5 Awesome Ways to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac (Free and Online)

MOV is the most compatible format on Apple system because it was created by Apple. However, because of adapting minimal compression technology, MOV videos are often large that take up too much space on computer. In addition, it offers a weak compatibility with other platforms so that it is excluded by most online streaming websites and software.

If you want to save space, upload popular videos to websites, or share videos to other devices or software, the perfect solution is to convert MOV to MP4 on Mac as MP4 is smaller and is available on almost all devices and platforms. But how to transcode MOV to MP4 more quickly and to a higher quality? Now follow these steps to get an ideal solution.

 Cisdem Video Converter

Best MOV to MP4 Converter for Mac and Windows

• Offer 30x faster speed to batch convert MOV files to MP4 quickly
• Also convert video files like DAT, AVI, MKV, AVCHD, TS, MOD, RMVB to MP4
• Can convert between other 600+ video and audio formats
• Cause no quality loss after converting
• Design with a built-in video player to watch the added MOV files
• Can trim, crop, rotate the video according to personal usage
• Can also adjust effects, add watermark, change volume, etc.
• Provide a preview function to see the editing result before converting
• Only need 3 steps to batch convert files
• All in one: can also rip all kinds of DVDs/Blu-rays, download online videos without limitation, and compress videos
• Compatible with MacOS 10.13 or later, and Windows 10/11

Free Download   Free Download

Method 1. The Most Effective Way to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac

Cisdem Video Converter is an extremely versatile video conversion application, which features converting video and audio files effectively in any format on Mac with high quality, including MOV to MP4. It permits you to quickly and effortlessly batch convert MOV to MP4 on Mac without data loss.

Also, it offers rich customization features to edit the added videos such as cutting off any segments of the video, cropping unwanted parts, etc. Cisdem Video Converter is smart, multifunctional, and easy to use. Let it be your best helper to deal with your MOV files.

Free Download

1. Install Cisdem Video Converter

Install and run the application, the following interface will pop up.

2. Select Your MOV files

Drag and drop the MOV files that you possess into the central area of the first interface.

3. Select Output Format

Once the videos are uploaded, click the “Convert all tasks to” button to choose MP4 or HEVC MP4 as the output format. Normally, it takes more time to convert if the video quality is higher. Also, you can choose other favorite formats according to your mind.

4. Edit the Video (Optional)

Click “edit” icon on the upper right corner of the video thumbnail , which pops up a new window for you to edit the videos via trim, crop, rotate, effects, etc.

5. Start MOV to MP4 Conversion on Mac

Click on the convert button to start the conversion task. The process can take anything from one to several minutes, depending on file size and the number of files you transfer.

Method 2. Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac with iMovie

If you are a Mac user who wants the free solution, iMovie is worth trying, which is well-known as a video editing software for Mac. If you need, you can apply the features provided by iMovie to edit the video, such as adjusting playback speed, cutting unwanted parts, changing video effects, etc. But, it doesn’t permit you to choose the output format at will and can’t support batch conversion on Mac.

1. Open iMovie on your computer, create a new project by clicking on “create new > movies” on the “projects” section.
2. Upload MOV files to the program, which offers 3 ways to do so.
   a. Click on the “Import Media” icon on the interface to look for the file and upload it.
   b. Directly drag and drop the MOV video to the interface.
   c. Click “File > New movie” on the top menu bar to import the MOV file that you want to convert.
3. Select the added file, hover your mouse over the top menu bar again, and click “File > share > file”.
   
4. Then, it pops up a small window that allows you to make sure output format, resolution, quality, and compress speed. Click Next when done.
   

   tips: You can set all details with your mind except for choosing Best “ProRes” in the “Quality” option. Otherwise, it will export the file to MOV format instead of the default MP4 format.

5. Another small window comes for you to edit the file name and set a suitable destination.
   
6. Click “Save” and it will begin to convert MOV to MP4 with iMovie. After finishing, it will send you a prompt.

Method 3. Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac with Terminal

If you are familiar with command lines, you can use Terminal to convert MOV to MP4 for free effortlessly. Terminal uses a black screen to communicate with the computer and other programs by text commands, asking them to perform the instructions such as managing installations, opening documents, executing programs, etc. To transcode audio and video codecs, you need the help of some open-source software such as ffmpeg.

1. Download FFmpeg to your computer.
2. Find Terminal on your Launchpad and open it, enter the command line: ffmpeg -i inputvideo.mov outputvideo.mp4.
   
3. Tap enter on your keyboard and wait for the new video to be generated.

Method 4. Change MOV to MP4 on Mac with Free Desktop Converter

Using free MOV to MP4 converter is also a great option to change MOV to MP4 on Mac. There are diverse desktop converters created to transcode popular audio and video files easily, such as VLC Media Player. It is a popular and open-source tool that can play media files, rip DVDs and convert between some popular digital formats such as MOV to MP4. But it can only convert files one by one without additional editing features.

1. Download and install the right version of VLC Media Player on your computer.
2. Go to the toolbox, tap on “File > Convert / Stream” to launch the conversion window.
3. Click “Open Media” to upload the MOV file.
   
4. Move to the “Profile” section, and make sure MP4 is the output format by clicking the drop-down icon.
5. Switch to the “Destination” section, click the “Save as file” button, and then click the “Browse” button to set an appropriate output file name and storage position. Click “Save”.
6. Click the “Save” button on the main interface to start converting MOV to MP4 on Mac with VLC.

Method 5. Online Way to Change MOV to MP4 on Mac

Convertio is an available free online tool that can be used to convert MOV files to MP4 on Mac without installing any software. This program supports the conversion between videos, audios, images, etc. And the whole process would not cost you so much time. However, Convertio requires the Internet to work. And you need to pay money for converting a file larger than 100MB.

1. Upload MOV files from Mac, Windows, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.
2. Next, choose MP4 as the output format.
3. Click the “convert” button to start to convert MOV to MP4 free online. Once the conversion is completed, you can go to download the MP4 file.

Can QuickTime Player convert MOV to MP4 on Mac?

No. We have got the conclusion that QuickTime Player doesn’t possess the ability to change MOV to MP4 after testing. Surprisingly, its paid version, QuickTime Player Pro, is able to achieve it. But, the Pro version is not available on the website anymore. So if you have bought it before, you are allowed to use it on Mac. For your convenience, we will show you how to convert MOV to MP4 on Mac with QuickTime Player Pro below.

1. Open the downloaded QuickTime Player Pro on your Mac.
2. Move your mouse to the top toolbar, tap on “File” and choose the “New Player” option to import the MOV files for conversion. Or you can directly right-click the MOV video and choose to open with “QuickTime Player Pro”.
3. Click “File” again in the top toolbar and then choose “Export”
4. Choose “Movie to MPEG-4” in the drop-down list.
   
5. Click “Save” to get the new video.

In Short

This article has carefully introduced 5 effective ways on how to convert MOV to MP4 on Mac. If you have enough spare time and don’t seek for video quality, you can use the free methods. But if you want to convert your MOV files to MP4 with high output video quality on Mac, you’d better choose the professional MOV to MP4 Converter for Mac. It not only converts MOV to MP4 but also converts any video to multiple formats, rips DVDs/Blu-rays to videos, and downloads online videos from websites like YouTube on Mac at an extremely high speed.