MOV to MP4 Converter: Make iPhone Videos Play Anywhere with Convertavo
Your iPhone video plays fine on the phone, then won't open on a Windows PC. Convertavo's free MOV to MP4 converter fixes that in one step, with nothing to install. Upload the MOV, keep the default settings, and most videos are ready in 30 to 120 seconds.
Your files stay private
Uploads are deleted from our servers one hour after processing. Nothing is read or reused, and nothing is kept unless you save it to your account.
No account required
20 free credits a day, with no email address and no watermarks on the output.
Runs on any device
Works in any modern browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
How to convert MOV to MP4
Nothing to install, and no account needed.
- STEP 01
Upload your MOV file
Straight from an iPhone or a camera, up to 25 MB without an account and 100 MB with a free one. A link works too.
- STEP 02
Choose quality and codec
Same as source and H.264 are already picked, and H.264 is the one that plays on everything.
- STEP 03
Convert and download
Once you press Convert to MP4, the new file is ready to save a minute or two later.
We picked those defaults because that MP4 opens in Windows Media Player, VLC, Android galleries, WhatsApp, PowerPoint and every browser.
What the MOV to MP4 tool does
Plays everywhere
An H.264 MP4 opens on Windows, Android, smart TVs, WhatsApp and every browser.
Smaller files
iPhone MOVs are recorded at a high bitrate, so the MP4 usually comes out a good deal lighter.
Upright every time
A video filmed sideways is turned the right way inside the MP4 itself.
Why won't my iPhone video play on Windows?
MOV is Apple's QuickTime format, the one iPhones, iPads and Mac screen recordings use. The bigger problem is what's inside it. Newer iPhones record video in HEVC, also called H.265, and many Windows PCs, Android phones, smart TVs and websites can't play that without an extra add-on called a codec.
Converting to MP4 with H.264 gets around all of it. You end up with a file that plays on almost any device and uploads to every site.
Isn't MOV the same as MP4?
Close, but not quite. A file like IMG_2214.MOV from an iPhone and an MP4 are both just wrappers, boxes the video sits in. The trouble is the HEVC video an iPhone puts inside the MOV. Put H.264 video in an MP4 box instead and Windows opens it without complaint.
Should I pick H.264 or H.265?
We go with H.264 most of the time, simply because it plays on everything we've thrown it at. H.265, also called HEVC, can make the same video around 40% smaller, and newer phones and Macs handle it fine, but older Windows PCs and some TVs don't. We tag it so iPhones and Macs play it.
For anything you're sending to someone else, or opening on a Windows laptop, we'd stick with H.264.
Will the MP4 look worse than the MOV?
Not to the eye, with Quality left on Same as source. The video keeps its original size, and the picture is re-encoded at a setting meant to look the same as before.
The file usually gets lighter too, since iPhones record at a much higher bitrate than a video needs to look good.
Can I make the video smaller still?
Yes. Picking 1080p, 720p or 480p instead of the original size helps a lot when it's going to a family chat or a group. If it's still too big for WhatsApp or email, Compress Video can bring the MP4 down to the size you type in.
Why does my video play sideways?
Phones save a note in the file about which way you were holding them, and some players ignore it. Hold your phone upright to film a school play, and the camera still stores the frames on their side, with a note saying "turn this 90°". An old media player or a smart TV that skips the note shows it lying down.
When we convert, the turn is done for real on the picture itself, so the MP4 comes out upright whatever plays it.
Can I convert AVI, MKV or WebM files to MP4?
Yes, they go through the same converter a MOV does. That's handy for old camcorder clips, downloaded recordings and screen captures that a program refuses to open.
Is Convertavo's video converter free?
Yes. A video uses 20 credits and you get 20 free credits a day, so that's one free conversion daily. No email to give and no watermark. Files can be up to 25 MB without an account and 100 MB with a free one, and Standard plans and above also get priority processing.
Is my video private?
It goes over a secure HTTPS connection and is deleted from our servers one hour after processing. We don't keep it, watch it or reuse it.
Can I convert on my phone?
Yes, right in the browser on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS or Linux, with no app to download.
Got an iPhone video that won't play? Drop it into Convertavo above and you'll have an MP4 in a minute or two.
Convert to MP4Common questions about converting MOV files
What people ask us most about MOV files.
How do I convert MOV to MP4?
We leave both defaults alone, H.264 and Same as source, and just press Convert to MP4. The MP4 plays on almost any phone, computer or TV.
Why won't my iPhone video play on Windows?
Since 2017, iPhones have saved video as HEVC, and plenty of Windows PCs need an add-on before they'll play it. A copy with H.264 inside doesn't need one.
Does converting lose quality?
Not that you would see, with Quality on Same as source. On most iPhone clips the file even shrinks, because the phone records with far more data than the picture needs.
Can I convert AVI or MKV to MP4?
Yes. They take the same route a MOV does, and WebM files do too.
How do I fix a video that plays sideways?
There's nothing extra to tick. The converter turns the picture itself upright, so even a player that ignores the phone's rotation note shows it the right way.
Is it free?
Yes. There are 20 free credits a day and one video uses 20, with no signup and no watermark.
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