MKV to MOV
What a recorder writes, in the box QuickTime opens
What the conversion sites charge
| Convertio | upload the whole file, with a daily cap | |
| Zamzar | upload the whole file, with a size cap | |
| CloudConvert | upload the whole file, priced per minute | |
| PixPunk | Free | no upload, no account, no daily cap |
These two containers usually hold the same picture in the same codec. When they do, the conversion moves the packets across rather than encoding anything, which is why it finishes in seconds on a file a paid service would bill by the minute.
- 1
Where your MKV came from
A screen recorder, a stream capture, or a disc rip. MKV is what those write because it will hold anything you put in it and never complains, which is also why so little else will open it.
- 2
Why MOV
Because something Apple made is asking. QuickTime, Final Cut, iMovie and Photos all want a MOV or an MP4, and MKV is the one box they will not take.
- 3
Why this one is fast
The picture inside an MKV is usually H.264, which a MOV holds perfectly well. When that is the case the frames are copied across untouched, so there is no quality loss and no long wait. The page says which of the two it is doing before you start.
FAQ
- How do I convert MKV to MOV?
- Drop the file on this page and press the button. It runs in your browser, so there is no upload, no account and no daily limit.
- Why will QuickTime not open my MKV?
- Apple has never shipped support for it. The picture inside is usually one QuickTime knows perfectly well; it is the box around it that gets refused.
- Does the quality drop?
- Usually not at all. When the codec inside is one a MOV can hold, the frames move across untouched. The page tells you which case yours is before it starts.
- What happens to my subtitles?
- They do not come across. An MKV commonly carries several subtitle and audio tracks and MOV is far stricter about what it will hold, so plan to keep the original if those tracks matter.
- Is there a size limit?
- 500 MB, which is a limit of doing this in a tab rather than a policy. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no daily cap and no account behind it.
- Is the file uploaded?
- No. The video is opened and written back out in the page. No request carries it anywhere, which the network panel will show you while it runs.