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MOV to WMV converter

Convert MOV to WMV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want WMV
Quality

Applies only when the video has to be re-encoded. A straight copy keeps the original quality.

Advanced 2
Always re-encode Rebuilds the picture as H.264 (VP9 for WebM) even when it could be copied. Fixes files that won’t play on older TVs and PCs.

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert WMV to MOV

Other ways to convert MOV

Convert other formats to WMV

Read more about the MOV format and the WMV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert MOV to WMV?

Yes, when a device or app needs WMV. WMV can’t carry the H.264, HEVC (H.265) or ProRes video found in MOV files, so the picture is re-encoded as Windows Media Video, which takes about as long as the clip on a recent laptop.

Check that WMV is really needed: it plays in Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites, while MOV is mainly an Apple format.

MOV is Apple’s video container, usually H.264 or HEVC from an iPhone; WMV is the Windows Media video format from the Windows XP era. Choose WMV only for an old Windows PC or presentation that won’t take anything else.

MOV and WMV compared
Property MOV WMV
Usually contains H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, or ProRes from editors WMV2 or WMV3 video with WMA audio
Support Mainly an Apple format A legacy format
Plays on Apple devices and most editors; some Windows PCs, Android phones and upload forms struggle with it Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites
Best for Recording and editing video on Apple devices Old Windows presentations and players
Introduced 1991 1999

How to convert MOV to WMV

  1. 01

    Add your MOV

    Drop your MOV video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to WMV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the WMV

    Press convert and save the WMV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when MOV becomes WMV

Re-encoded, at a quality you choose

Because the video has to be compressed again, a little detail is lost. The default quality keeps the difference invisible; choose High for footage you’ll edit further.

WMV is an older format

Choose WMV only for an old Windows PC or presentation that won’t take anything else. For sharing, uploading or playing on phones, MP4 is the better choice.

The size stays about the same

MOV and WMV are close in size for the same content, so do this for compatibility rather than to save space. MOV: A minute of 4K iPhone video is roughly 170–400 MB. WMV: Larger than MP4 for the same quality.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of MOV and WMV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Video files are big, and uploading one just to change its container can take longer than the conversion itself. Your browser can read and write these formats, so the file never has to leave your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the MOV. A MOV from an iPhone is usually an ordinary H.264 or HEVC video that can move into MP4 without re-encoding; a MOV exported from an editor may be ProRes and ten times larger.
  • About the WMV. WMV files from old DRM-protected downloads can’t be converted by any tool; only unprotected ones will work.
  • MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM are handled by your browser’s own video engine, often with hardware help. AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG and the other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download, and are slower.

Questions

Does converting MOV to WMV lose quality?

The video is re-encoded, so a little detail is lost, but the default quality is set high enough that it doesn’t show.

Will a WMV play on my phone?

WMV a legacy format: Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites. Windows Media Player and VLC play WMV files; on a Mac, use VLC.

Read more about this

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