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Turn MOV files into M4V

Your MOV goes in and an M4V comes out. M4V is the Apple version of an MP4, and the two are close enough that converting between them is quick and costs no quality. Your file never leaves your computer.

Need the other direction? Convert M4V to MOV

How to convert MOV to M4V

  1. 1 Drop your MOV .mov or .qt file onto the page, or click to browse for it.
  2. 2 Set the quality, or leave the default, which keeps the file small without anything showing.
  3. 3 Convert. The work happens on your own machine, so how long it takes depends on your computer and the file.
  4. 4 Download the M4V, or add more files and do the whole set in one go.

Why convert MOV to M4V

  • Essentially MP4, so converting is fast and costs nothing.
  • Supports chapters and multiple audio tracks in Apple players.
  • Apple ecosystem playback with chapters and subtitles.
  • MOV: browser support outside Safari is unreliable.

MOV compared with M4V

How the two formats differ on the things that decide whether a conversion is worth making.

MOV compared with M4V
PropertyMOVM4V
File extension.mov.m4v
CompressionLossy or losslessLossy
TransparencyYesNo
Typical file sizeDepends on modeSmaller
Introduced19912005

Quality and what changes

M4V stores the same content under a different set of rules, so what matters here is compatibility rather than picture quality. Convert once from the best source you have rather than through a chain of intermediate files.

  • One M4V limitation to keep in mind: non-Apple players may refuse the extension even when the file is fine.

Questions about MOV to M4V

Is my MOV file uploaded anywhere?

No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your MOV is read straight from your own disk, converted on your machine and handed back as an M4V. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored and there is no account.

Is there a file size limit?

There is no server-side limit because no server sees the file. The real ceiling is your device memory, since the input and the output both have to fit in the tab. A few hundred megabytes is usually fine on a desktop machine and considerably less on a phone.

Can I convert several MOV files at once?

Yes. Add as many as you like and they are processed one after another, then offered as separate M4V downloads or as a single ZIP. Speed depends on your own processor rather than on a queue.

Does the converter work offline?

Yes, after the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can disconnect, reload and keep converting. That falls out of doing the work locally rather than being a separate mode you switch on.

Related conversions

Format references