How to Convert MOV to MP4 and HD MP4 with Quicktime Pro 7

Rename the file

Open the folder containing the MOV file. The fastest way to convert MOV files to MP4 is to rename the extension. MP4 is a subformat of MOV, so you don't necessarily need to do the conversion process.

This works on any operating system and requires no additional software. Since QuickTime 7 Pro is no longer released, this free method is very convenient for you.

You need to make sure the extension is displayed (Windows only). Windows can hide file extensions. The extension needs to be visible for you to make changes.

On Windows 8 and 10 – Click the "View" tab at the top of the Explorer window and check the "File name extensions" box.

On Windows 7 and earlier – Open Control Panel and select "Folder Options". Click the "View" tab and uncheck the "Hide extensions for known file types" box.

Right-click the MOV file and select "Rename". This option will allow you to change the name and extension of the file.

Change the .movend of the file name to .mp4. When you press ↵ Enteror ⏎ Return, the computer will ask if you want to change the extension.

Confirm that you want to change the extension. The system will warn that changing the filename may cause the file to become unreadable. You can ignore this warning and continue.

On macOS, click "Use .mp4" in the window that appears.

On Windows, click "Yes" in the window that appears.

Check the file. Double-click the renamed file to check if it opens in a media player. The current file is MP4 and this format can be played on any player or device that supports it.

You can still change the extension back to .mov at any time to convert the file back to its original format.

This works with 99% of MOV files you come across. If not, see one of the following methods.

Use QuickTime 7 Pro

Install QuickTime 7 Pro. QuickTime Pro can no longer be activated from the built-in QuickTime Player on macOS. You need to download the previous version, QuickTime 7, then enter the Pro registration key to activate Pro (advanced) features.

Download QuickTime 7 from Apple and install. You can download it here.

Open the Utilities folder and launch QuickTime Player 7.

Click the "QuickTime Player 7" menu and select "Registration."

Enter your Pro registration key to unlock Pro features.

Open MOV files on QuickTime 7 Pro. To get the default MOV file to open in QuickTime Player X, you need to right-click the file, click "Open With" and select QuickTime 7 Pro.

Click the "File" menu and select "Export." This feature requires a registered version of QuickTime Pro.

Click the "Export" menu and select "Movie to MPEG-4." This allows you to save videos into MP4 format.

Click "Save" to create an MP4 copy of the file. The file will be exported to MP4 format, this process may take a few minutes due to the larger size of MP4 movies.

Use Adapter

Download and install Adapter from Macroplant. This is a free, ad-free program that converts video files to other formats. You can download the version available for Windows and Mac atmacroplant.com/adapter/.

After downloading the installation program, launch it to install the Adapter. You can keep the program's default settings. Just make sure the "FFmpeg" setting is enabled as this is required for video conversion.

Launch Adapter after installation. The program will be located in the Start menu (on Windows) or the Applications folder (on Mac). Maybe the Adapter will run automatically right after installation is complete.

Drag the MOV file and drop it into the Adapter window. The file will be added to the conversion queue. You can also click the "Browse" button on the Adapter and navigate to the file.

Sometimes the Adapter may give an "Error" error when you add files. Once there, just right-click the file and select "Remove," then try adding it again. Usually the problem will be fixed.

Click the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Adapter window. You will be able to choose another format to convert.

Select "Video" → "General" → "Custom MP4". Or, if you're converting files for a specific device, you can choose from the Video menu.

Select quality settings (custom). After selecting Custom MP4, several different options will appear in the right pane of the window. You can change the "Quality" drop-down menu in the "Resolution" section to "Very High (Lossless)" to maintain the original video quality.

Click "Convert" to convert the MOV file to MP4. The process time depends on the file size of the original video. By default, the new file will be in the same folder, with the same name as the original file, only the extension is MP4. The original file remains unchanged.