Video tool · Free

Compress MOV Online - Free

Shrink a MOV file without it falling apart. It comes back as a small MP4 that plays everywhere.

Free to start
In your browser
Up to 1GB

How it works

Compress MOV in 3 steps

Upload your MOV
Drag and drop the MOV file, or click to browse. Anything under 1GB.
A balanced level is pre-set
Compression and resolution start at a level most people cannot tell from the original. Push either further in the panel if you need it smaller.
Compress and download
The smaller file downloads as MP4. Create a free account to download it, or keep editing in REQO.

Why MOV files are big, and what comes back

MOV is Apple’s QuickTime container. It is what an iPhone and Final Cut hand you, and it can hold anything from ordinary H.264 to enormous ProRes masters, which is exactly why it travels badly outside the Apple ecosystem.

Windows and Android often refuse to play MOV files, or play the picture with no sound.

ProRes MOV files from a camera or Final Cut can be ten times larger than the same footage as MP4.

The compressed file comes back as MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio), not MOV. That is where most of the saving comes from: H.264 in MP4 is the most efficient format that every phone, browser and upload form accepts. If something downstream insists on MOV, convert the result back with the MP4 to MOV converter.

Container

Your MOVApple QuickTime

The MP4 you get backMPEG-4 Part 14

Typical codecs

Your MOVH.264, HEVC or ProRes

The MP4 you get backH.264 video, AAC audio

Plays on

Your MOVmacOS and iOS natively, patchy elsewhere

The MP4 you get backEvery phone, browser, TV and editor

File size

Your MOVLarge, especially ProRes

The MP4 you get backSmall for the quality

Feature	Your MOV	The MP4 you get back
Container	Apple QuickTime	MPEG-4 Part 14
Typical codecs	H.264, HEVC or ProRes	H.264 video, AAC audio
Plays on	macOS and iOS natively, patchy elsewhere	Every phone, browser, TV and editor
File size	Large, especially ProRes	Small for the quality

Before you compress a MOV

Since iOS 11 an iPhone records HEVC (H.265) by default, and Windows only plays HEVC with an extra extension from the Microsoft Store. Converting to MP4 re-encodes it to H.264, which plays everywhere.

A macOS screen recording (Cmd-Shift-5) is also a MOV, so a clip that plays fine on the Mac that made it can still be refused by a Windows colleague or an upload form.

FAQ

compress mov: questions

Will my MOV stay a MOV?

No, it comes back as MP4. The compressor renders H.264 video with AAC audio, which is both smaller than most MOV files and playable everywhere. Use the MP4 to MOV converter afterwards if you need the original container.

Does compression ruin the quality?

At the pre-set level most viewers will not see a difference. Quality only falls apart when you compress hard AND keep a high resolution, which is why the panel pairs a level with a resolution.

Is compressing MOV free?

Yes. Compress and preview free, and a free account downloads the result. Free exports and share pages include a small REQO badge. Go Pro to remove it.

Same tool, other presets