How to Use VLC to Convert MOV to MP4

VLC media player is open-source freeware created by VideoLAN. VLC supports a large variety of multimedia file formats. Unlike most media players, VLC happens to have a built-in conversion tool, so it can be used as both player and a video converter. This article covers ways to convert MOV to MP4 in VLC on Macintosh and Windows computers.

No wonder such a powerful tool can be used as a .mov-to-.mp4 converter. Read on to learn how to convert MOV to MP4 using VLC on both Windows PC and Mac.

We’ve already described how you can convert .mov to .mp4 with VLC on a Mac and PC, but there is really much more to it. VLC also offers features that advanced users can take advantage of to tweak conversion settings. Here are some tips on using advanced features provided by the VLC developers.

• If you want VLC to play the output video during the conversion process, select the Display the output option.

• If you want to convert videos of interlaced formats (1080i and 720i), enable the Deinterlace option.

• If you have files with data streams in different containers, you can use the Dump raw input option. Once this option is enabled, VLC will pack all data streams into one file without reprocessing the data itself.

VLC has other features you might find helpful:

• Playback of corrupted, incomplete, and unfinished files

• Access to ISO files, even on operating systems that don’t support ISO images

• Video filters and effects: distortion, rotation, trimming, mirroring, and more

• Logo overlays

• Video-to-ASCII conversion

• Live streaming

• Display of a video as the desktop wallpaper (on Windows PCs only)

• Screencasting (desktop recording only)

You can tell by now that VLC is no ordinary media player. When it comes to converting MOV to MP4 in VLC, this freeware might come in very handy. Still, it wasn’t created to serve as a converter, so sometimes, it’s good to have an alternative program. If, for some reason, you couldn’t use the VLC player, MOV files can be converted with another program designed specifically for media conversion.

If you tried to put into practice our step-by-step guide on how to use VLC to convert MP4 to MOV, but something went wrong, you can always use an alternative .mov-to-.mp4 converter. Movavi Video Converter supports a large number of media formats and can process your files in no time.

• Support of more than 180 formats

• No quality loss conversion

• Compression tool

• Support of HD videos

• Video-editing tool

• Conversion of audio and images

• Subtitles finder

• Batch conversion

• Sound level adjustment

• Device-targeted conversion

You can learn more about the Movavi tool for fast-speed file conversion using the link below.

Learn more about Movavi Video Converter

To convert your MOV file to MP4, follow these steps:

1. Install Movavi Video Converter: launch the installation file and follow the instructions on the screen.

2. Import your files to the program: click Add Media, then Add Video, and select the MOV file you want to convert to MP4.

3. Select MP4 as the target format: open the Video tab, choose MP4, and choose a preset.

4. Save the result: click Save to at the bottom of the program window and specify the output folder. Finally, hit the Convert button to start transforming your MOV file to MP4.

It’s as simple as that. Now you know that if for some reason you couldn’t use VLC to convert to MP4, you can always do it with Movavi Video Converter.

As you can see from the table above, the VLC media player and Movavi Video Converter have a lot in common: they are ad-free, can be installed on both Windows and Mac, and can convert video and audio files. However, these programs were initially meant to be used for different purposes. VLC’s primary task is media playback, whereas Movavi Video Converter was designed for media file conversion. Still, both programs can perform more than you would expect.