What is a MOV file?
MOV — QuickTime Apple
Use the format MOV
A concrete example
Prepare an MP4 of a MOV sequence before sending it.
Useful checks
The container alone does not determine the quality. Check the colors, rotation, and the number of audio tracks.
Choose a conversion
Keep the original and open the result in the software or on the device that will need to use it.
Your questions about this format
How to choose between MP4, WEBM, and MKV?
MP4 is suitable for many sharing purposes; WEBM is particularly intended for web playback. MKV may be better suited for content with multiple tracks. Look at the outputs offered for your file and test the result on the player you will actually use.
Can I extract only the audio from my video?
Yes, if MP3 is listed among the outputs of your source. Add the video, choose MP3, and start the conversion. The file must contain an audio track: a silent video cannot produce a sound recording.
Why am I being offered MKV for tracks and subtitles?
Not all outputs retain the same tracks. If the engine indicates that a MKV container is required, go back to the output selection and choose MKV instead of forcing a conversion that would remove elements. This output may fall under NoLimit.
How many videos can I convert for free?
The free offer allows one video per day, within the total quota of ten files and the limit of 100 MB per file. A batch of three files does not add three video rights: the video quota remains shared. A valid NoLimit access adjusts the limits according to the displayed offer.
What is it?
MOV is Apple's video format, the one recorded by iPhones and used by the company's own editing software. It's a flexible container capable of holding multiple video, audio, subtitle and timecode tracks.
It is the ancestor of MP4: when the MPEG group looked for a model to standardize its container, it borrowed the structure of QuickTime. The two formats remain so close that converting one to the other can often be done without recompressing the image.
History & origin
Apple launched QuickTime in 1991 — well before video on computers was taken for granted — and the MOV format came with it.
It has remained the reference format in production circles: ProRes, a codec widely used in professional editing, is housed inside a MOV container.
Why it is useful
Flawless quality and remarkable flexibility for editing, with support for multiple tracks and precise timecode.
Within the Apple ecosystem, everything works without any configuration.
Limits & drawbacks
Outside that ecosystem, playback can be less reliable, particularly with professional codecs that Windows doesn't recognize natively.
Files coming out of an editing session are often very large, since they're barely compressed if at all — this is a working format, not a delivery one.
Practical tips
To share or publish a video shot on an iPhone, convert it to MP4: the conversion is fast, with no noticeable loss in quality, and the file becomes playable on virtually any device.
Keep the MOV file if you plan to edit the footage: you'll preserve the best possible quality at the start of your workflow.
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