WMV to MOV Converter

How to Convert WMV to MOV Online

1. Upload Your WMV File: Drag and drop your.wmv files or click "+ Add Files" to select them. Batch upload is supported — queue multiple Windows Media Video files and convert them with the same MOV settings.
2. Pick a Video Codec and Quality Preset: The default video codec is H.264, which Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and QuickTime decode natively. Switch to H.265/HEVC for smaller files at the same quality, MPEG-4 for legacy editor compatibility, or AV1 for archival masters. Set Quality Preset to Very High (Recommended) for editing intermediates, High for review copies, or use Constant Bitrate / Variable Bitrate / Constant Quality (CRF 18-23 sweet spot) for precise control. The audio stream defaults to AAC, which iOS, macOS, and FCP all accept without re-wrapping.
3. Resize, Trim, or Target a File Size (Optional): Pick a Preset Resolution (720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p) or scale by Resolution Percentage to keep the aspect ratio. Use Trim → Time Range with hour:minute:second:millisecond input to drop dead leader frames common in screen-recorded WMV. Target a specific file size in MB or KB if your delivery channel has an upload ceiling.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download the.mov. Files process on our servers — no sign-up, no watermark, no sign-up.

Why Convert WMV to MOV?

WMV (Windows Media Video) is a Microsoft container that wrapped WMV1, WMV2, and WMV3/VC-1 video with WMA audio. WMV 7 launched in 1999 and WMV 9 was standardized as SMPTE 421M (VC-1) in April 2006, but Microsoft has steadily walked away from the format: Windows Movie Maker was discontinued in January 2017, MP4 replaced WMV as the default export in its final version, and modern Apple silicon Macs have no first-party WMV decoder at all. Converting to MOV — Apple's QuickTime File Format introduced in December 1991 — re-wraps your footage in a container that every macOS and iOS app, plus most Adobe and DaVinci tools, treats as a first-class citizen.

• Final Cut Pro and iMovie editing — FCP refuses WMV imports outright; MOV with H.264 or H.265 video imports without transcoding, and FCP can optimize to ProRes on the next ingest pass if you need a true editing intermediate.
• macOS Sequoia / iOS playback — QuickTime Player on macOS plays MOV natively; iPhone Files app and Photos app both open.mov from AirDrop without an app install.
• Logic Pro and audio scoring sessions — Logic Pro accepts MOV reference video for film scoring;.wmv requires conversion before import, breaking the round-trip workflow.
• Cross-platform sharing without VLC — recipients on Apple devices double-click MOV and it plays. Sending raw WMV to a Mac user typically triggers a "no compatible codec" error in QuickTime Player.
• Adobe Premiere / DaVinci Resolve on Mac — both accept MOV with H.264/HEVC directly. Premiere on macOS dropped reliable WMV support years ago; Resolve's free tier never supported WMV decoding.
• Long-term archive — VC-1 is a legacy codec with shrinking decoder support; storing as MOV/H.264 (over 95% browser and device support per caniuse) or MOV/HEVC keeps the footage playable in 10 years.

WMV vs MOV — Format Comparison

Codec Choice for MOV Output — Quick Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose quality converting WMV to MOV?

Converting between codecs is lossy unless both sides use a lossless codec, and neither WMV (typically VC-1) nor the H.264/H.265 defaults in MOV are lossless. In practice, encoding at Quality Preset Very High or CRF 18 produces output that's visually indistinguishable from the source at normal viewing distances. If you need true mathematical losslessness, pick MJPEG or use a desktop tool that supports FFV1 — browser-based encoders trade some quality for speed.

Does the converted MOV file work directly in Final Cut Pro and iMovie?

Yes. MOV with H.264 video and AAC audio (the xconvert defaults) imports into Final Cut Pro and iMovie without transcoding. FCP will optionally create an optimized ProRes copy on import if you have "Create optimized media" enabled in import settings. iMovie 10+ accepts H.264 MOV directly. If you specifically need ProRes 422 or 4444 as the embedded codec, use Apple Compressor or a desktop tool after this conversion — browser converters don't ship ProRes encoders.

Why is my WMV not playing on my Mac in the first place?

macOS hasn't bundled a WMV decoder since Apple deprecated the QuickTime 7 plugin architecture, and Telestream's Flip4Mac (the long-running third-party fix) was end-of-lifed in June 2020. Modern Macs need VLC, IINA, or a converted MOV/MP4 to play.wmv files. Re-wrapping to MOV solves the playback problem permanently for that clip.

Can I keep the original resolution and just change the container?

Pick Keep original under Video Resolution and the H.264 codec at Quality Preset Very High. The encoder will match the source dimensions exactly. Note that browser-based tools always re-encode the video stream — they don't do pure stream-copy/remuxing the way ffmpeg -c copy does. If you need a true container swap without re-encoding, use FFmpeg directly. For most use cases the visual difference at Very High preset is imperceptible.

What's the difference between H.264 and HEVC for a MOV output?

H.265/HEVC produces files roughly 40-50% smaller than H.264 at equivalent perceived quality, but encoding is slower and decode requires hardware support on older devices. All Apple devices since 2017 (iPhone 7+, Macs with sixth-generation Intel or any Apple silicon) include HEVC hardware decode. Pick HEVC if your audience is on Apple gear or modern Android; pick H.264 if you need to send the file to a Windows 10 PC without HEVC extensions installed or an editing suite that hasn't been updated since 2018.

How do I trim the WMV before converting?

Expand Advanced Options, enable Trim → Time Range, and enter the start and duration in HH:MM:SS:MS format. The trim happens during the conversion pass, so you save the export step in your editor. This is especially useful for screen-recorded WMVs that have a few seconds of pre-roll before the action starts.

Will WMV metadata (creation date, author) transfer to the MOV?

Some bitstream metadata transfers (duration, dimensions, frame rate); Windows Media-specific tags (DRM markers, ASF metadata fields like WM/Author) generally do not, because MOV uses a different metadata schema (iTunes-style atoms). If preserving authorship metadata matters, export from Windows Media Player to a text sidecar before conversion, or use ExifTool after the conversion to write the values into the new MOV atoms.

Are there file size limits, and is anything uploaded to a server?

xconvert processes files on its servers — your file is uploaded over TLS and deleted after a few hours.'s no upload bandwidth cost and no server-side retention. Practical size limits depend on upload size and connection speed rather than a fixed server quota; a typical laptop handles single-clip WMV files up to a few GB without issue. For multi-hour 4K footage, a desktop tool will be faster.

What if I need WMV back from MOV later, or a different output format?

The reverse MOV to WMV conversion is available if you ever need to send back to a Windows-only workflow. If MP4 (with the same H.264 inside) fits your destination better than MOV, use WMV to MP4 — same codec, more universally accepted container. If file size is the priority over container choice, try Compress WMV first to keep the original format.