB a minute, goes to Groq, which runs Whisper, and it is not stored.

• ProRes: iPhone Pro models and some cameras can record Apple ProRes, which browsers cannot decode. Export the video again as H.264 from Photos or your camera app, or convert it with a desktop tool such as HandBrake.
• Files over 1 GB: Apple says ProRes files are up to 30 times larger than HEVC, and a long 4K video can pass the limit too. Trim the video or export a smaller file first.
• Several files at once: the tool converts one file at a time.

Trim a video before you convert it

How do I convert a MOV file to MP4 for free?

Drop it into the converter at the top of this page and select Convert to MP4. It is free, needs no account and runs in your browser, so the video stays on your device.

How do I convert an iPhone video to MP4?

Drop the MOV file from your iPhone into the converter. If the video is HEVC, the tool re-encodes it to H.264 so it plays on Windows and Android. Choose Keep HEVC for a faster file that plays on Apple devices.

Does converting MOV to MP4 lose quality?

No, not for an H.264 video, which is copied as it is. An HEVC video is re-encoded at a high bitrate, so the difference is hard to see, though the MP4 may be larger than the MOV. Bright skies and colors in an HDR video can look different after re-encoding, so choose Keep HEVC to keep the picture as it was recorded.

Why will my MOV file not play on Windows?

Usually because the video inside is HEVC, and Windows needs Microsoft’s HEVC Video Extensions to play it. Converting it here to an H.264 MP4 gives you a file Windows plays without the add-on.

Can it convert ProRes?

No. Browsers cannot decode ProRes. Export the video again as H.264 from Photos or your camera app, or use a desktop tool such as HandBrake.

Is there a size limit?

Yes. Each file can be up to 1 GB, and the tool converts one file at a time. Trim a longer video first.

• Apple: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, checked October 11, 2026
• Apple: About Apple ProRes on iPhone, checked October 11, 2026
• Microsoft Store: HEVC Video Extensions, checked October 11, 2026
• Can I use: HEVC/H.265 video format, checked October 11, 2026
• Library of Congress: MPEG-4 File Format, Version 2, checked October 11, 2026