How to convert MOV to MKV
- Click Choose files or drop your MOV video into the box above.
- Keep the default quality, or choose a target size, resolution or frame rate.
- Click Convert and download the MKV when it is ready.
MOV vs MKV
| MOV | MKV | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual codecs | H.264 or H.265 (HEVC) from iPhones, ProRes from cameras, with AAC audio | Almost anything: H.264, HEVC, AV1, VP9 video; AAC, AC-3, DTS, Opus, FLAC audio; multiple subtitle and audio tracks |
| Plays on | Apple devices natively; on Windows, Android and many websites support is hit-and-miss (especially for HEVC) | VLC, Plex, Kodi and most PCs; not supported by iPhone, iPad, QuickTime, many video editors and most websites |
| Best for | Recording and editing on iPhone and Mac | Movies and TV episodes with several audio and subtitle tracks |
| Introduced | 1991 by Apple | 2002 by the Matroska open-source project |
About MOV and MKV
What is MOV?
MOV is Apple’s QuickTime format and what an iPhone records by default. MP4 was actually derived from it, so most MOV files contain the same kind of video and can often be converted to MP4 in seconds without re-encoding. Since iOS 11, iPhones record HEVC (H.265) video, which many Windows PCs, Android phones and websites cannot play — converting to MP4 with H.264 fixes that.
- Native on iPhone and Mac
- Supports pro codecs like ProRes
- HEVC MOV files often will not play on Windows or Android
- Some websites reject MOV uploads
What is MKV?
MKV is a flexible open container that can hold almost any video and audio codec, several audio languages, subtitles and chapters in one file. That makes it popular for movies, but iPhones, QuickTime, iMovie, many editors and most websites do not accept MKV — converting to MP4 makes it play everywhere.
- Holds any codec
- Multiple audio and subtitle tracks, chapters
- Open and royalty-free
- Not supported on Apple devices, many TVs and editors
- Rejected by most upload sites
Why GlideConvert?
- Private by design. Your files are converted on your own device by your browser — they are never uploaded to a server. That keeps them private, avoids upload waits and means there is no queue.
- Fast. Images convert in a fraction of a second; video uses your device’s hardware encoder and is often simply repackaged without re-encoding.
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark. 10 images, 5 audio files or one video at a time — Pro lifts the limits and removes ads.
Frequently asked questions
Will converting MOV to MKV lose quality?
Often not at all. If the MOV file already contains video and audio that MKV supports (H.264 video and AAC audio are the most common), they are copied as-is: no quality loss, and even a large file converts in seconds. Otherwise the video is re-encoded at high quality — choose a quality level or a target file size in the options.
How long does converting MOV to MKV take?
Usually much less than the length of the video: modern browsers encode video with your device’s hardware. Older formats such as WMV, FLV and AVI use a slower universal decoder.
Why do my iPhone videos not play on Windows or Android?
Since iOS 11, iPhones record video with HEVC (H.265) compression to save space. Many Windows PCs, Android phones, TVs and websites cannot play HEVC. Converting to MP4 with H.264 — the default here — makes the video play everywhere.
Is there a file size limit?
On the free plan each video or audio file can be up to 500 MB and each image up to 100 MB. With Pro the limit is 4 GB per file. Because everything happens on your device, the practical limit for very large files is your device’s memory.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. GlideConvert runs entirely in your browser: images are processed with the browser’s built-in codecs and WebAssembly, video and audio with hardware-accelerated WebCodecs (or a WebAssembly build of FFmpeg for older formats). Nothing is sent anywhere — you can even disconnect from the internet once the page has loaded.
Does it work on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows?
Yes. It works in any up-to-date browser — Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox or Samsung Internet — on phones, tablets and computers, with nothing to install. Long or 4K videos convert faster on a computer than on a phone.