filetity

MOV -> MP4 · Local tool

MOV to MP4

Convert a QuickTime MOV to MP4, usually without re-encoding it.

Last updated

How do I convert a MOV to MP4 without losing quality?

Drop the MOV onto filetity's converter. A MOV and an MP4 are usually the same H.264 video in a different container, so the video and audio are copied across packet for packet and only the box around them is rewritten. Nothing is decoded and nothing is encoded, which means the picture is bit for bit what you started with and a large file finishes in seconds rather than minutes. Everything runs in the browser tab, so the recording is never uploaded. Two cases take longer and the page names them before you start: a MOV recorded in HEVC, which newer iPhones do when set to High Efficiency, has to be re-encoded to H.264 to play everywhere, and audio in a codec an MP4 cannot carry is reported rather than silently dropped.

  1. 01 / Your device

    the file stays here

  2. 02 / Browser memory

    the work runs locally

  3. 03 / Back to you

    saved on this device

When you would use this

Situations, not settings.

An iPhone clip Windows will not open
MOV is Apple's container and support elsewhere is patchy. The video inside is usually already H.264, so the box is the only thing being changed and it takes seconds.
An upload form that lists MP4 and stops
Job portals, school submissions and a lot of social platforms accept exactly one container. Copying rather than re-encoding means the picture you submit is the one you filmed.
Footage headed into an editor
Some editing software is fussy about MOV variants and fine with MP4. Converting first is faster than fighting the import.

How it works / no cloud

A conversion engine, not an upload form.

A MOV and an MP4 are usually the same H.264 video in two different boxes, so filetity rewrites the box and copies the video and audio across packet for packet. Nothing is decoded and nothing is encoded, which is why the picture is bit for bit identical and why a large file finishes in seconds. When the MOV holds something an MP4 cannot carry, the page says so before it starts.

  • Offline ready
  • Installable app
  • No file limit queue

Straight answers

No accordion. Nothing hidden.

Is it free?
Yes, with no watermark and no page limit.
Does it need an account?
No. There is no account system.
Is my file processed on my device?
Yes. The file is read by your browser and never uploaded. There is no server to send it to.
What formats are supported?
MOV in, MP4 out. Video encoded as H.264 is copied across; other codecs are re-encoded to H.264.
What are the limits?
The whole file is held in memory while the container is rewritten, so a very large recording is limited by your device rather than by the tool.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, on any modern mobile browser. Large files are limited by the memory the phone gives the browser.
Does it work offline?
Yes, once the page has loaded. The tool keeps working with no network connection.
Does converting cost me any quality?
Normally none at all. A MOV from an iPhone or a camera usually holds H.264, which an MP4 carries perfectly well, so the video data is copied across unchanged and the output is bit for bit the same picture. The page tells you which is happening before you start, because the answer differs by file.
Why is it so much faster than other converters?
Because most of them decode every frame and encode it again whether or not that is necessary. Rewriting the container is a fraction of that work: there is no encoder involved, so the limit is how fast your disk can move the bytes.
What if my MOV was recorded in HEVC?
Newer iPhones record HEVC when set to High Efficiency, and that has to be re-encoded to H.264 for the MP4 to play everywhere, which takes real time. The page says which path your file is taking before you commit to the wait.
Will the result play on Windows and Android?
That is usually the whole reason for converting. MOV is Apple's container and support elsewhere is patchy, while MP4 is the format every phone, browser, TV and editing program reads. The video inside is often identical; the box around it is what everything else was refusing.
Does it keep the audio?
Yes, and normally without re-encoding that either. If the audio is in a codec an MP4 cannot hold, the page tells you rather than silently handing back a video with no sound, which is the failure people find out about after uploading it somewhere.

Keep working locally

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