Buzz
This article provides a step-by-step guide on converting video files from MOV to MP4 format. You can use an online conversion tool or download and utilize the free Handbrake software. Both options are compatible with Windows and Mac computers.
Steps
Using CloudConvert
Open the CloudConvert website by visiting https://cloudconvert.com/ in your browser.
Click the gray Select Files button near the top of the page.
Select the MOV file. Click on the MOV file you wish to convert to MP4.
- If the MOV file is saved in a different folder than the one currently open, navigate to the correct folder using the left-hand side of the window.
Click the Open button at the bottom right corner of the window.
Click the mov ▼ box at the top of the page, just to the right of the file name. A dropdown menu will appear.
Select video from the dropdown menu. Another menu will appear next to it.
Click the mp4 option near the bottom of the displayed menu. This selects mp4 as the target format for the file conversion.
Click the red Start Conversion button at the bottom right corner of the page.
Wait for the video conversion to complete. This may take a few minutes as the video must first be uploaded to CloudConvert before the conversion process begins.
Click the green Download button on the far right side of the page. The converted file will be downloaded to your computer.
- On some browsers, you may need to confirm the download by selecting a save location and clicking Save when prompted.
Using Handbrake
Download and install Handbrake. Visit https://handbrake.fr/ in your browser and click the red Download Handbrake button, then follow these steps:
- On Windows - Double-click the Handbrake installer file, click Yes when prompted, select Next, choose I Agree, and click Install.
- On Mac - Double-click the Handbrake DMG file, verify the download if required, and drag the Handbrake icon into the Applications folder.
Launch Handbrake using the pineapple icon next to the cocktail glass.
Click on File with the folder icon on the left side of the Handbrake window.
- On Mac, you may be prompted to open a new video file during the first launch of Handbrake. If not, click "Open Source" in the top-left corner of the screen.
Select the MOV file. Simply navigate to the folder containing the MOV file on the left side of the window, then click on the MOV file to select it.
- On Windows, you may need to scroll up or down in the left pane of File Explorer to locate the correct folder.
Click Open in the middle-right section of the Handbrake window.
Select the save location. Click Browse on the far right under "Destination," choose the folder where you want to save the MP4 file, enter the file name, and click Save.
Click the "Container" dropdown menu just below the "Output Settings" heading. A list of options will appear.
- Skip this and the next step if "MP4" is already selected.
Click MP4 from the dropdown menu to set MP4 as the conversion format.
Click Start Encode. This is the green and black triangular "Play" button at the top of the Handbrake window. The MOV file will be converted to MP4 and saved to the selected folder.
- On Mac, simply click Start at this stage.
Warning
- Video quality may degrade when converting files from MOV to MP4.
