How to convert MOV to MP4

Efficiently convert MOV videos to MP4 format, easily solve compatibility issues! MOV videos are of high quality and suitable for editing, but are bulky and difficult to play on non-Apple devices. If you need a more compatible format or save storage space, keep reading to learn how to quickly and with high quality convert MOV to MP4 on your Mac.

Batch conversion of MOV to MP4, no quantity limit

Permute software can convert any MOV video into a smaller MP4, supporting video to audio and video merging. Available on the Setapp platform.

Free trial of safe beta MOV and MP4: Key differences

Both formats are container formats, which can include video, audio, subtitles, static images, etc. But they also have many differences.

The MOV format is developed by Apple and is the native format of Apple products. Your iPhone uses MOV format to record videos, QuickTime is its native player. That's why these videos aren't always played smoothly outside of the Apple ecosystem.

MP4 is a more general format that can be played on most devices. It is a good trade-off between high quality and high compression rates. In our tests, a nearly 1GB MOV file was compressed to 180MB after being converted to MP4. The quality difference is hardly visible to the naked eye.

Easy way to convert MOV to MP4 on Mac

To convert MOV files to MP4, you can choose from a variety of ways: desktop applications, built-in Mac tools, and online services. We tested each method and listed the time it takes to convert about 1GB of files. Let's take a look one by one.

Keep high quality conversion of MOV to MP4

The smoothest way to convert a MOV to MP4 is to use a third-party application. In our work, we use Permute because it is fast, can convert files in batches and retain quality as much as possible. The entire process is divided into four steps.

1. Download and open Permute.
2. Drag and drop the file you want to convert.
3. Select the output file format (MP4) in the "Video" column.
4. Click the "Start" button.

By default, the new video will be in the same folder as the original video. You can also change the resolution or speed up the video before converting.

Another convenient feature of Permute is that it allows you to perform basic video editing: trimming, cropping, adding audio, subtitles, metadata, and more. All of this uses a simple and intuitive interface that won't get stuck or go wrong.

Convert about 1GB: less than 3 minutes.

Price: Free trial on Setapp for 7 days. After that, Permute and over 240 other tools are priced at $9.99 per month.

Conclusion: One of the fastest ways to maintain maximum mass conversion of MOV to MP4. Supports batch conversion.

Convert .mov to .mp4 using iMovie

If you only need to convert one or two files occasionally, try iMovie, a built-in video editor for your Mac. It has a nice set of features that can be a bit confusing for newbies in video tools. But don't worry; you only need to click a few buttons. Here is how to convert MOV to MP4 on Mac using iMovie.

1. Open iMovie (you can find it in Launchpad or Finder > Applications).
2. Click the “ ” button and create a new movie (project).
3. Import your videos into iMovie.
4. Click the Share icon in the upper right corner of the application window.
5. Click "Export File".
6. Select the video settings and export file location you want (or leave the default settings).
7. Start the conversion.

iMovie is fast and even allows you to choose different settings for your video, such as resolution and compression quality. A small inconvenience is that you have to clean the iMovie file after conversion to avoid digital confusion. Additionally, you can only convert one file at a time.

Convert about 1GB: about 1 minute and 20 seconds in "Fastest" mode, about 2 minutes and 20 seconds in "Best Quality" mode.

Price: Free.

Conclusion: A reliable but slightly cumbersome method to convert MOV to MP4. If you don't need to convert batch files, it's suitable for occasional use.

Convert MOV to MP4 using terminal command

If you are a fan of the command line, you can use the terminal to convert the MOV to MP4. Type the exact same command in the terminal because every character and space is important.

1. Open the terminal.
2. Type the command to install ffmpeg: brew install ffmpeg and press Enter. Installation may take up to 5 minutes.
3. Type the conversion command: ffmpeg -i input.mov output.mp4 and press Enter.

Replace input.mov with the path to your MOV file and output.mp4 with the output file name and path you want.

Tip: The easiest way to find the file path is to right-click your video, hold down the Option key, and then click "Copy as Path Name" from the drop-down menu.

This type of conversion takes a long time and cannot adjust the video parameters (at least using the described command). In theory, this approach can be improved by creating more advanced scripts, but there are still some problems: it is slow, not flexible enough, lacks a convenient graphical interface, and so on.

Convert about 1GB time: Convert 15 minutes to install ffmpeg for 5 minutes.

Price: Free.

Conclusion: Applicable to terminal enthusiasts or other conversion methods when they are not available.

Convert MOV to MP4 using online tools

The last method—online conversion services—is suitable for people who handle small non-private files. If your video contains sensitive information, if the disclosure may cause damage to you, we recommend that you do not upload it online.

If you have no problem with this, you can try one of the popular services, such as CloudConvert or Animaker.

They all work similarly: To convert MOV to MP4 online, you upload the video, select the conversion format, wait for the processing to complete, and then download the video to your computer. But they each have some specific details.

CloudConvert

CloudConvert offers up to 25 free conversions per day. However, if the conversion process exceeds 5 minutes, it will be interrupted. This is what happens to our 1GB file. We repeated the test with a 125MB file, and the whole process (including uploading and downloading videos) took 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Conversion is about 1GB: Failed.

Price: Free (restricted). The paid version of CloudConvert starts at $9 and includes 500 conversion points. 1 point = a conversion time of about 1 minute.

Conclusion: It works for situations where small non-private videos are not often converted and you don't mind uploading them to the network.

Animaker

The free version of Animaker also works for small videos, but the restrictions are not explicitly stated. In our tests, the service was unable to handle 1GB of video. After conversion, a small file (12MB) is queued for rendering, which takes a long time.

Conversion is about 1GB: Failed.

Price: Free (restricted). Paid access to the platform offers more flexible terms and prices starting at $12.50 per month.

Conclusion: It works for situations where small non-private videos are not often converted and you don't mind uploading them to the network.

How to convert MOV to MP4: Solved

Therefore, choosing a tool to convert MOV to MP4 should depend on your needs. Use this table for comparison.

Your Tools	Best for	Convert about 1GB	Batch conversion	Security	Monthly fee
Permute	Repeated, multiple conversions		✓	good	Included in Setapp, $9.99
iMovie	Few conversionsEdit	Up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds	✕	good	free
terminal	Advanced script user	20 minutes	✕	good	free
CloudConvert	Small non-private files	fail	✓	unknown	free. Premium Edition starts at $9
Animaker	Small non-private files	fail	✕	unknown	free. Premium version starts at $12.50

If you are interested in using a MOV to MP4 converter when converting files frequently on your Mac, we recommend Permute. You can try it for 7 days on Setapp for free. You can try dozens of other macOS apps on Setapp for free, without ads or restrictions.

FAQs for MOV to MP4 conversion

Is there a size limit for video conversion?

Online services do have limitations: for example, videos cannot exceed a certain time limit, a certain number of megabytes, or a certain number of conversions per day. Desktop applications tend to have high limitations. For example, you can use Permute to convert as many files as you like.

How to convert MOV to MP4 without iMovie?

You can use a desktop application such as terminal (first, install ffmpeg using brew install ffmpeg > Enter, and then type ffmpeg -i input.mov output.mp4, insert the pathname of the file), online services (if the video is small and does not contain sensitive information), or desktop applications such as Permute.

Can you convert video files using QuickTime?

No, you cannot convert to MP4 using QuickTime. You can only export videos or extract audio from them at different resolutions. To do this, open the video with QuickTime and go to File > Export As.

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