.mov File Extension
.mov file is, which apps open MOV videos, how Poly supports them, and when MP4 or another format may work better. File extension details for .mov
Full Support| File type | QuickTime movie |
|---|---|
| MIME type | |
| Encoding | Binary QuickTime container with one or more encoded media tracks |
| Operating systems | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Opens with | QuickTime Player, VLC media player, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve |
| Poly support | Yes. Poly provides rich support for compatible MOV video, audio, and metadata. |
| Indexed by Poly | Yes. Poly indexes filenames, available technical details, spoken transcripts, and visual content. |
| Preview in Poly | Yes. MOV files get thumbnails, timeline previews, and in-app playback when their media is supported. |
| Poly agent | Yes. The Poly agent can use supported visual content, transcripts, and metadata. |
What kind of file is a .mov?
A .mov file is usually a QuickTime movie with the registered video/quicktime MIME type. MOV is a container, not a codec. It can hold video, audio, subtitles, timecode, and metadata, and every track can use a different encoding.1
A file may contain an optional ftyp atom whose brands identify its format family. The QuickTime brand is qt . There is no short magic-byte sequence shared by every valid MOV, however, so dependable identification also checks the atom structure and tracks.2
Open unfamiliar MOV files with maintained software. A media parser must validate atom sizes, track descriptions, references, and metadata instead of trusting the suffix.
.mov suffix does not tell you whether the video uses H.264, HEVC, ProRes, or another codec. Renaming a different video to .mov does not convert its container or tracks.How do I open a .mov on my computer?
On macOS, QuickTime Player is the simplest first choice. Apple currently exports QuickTime movies with H.264 or HEVC video.3 On Windows and Linux, VLC is a practical viewer, while Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are common choices for editing. Mobile playback depends on both the app and the codecs inside the movie.
If a file plays sound but no picture, or picture but no sound, the extension is probably not the problem. Inspect the video and audio codecs. A maintained player may understand the QuickTime container but lack support for one track.
Browser support is less universal than desktop-app support. MDN lists Safari for the QuickTime container and recommends MP4 for broad web delivery.4
Poly support for .mov
Poly gives supported MOV videos a representative thumbnail, timeline previews, and playback that can seek to relevant moments. It makes the filename, technical metadata, spoken transcript, and visual content searchable. The Poly agent can use supported visual content, transcript, and metadata when answering questions.
A transcript requires audible speech, but silent footage can still benefit from visual search. Playback and content-aware features depend on the codecs and tracks carried by the container. A QuickTime reference movie may also rely on media stored outside the file, so verify that a shared or archived copy is self-contained.5
History of .mov
Apple introduced QuickTime in 1991. Its atom-based file structure later influenced the ISO Base Media File Format and the MP4 family.46 IANA registered video/quicktime in June 1993 and identified .mov as its common extension.1
MOV remains useful in production workflows. The Library of Congress, for example, lists selected ProRes encodings in a QuickTime container among its preferred formats for file-based video.7
Working with .mov and alternatives
Choose a destination according to how the file will be used:
| Goal | Practical choice | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Editing master | MOV with a production codec such as ProRes | High quality and useful production tracks, but often large files |
| Broad playback | MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio | Wide compatibility, but specialized tracks may not carry over |
| Smaller Apple-focused copy | MOV with HEVC | Efficient, but older devices and apps may not decode it |
| Open web delivery | WebM | Web-focused, but conversion usually requires re-encoding |
Remuxing moves compatible tracks into another container without recompressing them. Re-encoding can improve compatibility or reduce size, but it can lose quality. Before deleting the source, compare duration, synchronization, frame rate, color and HDR behavior, captions, timecode, alpha, and every required audio track.
Footnotes
- Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. video/quicktime Media Type Registration. ↩ ↩2
- Apple Developer Documentation. File Type Compatibility Atom (
ftyp). Apple documents compatible brands, including theqtbrand, and notes that the atom is optional. ↩ - Apple Support. Export Movies to Other File Formats and Resolutions Using QuickTime Player on Mac. ↩
- MDN Web Docs. Media Container Formats. MDN documents QuickTime's
.movextension, Safari support, and relationship to MP4. ↩ ↩2 - Apple Developer Documentation. Using QuickTime Files and Media Layouts. A QuickTime movie can contain media or refer to media stored elsewhere. ↩
- Library of Congress. QuickTime File Format. ↩
- Library of Congress. Recommended Formats Statement 2025-2026. The moving-image guidance includes selected ProRes encodings in a QuickTime
.movcontainer. ↩