How do I convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac?

Select the file in the Finder, choose File > Get Info and check the Codecs. If one says H.264, Apple says to rename the file to end in .mp4 and choose Use .mp4. If not, export it from iMovie, use HandBrake, or use our free browser tool . See Apple's page .

Can QuickTime Player convert MOV to MP4?

No. Apple says QuickTime Player exports a QuickTime movie (.mov) and "doesn't export movies as MP4 videos."

Does renaming a MOV to MP4 work?

Apple says it does for a MOV file that uses H.264, and that the resolution and the file size stay the same. If the video then will not upload, Apple says to use iMovie on the original MOV. See Apple's page .

Will converting lose quality?

Renaming, and Instant in our tool, copy the picture and sound without re-compressing it. As we read it, iMovie saves the video again, as do HandBrake and our Most Compatible format, so the result is close but not an exact copy.

Is MP4 smaller than MOV?

Not by itself. Apple says a renamed file keeps the same size. The size changes only when you save the video again or lower the resolution, for example with the Quality menu in iMovie.

How do I convert an iPhone video to MP4?

Move the video to your Mac, then use iMovie or the Most Compatible format on our MOV to MP4 page to get H.264. To avoid HEVC in the first place, go to Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible before you record, as Apple describes .

How do I convert a screen recording to MP4?

A Mac screen recording is a .mov file, per Apple . Check its codec the same way with Get Info, then rename it, use iMovie, or use our browser tool.

Is my video uploaded when I use your tool?

No. The page says it converts in your browser and your video is never sent to us or stored. Online converters such as FreeConvert upload the file, and FreeConvert says it deletes uploads after 8 hours.

How much does it cost to convert MOV to MP4?

$0 on every way in this guide. Loop is $49 once for one person, with a 14-day trial, and it does not convert video.

Where do the prices and facts on this page come from?

The steps are from Apple's MOV to MP4 page (published 25 April 2025), its QuickTime Player guide (no date shown), its page on HEIF and HEVC media (5 December 2025), its screen recording page (14 September 2026) and its Quick Actions page . HandBrake and FreeConvert facts are from their own pages and HandBrake's documentation, and what our tool does is from its source code and tests. We read all of them on 2 November 2026. We read Apple's steps and did not click through them on a Mac. Prices are US dollars for one person, and we could not confirm whether tax is included; they come from the iMovie listing , HandBrake , FreeConvert and Cloudflare . We could not confirm whether Finder's Encode Selected Video Files writes an MP4, whether renaming a MOV that holds HEVC works, whether iMovie's Export File always yields an .mp4 on the current macOS, the size, 4K, HDR or Windows browser behavior of our tool, the free limits of CloudConvert and Adobe Express, VLC's steps, or prices for Final Cut Pro and Compressor. We could not confirm whether tax is included in any price.

How to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac: 4 Free Ways

Quick Answer

Which way fits depends on what is inside the MOV file, because MOV and MP4 are both containers that can hold the same video. Apple's page on converting a MOV file to MP4 on Mac says that to quickly convert a MOV file that uses the H.264 codec, you can change the filename extension to MP4. It says to use iMovie for a file that uses another codec, and to use Final Cut Pro or Compressor for greater control.

The codec is H.264: rename the file, as in Rename.
The codec is HEVC: use iMovie, the browser tool or HandBrake.
The codec is something else, such as ProRes: use iMovie or HandBrake. Our browser tool takes only H.264 and HEVC video.
You want control over size and quality: use HandBrake, or iMovie's Quality menu.

Every way in this guide is free. Apple's page was published on 25 April 2025. QuickTime Player is not one of the ways, and QuickTime Player below says why.

Codec

Apple's rename route starts by looking at the codec. In the Finder, select the file and choose File > Get Info. In the More Info section, check whether one of the Codecs is H.264, per Apple's page. Apple says that if the file is anything other than H.264, you should use iMovie.

Rename

This is Apple's quick route for a MOV that uses H.264. The steps are from Apple's page:

In the Finder, select the MOV file, then choose File > Get Info and confirm that one of the Codecs is H.264.
To keep the original, Control-click the MOV file and choose Duplicate to make a copy.
Control-click the MOV file, then choose Rename.
Select the MOV filename extension, enter "mp4" after the period, then press Return.
Choose Use .mp4 in the window that appears.

Apple says the filetype changes, but the resolution of the video and the size of the MP4 file stay the same as the original MOV file. So renaming does not make a video smaller. If the video will not upload to a website or app after the change, Apple says to use iMovie on the original MOV file.

Apple promises this only for H.264. Its page does not say what happens when you rename a MOV that holds HEVC, and we could not confirm it.

iMovie

Apple's second route works for any codec and lets you shrink the file. iMovie is free on the Mac App Store. Its listing shows "Free" and, as we read it on 2 November 2026, has a Compatibility field that says it requires macOS 26.6 or later (the description text on the same page says 26.4). An older Mac may not be able to install the current version. The steps are from Apple's page:

In iMovie, click Create New in Projects view, then choose Movie.
Click the Import button at the top of the iMovie window, then find the MOV file.
Select the MOV file, then click Import Selected.
Select the MOV file in the browser, then choose Edit > Add to Movie (or press the E key).
Click the Share button, then choose Export File.
To reduce the size, click the Quality pop-up menu and choose Medium or Low. Apple says you can also lower the resolution, and the estimated size appears below the thumbnail.
Click Next, choose a location for the exported MP4 file, then click Save.

Apple's page does not say how long the export takes. As we read it, iMovie re-saves the video, so the result is close to the original but not an exact copy.

Browser Tool

Our free MOV to MP4 page runs in your browser. It needs no signup, and its page says your video never leaves your browser. Open it in Safari or Chrome, press Choose Video (or drop a MOV on the page), pick a format, and press Download MP4. Its two formats are:

Instant rewraps the file. The picture and sound are copied exactly, and only the file around them changes. In the tool's code that means an MP4 header, Apple's QuickTime-only audio entry put into the plain MP4 form, and extra tracks such as timecode left out. It works for H.264 and HEVC video with AAC audio, or no audio. Our tests compared the picture and sound data of an HEVC and an M4V sample with the source and found them identical.
Most Compatible decodes the video and saves it again as H.264 using the browser's own video engine. The tool's page says it takes a little longer. It looks nearly the same but is not an exact copy.

Instant is the closest match to Apple's rename trick, since both keep the video as it is. The difference is that Instant rewrites the file's inside, including the audio entry, where a rename only changes the label. We say no more than that.

The tool keeps the turn of a portrait video and keeps a clip with no sound. It refuses copy-protected video, ProRes, any other video codec, and audio it cannot put in an MP4, such as uncompressed PCM, and it tells you so on the page. For audio, the code looks for an AAC-style mp4a entry with an esds box, and we have not tested other audio files that might pass or fail that check. Its page also says it accepts a .mov or .m4v file. Limits we have not tested are in Limits.

HandBrake

HandBrake is the third route, and Apple's page does not cover it. HandBrake calls itself an open-source tool, built by volunteers, for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. It runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and its page says "It's free!". The current download on 2 November 2026 was 1.11.2.

HandBrake's official presets page says its General Presets use the MP4 container and are intended to be broadly compatible across a wide range of software and devices. The same page says the default Fast 1080p30 preset is a good choice if you are just getting started, and its guide to choosing a preset says it is a good choice if your device is not listed, or you wish to play your videos on a computer. HandBrake converts video to a new codec rather than copying it, so as we read its pages the result is a re-save, not an exact copy. For more control over size, use HandBrake's own quality settings.

QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player cannot make an MP4. Apple's QuickTime Player guide says the movie is exported as a QuickTime movie (.mov) using the H.264 or HEVC codec, and that QuickTime Player "doesn't export movies as MP4 videos." Under File > Export As the Export menu offers 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p and Audio Only. For 4K or 1080p, a Format pop-up menu offers Smaller File Size (HEVC) and Greater Compatibility (H.264). That page prints no date.

So QuickTime Player can change the codec inside a MOV, but the file stays a MOV.

iPhone Videos

An iPhone video is a MOV file, and iPhones can record HEVC, which some Windows PCs cannot play without an add-on, per our MOV to MP4 page. Three ways to get an H.264 file:

Before you record: on the iPhone, tap Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible. Apple's page on HEIF and HEVC media says all new photos and videos then use JPEG or H.264. Choosing High Efficiency returns to HEVC. The page is dated 5 December 2025.
After you record: copy the file to your Mac and use iMovie or the browser tool's Most Compatible format. Instant would keep the HEVC video inside an MP4, which our page says some Windows PCs cannot play without an add-on.
In the Finder: the same Apple page says that if you have an HEVC video in a Finder window, you Control-click it, choose Services > Encode Selected Video Files, and pick an H.264 option from the Settings menu in the Encode Media window. Apple's pages do not say which file type comes out, so we do not list this as an MP4 route.

Screen Recordings

Apple's page on recording the screen says the Mac saves a recording as "Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov", so a screen recording is a MOV like any other. Check its codec with File > Get Info. Apple's page on HEIF and HEVC media says that on supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, if the Capture Format setting in the Screenshot app is set to HDR, screen recordings are captured in HEVC. The recording page says choosing SDR (Most Compatible) captures in H.264. For recording itself, see our guide to recording the screen on a Mac.

Online Converters

Online converters make a different trade: your file goes to someone else's server. FreeConvert's MOV to MP4 page is one example, read on 2 November 2026. It shows "Max file size 1GB. Upgrade for more." It says files are protected with 256-bit SSL encryption and automatically deleted after 8 hours. Its video options include Copy, which it says "reuses the video as-is, so it is fast and keeps full quality, but only when the output format supports it." We did not read FreeConvert's paid plan prices.

We could not confirm the free limits of CloudConvert or Adobe Express, because their pages did not show them in a plain read, and we did not read VLC's steps. For a video you would not want on a stranger's server, use one of the routes above, which keep the file on your Mac.

Loop

If all you need is an MP4 on your Mac, you do not need Loop. Loop does not convert, compress or trim a video you give it, and the free MOV to MP4 page is a separate tool on our site, not a feature of the app.

Loop helps with the step after, when the MP4 goes to a client. It is a Mac app that turns a file into your own branded link, with your logo and colors. What is true when you share a finished MP4:

The reader's browser plays it. Loop does nothing to the file, so playback depends on the reader's browser and the video's codec. An H.264 MP4 is the safest choice, and HEVC or ProRes may not play for every reader. We could not confirm what a reader sees when a file's codec fails in their browser.
You choose the link's settings. Password puts a gate on the link page; it does not encrypt the file. Allow Downloads can be turned off so readers can only watch in the browser. Expires is optional and defaults to Never.
Readers can leave notes on the exact second. With Feedback turned on, readers can leave notes and emoji, and on a video the notes attach to the exact second. They are private to you. While Loop is running, each note arrives as a Mac notification with its time, and an open is announced once for each reader's browser for each link. There is no email or phone alert.

Loop is Mac only on your side, and readers open links in a web browser. We do not promise a maximum file size. For sending a finished film, see how to turn a video into a link, delivering video to clients and, if the file is too big to attach, compressing a video for email.

Try Loop free for 14 days

Your own branded link, with notes on the exact second. $49 once.

Download for Mac

Limits

Loop does not convert video. It plays what you give it, as above. It also does not compress or encrypt a video you give it.
The browser tool has no tested size limit. We have not set or tested a maximum file size. Our tests used clips of about five seconds in Chrome and WebKit on a Mac. Most Compatible keeps every encoded frame in memory until it builds the file, so a very long or 4K clip may strain a browser. We have not measured it.
HDR is untested. Most Compatible saves 8-bit H.264. Whether the colors of an HDR iPhone video shift is something we have not tested, so we do not say they stay the same.
Playback everywhere is untested. We played the result in the page's own preview and decoded it with ffmpeg. We did not try every player or a TV, or Windows browsers.
Renaming covers H.264 only. For anything else, Apple says to use iMovie.
No Convert Video Quick Action. Some forum threads and AI answers tell people to Control-click a video and choose a Convert Video Quick Action. Apple's page on Quick Actions in the Finder names Trim, Create PDF, Convert Image and Remove Background among others, and no video converter.

Cost

Every way above costs $0 in money.

Tool	What it does	Cost, one person
Rename in Finder	Relabels H.264 files	Free, built in
iMovie	Re-exports any codec	Free, Mac App Store
HandBrake	Re-encodes with presets	Free, open source
Loop MOV to MP4	Rewraps in browser	Free, no signup
FreeConvert	Converts after upload	Free up to 1 GB

These are US dollars for one person, as read on 2 November 2026, and we could not confirm whether tax is included. iMovie is free per its Mac App Store listing, HandBrake per its page, and FreeConvert's free tier per its MOV to MP4 page. Apple names Final Cut Pro and Compressor as the greater-control route, and we did not price them.

The Loop app is a separate product from the free tool. Videos you share through the app are kept in your own Cloudflare account, which holds 10 GB at no charge and bills you for the rest. According to Cloudflare's pricing page, updated 30 October 2026, stored data costs $0.015 per GB-month and downloads carry no data-transfer fee. Cloudflare may ask for a card when you turn storage on.

You can try the app for 14 days from the first time you run it, with no payment needed to start. Until you buy a licence ($49 once for one person), a small "Shared with Loop" badge sits on the pages your clients see.