All about MOV files
Apple QuickTime video container
The .mov file format is a container format developed by Apple for audio and video files. As a container format, it supports a range of different codecs and is consequently widely used on Apple devices. For example, all iPhones and iPads save their videos as .mov files. On Apple devices such as Mac, MacBook, iPhone and iPad, MOV files can be played natively using QuickTime Player.
On Windows systems, it is often necessary to install the relevant codecs (for Windows Media Player) or additional software such as VLC. For optimal compatibility, we recommend converting files using our MOV to MP4 converter. Our ‘Reduce Video Size’ tool can directly reduce the size of MOV files (MOV -> MOV). If desired, a different file format can also be selected directly as the output format.
History and development of the MOV format
Apple released QuickTime 1.0 in late 199[1]1as a multimedia extension for Apple System 6 and 7. QuickTime made it possible for the first time to play colour video on home computers – without special hardware.
Further details on the history of QuickTime can also be found in the article on the QT file extension, an alternative to the .MOV file extension for files of the same type.
Codecs and variants used
MOV supports a wide range of video and audio codecs: [2][3]
| Codec | Released | Special features |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Video | 1991 | First QuickTime codec, also known as "Road Pizza" [2] |
| Cinepak | 1991 | Optimised for CD-ROM playback |
| Sorenson Video 3 | 1998 | Scalable quality for web videos |
| H.264/AVC | 2005 | High-compression HD video, industry standard |
| ProRes 422 | 2007 | 10-bit, 4:2:2, for professional post-production |
| ProRes 4444 | 2009 | 12-bit, 4:4:4:4 with alpha channel |
| HEVC/H.265 | 2017 | Successor to H.264, double the compression at the same quality |
| ProRes RAW | 2018 | Compressed sensor data for maximum flexibility in colour grading |
Sources
QuickTime – Apple Wiki
Wiki: Apple Video
Wiki: Apple ProRes
Last updated on April 5, 2026 by Sören Ramspeck with the experience of more than 128,534,666 converted files since 2013.
Convert, open and edit MOV files
Details about MOV files
- Software for opening MOV files
- VLC media player
- QuickTime Player
- PotPlayer
- MPV
- Software for editing MOV files
- DaVinci Resolve
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Final Cut Pro
- MIME-type for MOV
- video/quicktime
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