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WMV to MOV converter

Convert WMV 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 WMV

Other ways to convert WMV

Convert other formats to MOV

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

Should you convert WMV to MOV?

Yes, when a device or app needs MOV. MOV can’t carry the Windows Media Video video found in WMV files, so the picture is re-encoded as H.264, HEVC (H.265) or ProRes, which takes about as long as the clip on a recent laptop.

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

WMV is the Windows Media video format from the Windows XP 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.

WMV and MOV compared
Property WMV MOV
Usually contains WMV2 or WMV3 video with WMA audio H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, or ProRes from editors
Support A legacy format Mainly an Apple format
Plays on Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites Apple devices and most editors; some Windows PCs, Android phones and upload forms struggle with it
Best for Old Windows presentations and players Recording and editing video on Apple devices
Introduced 1999 1991

How to convert WMV to MOV

  1. 01

    Add your WMV

    Drop your WMV 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 WMV becomes MOV

Re-encoded, at a quality you choose

Because the video has to be compressed again, a little detail is lost. The default quality keeps the difference invisible; choose High for footage you’ll edit further.

The size stays about the same

WMV and MOV are close in size for the same content, so do this for compatibility rather than to save space. WMV: Larger than MP4 for the same quality. MOV: A minute of 4K iPhone video is roughly 170–400 MB.

A one-time engine download

WMV 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 WMV 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 WMV. WMV files from old DRM-protected downloads can’t be converted by any tool; only unprotected ones will work.
  • 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 WMV to MOV lose quality?

The video is re-encoded, so a little detail is lost, but the default quality is set high enough that it doesn’t show.

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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