MOV (QuickTime movie)

MOV is the QuickTime File Format, a video container created by Apple for its QuickTime multimedia framework. It can hold many codecs, from H.264 and HEVC to professional formats such as Apple ProRes, along with multiple audio tracks, timecode and metadata. MP4 was based on it, so the two are closely related. iPhones save their videos as MOV files by default.

Use MOV when editing video on a Mac, in Final Cut Pro or with other professional tools, especially with ProRes material. To share a clip with Windows or Android users or upload it to the web, converting it to MP4 usually gives better compatibility and smaller files.

Source formats: .mov, .qt