Video conversion
Convert MOV to M4V
Updated Jul 2026
MOV is the QuickTime format your iPhone or Mac records video in, and M4V is the format iTunes and the Apple TV app expect for video in their library. To convert MOV to M4V, open a converter, pick M4V as the output, and export. Doing this on your own computer means the footage never has to travel to someone else's server first.
- Extension
- .mov
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- iPhone / Mac recordings
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .m4v
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- iTunes / Apple video
- Compression
- Lossy
Convert MOV to M4V on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert MOV to M4V
- Open Morphjet and drag in the MOV file, or a whole folder of clips at once.
- Choose M4V as the output format.
- Convert. The M4V is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
MOV vs M4V: what actually changes
| MOV | M4V | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Depends on the source, often fairly large straight off a phone or camera | About the same, since M4V doesn't compress the video any further on its own |
| Quality | High, whatever the original recording captured | Very close to the original, since converting to M4V mostly repackages the existing video rather than re-encoding it heavily |
| Compatibility | Opens natively on Mac; on Windows it needs a media player that supports QuickTime files | Built on the same base as MP4, so it plays in most modern video players and devices |
| iTunes / Apple TV library | Can be added, but isn't the format the library is built around, so it may not display like a native video | The format Apple's video library expects, so it shows up with proper thumbnails and organization |
| Chapters and cover art | Not usually embedded in a phone or camera recording | Can carry chapter markers and cover art if the video is set up with them |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert MOV to M4V when you want a home video or screen recording to live properly in the Apple TV app or an iTunes-style video library, with the thumbnails and organization that format expects.
Keep the MOV if you're still editing the footage, since most editing software works most reliably with the original recording rather than a converted copy.
Why not just use an online converter?
Home videos and personal recordings are exactly the kind of footage you don't want sitting on someone else's server. An online converter has to upload your MOV file before it can hand back an M4V, which means your video passes through a stranger's servers along the way. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever it shows, entirely on your machine.
Questions
Does converting MOV to M4V lose quality?
Very little, if any. The conversion is mostly a repackaging of the same video rather than a full re-encode, so any quality loss is small and usually not noticeable.
Will an M4V file play on Windows or non-Apple devices?
Yes, in most cases. M4V is built on the same foundation as MP4, so common video players and devices outside Apple's ecosystem can generally open it, even though it's designed with Apple's software in mind.
Is M4V just MP4 with a different name?
Essentially, yes. M4V is Apple's variant of the same container. Movies purchased from Apple sometimes include copy protection, but a file you convert yourself has none of that.
Does the converted M4V keep the video's date and other details?
Basic details like the recording date usually carry over, but things like chapter markers or cover art only appear if you add them yourself.
Can I convert MOV to M4V without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file on your own computer, so it never has to go over the internet. You can do it with your wifi off.
Morphjet converts MOV, M4V, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.