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3GP to MOV converter

Convert 3GP to MOV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want MOV
Quality

Applies only when the video has to be re-encoded. A straight copy keeps the original quality.

Advanced 2
Always re-encode Rebuilds the picture as H.264 (VP9 for WebM) even when it could be copied. Fixes files that won’t play on older TVs and PCs.

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert MOV to 3GP

Other ways to convert 3GP

Convert other formats to MOV

Read more about the 3GP format and the MOV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert 3GP to MOV?

Usually a quick, safe conversion. MOV can carry H.264, which is what 3GP files normally contain, so the video can often be copied across without re-encoding: fast, and with no loss at all.

MOV also plays in far more places: Apple devices and most editors; some Windows PCs, Android phones and upload forms struggle with it.

3GP is a small mobile video format from the feature-phone era; MOV is Apple’s video container, usually H.264 or HEVC from an iPhone. Keep MOV for editing on a Mac; convert a copy to MP4 for sharing.

3GP and MOV compared
Property 3GP MOV
Usually contains H.263 or H.264 video with AMR or AAC audio H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, or ProRes from editors
Support A legacy format Mainly an Apple format
Plays on Old phones, VLC and some Android galleries; modern apps often refuse it Apple devices and most editors; some Windows PCs, Android phones and upload forms struggle with it
Best for Very old phones and low-bandwidth playback Recording and editing video on Apple devices
Introduced 2003 1991

How to convert 3GP to MOV

  1. 01

    Add your 3GP

    Drop your 3GP video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to MOV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the MOV

    Press convert and save the MOV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when 3GP becomes MOV

Often a straight copy

When the 3GP holds H.264 video, the stream is moved into the MOV container untouched, so the conversion takes seconds even for long files. If the codec inside is something MOV can’t hold, the picture is re-encoded instead and you’ll see a progress bar that takes longer.

Expect a much larger file

MOV is far bigger for the same content. Choose it because something needs MOV, not to send or store the file. 3GP: Often just a few MB a minute. MOV: A minute of 4K iPhone video is roughly 170–400 MB.

A one-time engine download

3GP is read by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, a 31 MB download the first time. It is slower than your browser’s built-in video decoder, but nothing is uploaded and the engine stays cached for next time.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of 3GP and MOV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Video files are big, and uploading one just to change its container can take longer than the conversion itself. Your browser can read and write these formats, so the file never has to leave your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the 3GP. Old 3GP clips often carry AMR audio, which many players can’t decode, so the video plays in silence.
  • About the MOV. A MOV from an iPhone is usually an ordinary H.264 or HEVC video that can move into MP4 without re-encoding; a MOV exported from an editor may be ProRes and ten times larger.
  • MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM are handled by your browser’s own video engine, often with hardware help. AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG and the other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download, and are slower.

Questions

Does converting 3GP to MOV lose quality?

Not when the video can be copied, which is the case for most 3GP files: the stream moves into MOV untouched. If it has to be re-encoded, the default quality keeps the difference invisible.

Will a MOV play on my phone?

MOV mainly an Apple format: Apple devices and most editors; some Windows PCs, Android phones and upload forms struggle with it. QuickTime and Photos on a Mac, VLC anywhere; Windows needs HEVC support for iPhone recordings.

Read more about this

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