MOV File Format (.mov)
A MOV file holds video, audio, text and timecode as separate tracks in Apple's QuickTime container, the 1991 format whose structure MPEG later adopted as the basis for MP4.
MOV at a glance#
| Full name | Apple QuickTime Movie |
|---|---|
| File extension | .mov |
| Category | Video Files |
| Developer | Apple |
| First released | 1991 |
| MIME types | video/quicktime |
| Other extensions | .qt |
| Compression | Varies from file to file |
| Specification | QuickTime File Format Specification (Apple) |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads and writes this format |
What a .mov file can hold#
These are the things a MOV file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Lossless compression | Yes |
|---|---|
| Embedded metadata | Yes |
| Colour profiles | Yes |
| High dynamic range | Yes |
| Audio | Yes |
| Video | Yes |
| Subtitle tracks | Yes |
| Chapters | Yes |
| Streaming | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of MOV#
What MOV does well
- The native home of Apple ProRes, which editors scrub through smoothly because every frame decodes on its own
- Carries uncompressed PCM audio and multiple audio tracks, which matters when audio is still being mixed
- What iPhones, Canon, Sony and RED cameras write, so it is the format footage arrives in
- Same atom structure as MP4, so rewrapping to MP4 copies the streams rather than re-encoding them
Where MOV falls short
- Windows has had no first-party QuickTime since Apple stopped patching it in 2016
- A ProRes MOV runs to gigabytes per minute, roughly ten to thirty times the size of an H.264 file of the same footage
- Chrome and Firefox will not play a MOV holding ProRes, and Android support is patchy even for H.264
- ProRes decoding outside Final Cut, Premiere and Resolve is inconsistent, and plenty of free or older editors can't touch it at all
Keep footage as MOV while it is still being edited, especially ProRes, where the point is fast scrubbing and repeated re-encoding would cost quality.
Convert MOV to MP4 once the video is finished and needs to be shared, uploaded or played on Windows and Android.
How to open a .mov file#
A .mov file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts MOV into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | VLC, Adobe Premiere Pro, MPC-HC, DaVinci Resolve |
| macOS | QuickTime Player, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, VLC, IINA |
| Linux | VLC, mpv, DaVinci Resolve |
| iOS | Photos, Files, VLC |
| Android | VLC, MX Player |
| Web | FileFlip |
MOV questions people ask#
What is the difference between MOV and MP4?
MOV came first and MP4 was built from it. ISO standardised MP4 in 2001 directly on Apple's published QuickTime file format, so a MOV and an MP4 share the same atom layout internally. The practical difference is what they are allowed to carry: MP4 sticks to a standardised codec list, while MOV also holds Apple codecs like ProRes that MP4 players do not expect.
Why won't my MOV file play on Windows?
Windows has no built-in MOV support because Apple abandoned QuickTime for Windows in April 2016, leaving two known vulnerabilities unpatched and prompting US-CERT to recommend uninstalling it. VLC plays MOV files on Windows without any of that, and converting to MP4 makes the file work in the built-in player. If the MOV holds ProRes, converting is the only realistic option.
Is MOV a codec?
MOV is a container, so whether it plays depends on the codec inside rather than the extension. A MOV from an iPhone usually holds H.264 or HEVC and plays almost anywhere. A MOV from an edit suite may hold ProRes, which needs Final Cut, Premiere, Resolve or VLC, and will simply fail in a browser or on a TV.
Does converting MOV to MP4 lose quality?
Converting MOV to MP4 loses nothing when the video is already H.264 or HEVC, because the same stream is lifted into the new container without being decoded. That is a remux and it takes seconds. A ProRes MOV is a different story: MP4 has no place to put ProRes, so the video is re-encoded to H.264 or HEVC and some quality goes with it, though the file shrinks enormously.
Why are MOV files from my camera so large?
Large MOV files are usually ProRes, Apple's editing codec introduced in 2007, which compresses each frame on its own instead of storing differences between frames. ProRes 422 runs around 122 Mbit/s at 1080p and ProRes 4444 around 275 Mbit/s, against maybe 10 to 20 Mbit/s for delivery H.264. You are paying in disk space for footage that edits cleanly and survives being re-encoded.
Converting MOV files#
Convert MOV to another format
Convert another format to MOV
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.