File extension MOV

File type Apple QuickTime Digital Movie Format
Developer Apple
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What is a MOV file?

Files with the .MOV extension contain one or multiple multimedia files, saved in a standard created by Apple, compatible with both MacOS and Windows. MOV files contain tracks that can be coded using various codecs – they use MPEG-4 by default. The file can contain both videos, music, and text, and it is used for saving and synchronizing various forms of multimedia.

To execute a MOV file, an app not only has to support the file format, but also recognize all the codecs it has applied. MOV video files can be converted to the more popular and widely-used MP4 format, while MOV audio files can be converted into the OGG format using the VLC Media Player software. Both MOV and MP4 files are supported and recognized by most software, including QuickTime. MP4 is, however, the more international, standardized, and widely-supported format.

Program(s) that can open the .MOV file

How to open MOV files

If you cannot open the MOV file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports MOV among those that are installed on your device.

A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the MOV file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.

Possible problems with the MOV format files

The inability to open and operate the MOV file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Apple QuickTime Digital Movie Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.

  • Corruption of a MOV file which is being opened
  • Incorrect links to the MOV file in registry entries.
  • Accidental deletion of the description of the MOV from the Windows registry
  • Incomplete installation of an application that supports the MOV format
  • The MOV file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
  • The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the MOV file.
  • Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a MOV file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the MOV file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the MOV file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the MOV file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.

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How to associate the file with an installed software?

If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.MOV) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected MOV file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the MOV file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.

Is there one way to open unknown files?

Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. MOV) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.

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