Video conversion
Convert MOV to MKV
Updated Jul 2026
MOV is the video format QuickTime, iPhone, and Mac apps save by default, and MKV is a container built for high-quality video with multiple audio tracks and subtitles. To convert MOV to MKV, open the file in a converter and export it into an MKV container. Doing this on your own computer means the footage never has to be uploaded anywhere first.
- Extension
- .mov
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- iPhone / Mac recordings
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .mkv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- High-quality video containers
Convert MOV to MKV on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert MOV to MKV
- Open Morphjet and drag in the MOV file you want to convert, or a whole folder of clips at once.
- Choose MKV as the output format.
- Convert. The MKV file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
MOV vs MKV: what actually changes
| MOV | MKV | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Moderate, standard video compression | Similar, since it holds the same video and audio streams |
| Quality | Good, but MOV recompresses on export in some tools | Preserves the source quality without adding a new lossy pass |
| Opens everywhere | Yes on Apple devices, needs a player elsewhere | Needs a dedicated media player, not built into Mac or Windows |
| Multiple audio and subtitle tracks | Limited support | Built for it, can hold several tracks in one file |
| Keeps recording metadata | Yes, camera and timestamp info | Yes, carried over during conversion |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert MOV to MKV when you want a sturdier container for archiving footage, combining multiple audio or subtitle tracks, or handing a project off to editing software that expects MKV.
Keep the MOV if you're staying inside Apple's ecosystem, since MOV opens natively on iPhone and Mac and MKV usually needs a separate media player installed.
Why not just use an online converter?
Personal video, especially anything recorded on a phone, often carries the date, device, and sometimes location it was shot at. Uploading a MOV file to an online converter to get an MKV means that footage sits on someone else's server, even if only briefly. Converting on your own computer keeps the clip, and everything attached to it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting MOV to MKV lose quality?
Usually not much, if anything. MKV is a flexible container, so a converter can carry over the existing video and audio streams largely as they are rather than recompressing them from scratch.
Can I play an MKV file on a Mac or iPhone?
Not out of the box. Neither ships with an app that opens MKV by default, so you'll need a media player that supports it. MOV, by contrast, plays natively on Apple devices.
Why would I convert MOV to MKV instead of keeping MOV?
MKV can hold multiple audio tracks, subtitle tracks, and chapters in a single file, which makes it a common choice for archiving footage or combining versions of the same video.
Does the MKV keep the original recording info?
Yes. The timestamp, device, and other metadata attached to the MOV generally carry over into the MKV during conversion.
Can I convert MOV to MKV without uploading the file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file locally, so the video never has to travel over the internet. It works the same with your wifi turned off.
Morphjet converts MOV, MKV, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.