VOB to MOV Converter

How to Convert VOB to MOV Online

1. Upload Your VOB File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select VOB files from a ripped DVD's VIDEO_TS folder (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, etc.). Batch upload is supported — drop in every chapter at once and each becomes its own MOV file ready for Final Cut Pro, iMovie, or QuickTime.
2. Pick a Video Codec and Quality: Default is H.264, the codec Apple's MOV / QuickTime stack handles natively in hardware on every Mac, iPhone, and iPad since 2010. Switch to H.265 / HEVC for ~40-50% smaller files at the same visual quality (fully supported in QuickTime on macOS High Sierra and later), MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid for legacy QuickTime workflows, or AV1 / VP9 for modern web playback. Choose a Quality Preset (Highest → Lowest), target a File Size Percentage with auto-scale, set an exact MB target, dial a Constant or Variable Bitrate, or fine-tune CRF (18 = visually lossless, 23 = default, 28 = smaller). Audio defaults to AAC for clean import into Final Cut and iMovie; switch to AC-3 to preserve original DVD Dolby Digital surround tracks, or PCM for an uncompressed master.
3. Resize, Trim, or Keep Original: DVD source is 720×480 NTSC or 720×576 PAL — leave at Original to preserve native DVD dimensions, pick a preset (4320p / 2160p / 1440p / 1080p / 720p / 576p / 480p / 360p), enter custom width × height, or scale by percentage. Use Trim with start time + duration in HH:MM:SS.sss format to drop FBI warnings, studio logos, or menu loops, or to split a multi-episode disc into individual MOV files for an iMovie project.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.

Why Convert VOB to MOV?

VOB (Video Object) is the DVD-Video container introduced in 1996, holding MPEG-2 video, AC-3 / DTS / LPCM audio, bitmap subtitles, and DVD navigation data inside the VIDEO_TS folder. MOV is Apple's QuickTime container, the native format the entire Apple editing stack — Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Motion, Compressor, QuickTime Player — reads and writes by default. While VOB is essentially DVD-only, MOV opens cleanly on every Mac, every iPhone and iPad, and on Windows via QuickTime or any modern media player. Converting from VOB to MOV is what bridges DVD content into Apple workflows:

• Editing DVD footage in Final Cut Pro — Final Cut Pro X imports H.264 MOV directly without a transcode pass; VOB triggers an "incompatible media" warning or forces a slow ProRes proxy build before the timeline is editable. A 4.7 GB single-layer DVD lands around 1-1.5 GB as H.264 MOV at CRF 20.
• Bringing home-video DVDs into iMovie on Mac or iPad — iMovie refuses to open.vob files but accepts.mov natively from the Files app, Photos library, or AirDrop. Wedding, vacation, and graduation DVDs become editable iMovie projects in one step.
• Playing DVD rips in QuickTime Player — QuickTime Player on macOS doesn't handle MPEG-2 VOB without third-party components. H.264 or H.265 MOV plays instantly with hardware decoding on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
• Archiving a DVD library to iCloud or a Mac mini media server — A 100-DVD shelf is roughly 500 GB on disc but compresses to ~150 GB of H.264 MOV that Photos, Files, and the macOS Finder all preview natively. Plex and Infuse on Apple TV stream MOV without server-side transcoding.
• AirDropping DVD clips to iPhone — A 90-second highlight pulled from VTS_01_3.VOB and saved as MOV AirDrops to iPhone and lands in the Photos app like any iPhone-shot clip — VOB doesn't survive the trip.
• Color-grading DVD footage in DaVinci Resolve on Mac — Resolve on macOS imports H.264 / H.265 MOV cleanly and links audio without conform issues that plain VOB usually triggers.
• ProRes intermediates for professional editing — Pick PCM audio plus a high-quality codec to produce a MOV that drops into a ProRes-based Final Cut workflow without further transcoding, useful when restoring older corporate or broadcast DVD masters.

VOB vs MOV — Format Comparison

Codec Choice Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Final Cut Pro and iMovie open the converted MOV directly?

Yes, when you keep the default H.264 video + AAC audio combination. Final Cut Pro X, Final Cut Pro for iPad, and iMovie on macOS / iPadOS / iOS all import H.264 MOV with no transcode prompt — the file appears in the Browser ready to drag onto the timeline. H.265 MOV also imports natively on macOS High Sierra and later. If you pick MPEG-4 / DivX / Xvid, Final Cut may still ask to transcode to ProRes on import, which is normal.

Why won't QuickTime Player open my original VOB file?

QuickTime Player on macOS doesn't include an MPEG-2 decoder by default — Apple stopped shipping MPEG-2 with QuickTime in OS X 10.7. Without a third-party component (Perian, VLC plug-in), opening a.vob shows "the document could not be opened" or plays audio without video. Converting to H.264 or H.265 MOV uses the hardware decoder built into every Mac since 2010 (Intel Quick Sync / Apple Silicon Media Engine), so playback starts instantly.

Should I pick H.264 or H.265 for MOV output?

H.264 if you want one MOV that opens on every Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV regardless of OS version, plus all Windows machines via QuickTime. H.265 if every playback device runs macOS High Sierra (2017) or later, iOS 11 or later, or Apple TV 4K — the file will be roughly half the size at the same visual quality. H.265 also keeps hardware decoding active on Apple Silicon, so it doesn't increase battery drain on M-series MacBooks. When in doubt, default H.264 is the safer pick.

Can I keep the DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound?

Yes. DVD audio is usually AC-3 (Dolby Digital 2.0 or 5.1), and MOV officially supports AC-3 audio tracks — pick AC-3 in the audio codec list to pass the surround track through bit-for-bit. AAC is the better default for Final Cut and iMovie because both apps re-mix surround down on import anyway, but if your final delivery target is Apple TV with a connected receiver, AC-3 preserves the full 5.1 mix. PCM is also available for an uncompressed master.

How do I convert all VOB files from a DVD's VIDEO_TS folder?

Open the VIDEO_TS folder on the ripped DVD and select every VTS_*.VOB file (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB, etc.). Drop them all into the upload area at once — each VOB converts to its own MOV in parallel. To assemble a single feature-length MOV after conversion, drop the resulting MOV files into Final Cut Pro or iMovie and join them on the timeline, or use our Merge Video tool — joining MOV files is far cleaner than joining MPEG-2 VOBs because each MOV has correctly-formed sample tables.

What about DVD subtitles and chapter markers?

DVD subtitles are bitmap-based (VobSub format) — they're images, not text. MOV only supports text subtitle tracks, so VobSub subtitles either get burnt into the video or dropped. DVD chapter points likewise don't carry over directly; if you want chapter markers in MOV, add them in Final Cut Pro or Compressor after the import. For full subtitle and chapter preservation, convert to MKV instead with our VOB to MKV tool.

What resolution should I use for DVD VOB files?

Standard DVDs are 720×480 (NTSC, USA / Japan) or 720×576 (PAL, Europe / Australia). There's no real benefit to upscaling beyond the source — keep "Original" or pick the 480p / 576p preset to match the disc exactly. Upscaling adds file size without adding detail. If you do need a 1080p MOV for delivery on a modern Mac display, run upscaling as a separate step after the conversion (Topaz Video AI or the Compressor 1080p preset) rather than during, so you keep a clean SD master.

Will the MOV file play on Windows machines?

Yes, on any modern Windows install. H.264 and H.265 MOV play in the Windows 10 / 11 Movies & TV app, in VLC, in Plex, and in QuickTime for Windows (still available as a download from Apple). The same MOV also opens directly in Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve for Windows, and CapCut — useful when a Mac-only DVD archive needs to land in a mixed-OS post-production workflow.

What's the practical file size limit?

There's no fixed cap — conversion runs on our servers, so the limit is upload size and connection speed and upload time. A full dual-layer DVD (around 8 GB total across all VOBs) works on a Mac with 8 GB+ RAM. Multi-VOB DVD rips and full VIDEO_TS folder uploads work without the 1 GB free-tier cap that competitors enforce, and there's no quantity limit on batch jobs.

Can I convert MOV back to VOB to author a DVD?

Yes — see MOV to VOB for the reverse direction when re-authoring a playable DVD. Related Apple-side targets: VOB to MP4 for universal mobile and web playback, and VOB to MKV when you need to keep the original VobSub subtitle tracks alongside the H.264 video.