MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV: which video format should you use?

The four formats you meet most often are MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV. They are containers: boxes that hold the picture and the sound. Which one you need depends mostly on where the video is going.

MP4: the safe choice

MP4 plays on nearly every phone, computer, television and website, and most upload forms accept it. When you are not sure, choose MP4.

MOV: Apple's format

MOV is what iPhones and Apple apps produce. It works well in QuickTime and Apple editing tools, and many other programs open it, but a few websites and forms are fussier about it than about MP4.

WebM: made for the web

WebM is designed for web pages and is well supported by current browsers. It is less common in older devices and some apps, so it suits embedding in a page more than sending to people.

MKV: recordings and downloads

MKV can hold almost anything, which makes it popular for screen recordings and downloaded video. Many phones and television apps do not play it directly, so convert it before you share it.

Which to pick

Sending to other people or uploading to a form: MP4.
Editing in an Apple app: MOV is fine.
Putting a video on a web page: WebM or MP4.
A recording you want to keep and play on a computer: MKV is fine; convert it to MP4 to share.

Switching without losing quality

When a video already suits the new format, converting takes a moment and the picture is not touched. If you ask for the version that plays almost everywhere and the picture is stored in a less common way, the picture is made again, which takes longer. The converter tells you which of the two applies and lets you keep the exact quality if you prefer.

Convert a video Free, no account, nothing uploaded.