How to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac

As opposed to MOV files, which are huge and meant for Apple devices, MP4 files are small and can be played on any device. As a result, MOV to MP4 conversion is required. The steps to convert MOV to MP4 are detailed below.

A Brief Comparison of MOV vs MP4

The distinction between MOV and MP4 is minor. MOV was created by Apple primarily for use with QuickTime, although it has now gained popularity with a variety of other devices. Because MP4 files are designed to be an international standard, they are even more popular and widely used than MOV files.

One distinction is that MP4 video files are compressed to be smaller. This, combined with the fact that they are more standardized and recognized by a little larger number of software and hardware solutions, implies that these files are utilized for streaming and other standardized applications.

The MOV format was created with video editing in mind. They're usually rather huge files, therefore they might not be as good for storage as MP4. The MP4 compression preserves a large quantity of data in the video.

MOV may be just as straightforward to use for Mac users as MP4, but because MP4 has higher compression and is standardized across all platforms, it is the favored choice for many industrial applications. Both are lossy file formats, which means that whichever file you choose will almost always be compressed. MOV files may have less compression, making them preferable for maintaining high-quality video during editing.

Why Do You Need to Convert MOV to MP4

MOV is a popular video file format among Apple users. It is Apple's default video format for iOS, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. This video extension was created by Apple to compress video and audio.

MOV files, despite their widespread use, cannot play well on non-Apple devices, cellphones, or players. Fortunately, this problem may be solved by converting MOV to MP4. MP4 (MPEG4), on the other hand, has fewer limitations than MOV. It was created by the Moving Picture Experts Group to make it simple to share video material online. It allows you to play videos on any media player and stream material from a variety of web sources. Scene descriptors, subtitles, and object descriptors are all stored in this format, making streaming a breeze.

Converting MOV to MP4 gives you complete video freedom. MP4 provides you with more flexibility as well as less quality loss when compared to other compression formats.

How to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac

Specify your needs and apply one of the ways below to convert MOV to MP4 with ease.

Tip 1. Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac with EaseUS Video Converter

If you have a video that didn't play or open on your smartphone, PC video player, tablet, or TV, you should check the file format to see if it must be converted to MP4. WEBM, MPG, MPEG, MP4, M4V, AVIS, WMV, MOV, FLV, SWF, and other video file types are the most frequent. Videos with the extension.mp4 are the most generally accepted by a variety of digital devices.

EaseUS Video Converter is a reliable video converter for both Windows and macOS, allowing you to convert practically any video into MP4 format or convert MP4 files back. It supports over 500 video formats. This software allows you to convert one or more video files in bulk at the same time. No matter what file you're converting, you can always finish the job in three simple stages.

Furthermore, before beginning your video conversion, this tool allows you to change the resolution, FPS, and other settings for your output files. Most significantly, this video converter program guarantees that no quality will be lost throughout the conversion.

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Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Video Converter on your Mac or PC, choose "Video Converter" from the left menu bar. Then, click "Choose Files" to add the video files you wish to convert. 

Step 2. Click on the Settings icon to choose the right output format as MP4. Besides, you can also choose MOV, MKV, AVI, and more formats. Once done, you can adjust the resolution and bitrate properly.

Step 3. Select the folder you wish to store the converted items, and then click on the "Convert" button to convert a single video or click on the "Convert All" button to convert multiple videos at once. 

Step 4. Once the conversion process completes, you can find the converted item in the "Finished" tap. You can click on the "Open" button to preview it.

You can also use this tool to convert audio files when necessary. For example, you can convert M4A to WAV, convert WMA to WAV, or convert AAC to M4A with ease.

Tip 2. Change MOV to MP4 on Mac with VLC

VLC Media Player is a multiplatform multimedia player that is free and open source. It can play audio CDs, video CDs, DVDs, and several streaming protocols.

VLC, on the other hand, can be used as a video conversion tool in addition to being a media player. It can convert a wide range of codecs, including MOV files, which cannot be converted to MP4 on your computer. To learn how to convert MOV to MP4 on a PC, follow these instructions.

Step 1. Select "Convert/Stream" from the File menu. 

Step 2. Click the "Open media" button in the Convert & Stream window that appears.

Step 3. Then import the ".mov" file you want to convert to MP4. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file into the VLC window directly.

Step 4. In the "Choose Profile" box, select Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4) as the output format.

Step 5. Finally, click the "Save" button again, this time specifying the file name and destination for your.mp4 file. The converted file will be saved in the selected folder.

This is how you can convert MOV files on a Mac using VLC. Use these steps to convert any media file to MP4 using VLC.

Tip 3. Convert MOV Files to MP4 with iMovie

For Apple users, iMovie is a free video-editing application. It allows users to make great-looking movies with fancy transitions and unique effects from footage captured on Apple devices. All iPads and iPhones come with the iMovie video editor, and all Mac computers may download it for free.

All you must do to convert your MOV to MP4 with iMovie is follow these steps:

Step 1. iMovie should be used to import your video at the upper right of your program window, click the "Share" icon.

Step 2. Click the "Export" File button.

Step 3. Choose your "preferred video settings" and the "location" of the output file (or keep the default ones).

Step 4. Start the conversion.

Step 5. Export the "Output feature" to export your MOV, the final file is an MP4 file.

Tip 4. Change MOV to MP4 Online (Windows & Mac) with CloudConvert 

CloudConvert is a file converter that works online. Almost all audio, video, document, ebook, archive, image, spreadsheet, and presentation formats are supported by it. To begin, click the button below and pick files from your computer to convert.

CloudConvert transforms video files in the cloud. MP4, WEBM, and AVI are just a few of the formats it supports. Control video resolution, quality, and file size with the choices.

Step 1. Go to the converter's website, and click on "CloudConvert."

Step 2. Upload your file.

Step 3. Select your MOV video for conversion and click "Open" after pressing the "Select File" button.

Step 4. Configure the "export options."

Step 5. Adjust the output video settings by clicking the "wrench" and Selecting "OK."

Step 6. Converting MOV to MP4.

Step 7. To save the file on your computer, click "Download" after pressing the Convert button and waiting for the process to complete.

If you are not satisfied with the ones introduced above, go to the best free video converters to find the one you like to apply.