How to compress an MOV file

/ Windows / By / November 28, 2021

MOV files are commonly found on macOS. If you record a screenshot on macOS, it will be saved as a MOV file. The format is not just for macOS and you can record or create MOV videos on Windows 10 as well. However, these files tend to be large, especially compared to MP4 files. To reduce the MOV file size, you need to compress it.

compress MOV file

Compress MOV file

You can compress a MOV file by reducing its frame rate, reducing the resolution, or converting it to a different format eg MP4.

On macOS, you can reduce MOV file resolution with QuickTime player. You cannot convert or convert the frame to MP4 with Quicktime. For that, you need a different app.

You can also use iMovie but the process is extremely tedious.

1. Compress MOV file with Handbrake

Handbrake is a popular and powerful video conversion tool. It’s available for both Mac and Windows and is a great solution for whatever platform you use.

  1. Download and install Handbrake.
  2. Open handkerchief.
  3. Click Open source at the top left.
  4. Select the MOV file you want to compress.
  5. In the Save As field, click Browse and select where you want to save the output file.
  6. Go to the Video tab.
  7. Select the frame.
  8. Select the resolution.
  9. Select a video encoder.
  10. Click Start.
  11. When the conversion is complete, you will have an MP4 file.
  12.  

Note: Handbrake cannot extract MOV file.

2.Use web app

There are many online tools to compress files and they can hold the MOV format. You do not need to convert MOV file to MP4 for compression.

  1. Visit him Clideo.
  2. Select the Compress tool.
  3. Click Select File.
  4. Select the MOV file you want to compress and let it upload.
  5. Once uploaded, wait for the application to compress the file (this may take some time).
  6. When you are done, click the Download button and save the file.

Note: Clideo is a paid online tool. The compressed file will be watermarked and you will have to pay to remove it. It works on a membership model so if you do not plan to use it every day, it is not worth the money.

Conclusion

Good compression tools with a simple GUI are hard to find. It’s best to buy an app for the job if you think Handbrake isn’t right for you. FFMPEG is also included but it is a command line tool. There are no good GUI apps for that actively maintained. If you are comfortable using the command line, you can use FFMPEG on both macOS and Windows 10 to compress MOV file.

The post Demonstrate how to first compile a MOV file on TechtricksNg.