How to Convert Video to MP4 on a Mac [5 BEST WAYS]

MPEG-4 or MP4 video files can be viewed on any platform and multimedia device, including Apple products. To be sure that your movie will play back on your iPad, iPod Touch, or Sony PSP, you may need to change the initial format of your files, e.g., to convert video to MP4 on a Mac. However, you can use a video converter to change the format – for example, if the video file you want to transfer to your device is large and there’s not enough free space left.

Our picks for the list of video converters to MP4 for a Mac are:

Best for: fast conversion and simple editing

OS: macOS 10.13 or later, Windows

Movavi Video Converter is packed with features. You'll be able to convert to and from nearly any media format you can think of, including video, audio, and image formats. There are over 200 presets available to tailor your conversion to the device of your choice, or you can let the software try to auto-detect the device. This MPEG-4 converter for a Mac lets you convert a small sample of the video first, so you can see what the final results will look like before committing to the settings.

Check out the step-by-step guide and see how simple it is to convert files with Movavi Video Converter.

1. Download and install Movavi Video Converter.
2. Click Add Media and then Add video to upload your files to the program.
3. Go to the Video tab and choose the file format.
4. Hit the Convert button to start the conversion.

Use the link below to read the detailed instructions.

Read the instructions

Best for: converting videos to MP4 format on a Mac for playback on iPhones, iPads, PSP, and other devices

OS: macOS 10.5-10.12

MacX Free MP4 Video Converter is a free MP4 video converter for a Mac. If you’re looking for an MP4 converter for a Mac that lets you convert to multiple formats for different devices and video publishing platforms, this may be an option for you. In addition to video conversion capabilities, it also allows users to extract audio files and convert video files to MP3, as well.

How to convert an MP4 video with MacX Free MP4 Video Converter

1. Download, install, and open MacX Free MP4 Video converter.

2. Click + to load the video you want to format, or drag and drop the file into the converter.

3. From the dropdown menu, select MP4 as your output format.

4. Click Browse to choose the destination where you want to save your output video.

5. Click Run to save your converted MP4 video.

Best for: multi-tasking (if you need a player, converter, and video editor)

OS: macOS 10.7.5 or later, Windows, Linux

You may have heard of VLC Media Player before, it's one of the most popular media players around due to its ability to open almost any file format you throw at it. The capability has made it a standard part of most Linux distributions and a favorite among both Mac and Windows users where the native media players are often lacking support for a few popular codecs.

What you might not have known though, is that VLC is also capable of converting to and from that wide array of formats that it supports, making it great for use as a Mac MPEG-4 converter. The reason you might not know that is that it isn't really designed as a video converter, so the process isn't as intuitive as you may like and the conversion process can be slower than a dedicated video converter would be.

How to change a video format on a Mac with VLC

1. Open the VLC program.
2. With the VLC program active, open its File menu on your Mac's menu bar.
3. Click on the Convert / Stream option. You'll find it near the bottom of the menu. Alternatively, you can hit Shift-Command-S on your Mac keyboard to open the dialog.
4. When the Convert / Stream dialog opens up, you can drag and drop the file you want to convert where it says "Drop media here." There is also a button in that section you can click on to open your media file manually.
5. With your media file open in the Convert / Stream dialog, it's time to convert the file. From the Choose Profile section, pick the format and preset that you'd like to convert your file to. There are two options for MP4 files; one for video and one for audio.
6. If you'd like more control, you can click on the Customize button next to the presets dropdown. From here you can choose different codecs and output formats.
7. Click on the Save File option and select the location you'd like your converted file to be placed in. The file will then be converted into the new format and saved at that location.

Best for: ripping DVDs and converting to MP4

OS: macOS 10.13 and later, Windows, Linux

Just as VLC is primarily known as a media player, HandBrake was primarily known as a DVD ripping tool. It includes some nice DVD-specific features such as chapter selection and basic support for extracting subtitles. It can also function as a general Mac MP4 converter as well, and as DVDs become less popular, that aspect of the software is coming to the forefront.

One outstanding feature of HandBrake is the option to use a bit rate calculator that will estimate the size of your file before you convert it. This way, you can be sure your file will stay under these size limits you need while obtaining the maximum quality for those limits. The software can be a bit buggy, however, and the interface is outdated.

How to convert a video to MP4 on a Mac with HandBrake

1. Open HandBrake.
2. When the program opens, click on the Source menu option.
3. Select the Open File option and choose the file you'd like to convert to an MP4.
4. Click on Browse next to the Destination field near the top of the interface and choose where you'd like to save your new MP4 file.
5. Make sure that Container Format in the Preset section underneath the Destination field is set to MP4.
6. Change whichever options you may want to in the settings section on the lower part of the screen.
7. Click the Start button to begin the conversion process.