AVI to MOV Converter
Convert AVI files from old cameras, DV captures and DivX downloads into QuickTime MOV with H.264 video, so a Mac opens them in QuickTime Player, iMovie and Final Cut Pro without extra codecs.
Video Converter
or drop MP4, MOV, MKV … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Lower is better quality and a bigger file. 18 looks identical to the source, 23 is the default, 28 and above shows visible softening.
Frames per second. Keep the source rate unless a platform asks for a specific one; 15–20 fps is plenty for GIFs.
Only used for PowerPoint files and single still images: how long each slide or picture stays on screen.
Auto uses AAC for MP4/MOV and Opus for WebM. Copy keeps the original sound untouched when the new format supports it.
192 kbps is transparent for music; 128 kbps is enough for speech.
Width of the animation in pixels; height follows the aspect ratio. 480 px suits chats, 720 px or more gives a high-quality GIF but a much larger file.
GIF holds at most 256 colors. Fewer colors make a smaller file but cause banding on gradients and skin tones.
Mixes palette colors in a fine pattern to hide banding. Sierra gives the smoothest result; none gives the smallest file.
Whether the animation repeats endlessly or plays one time and stops.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
The converted file will be at or just under this size.
How to use this tool
- 1
Choose the AVI files
Add up to 20 .avi files, each 95 MB or less. Long DV captures are bigger than that, so split them into scenes first.
- 2
Keep the editing settings
Convert to MOV, Video codec H.264 and Quality (CRF) 18 give an editing copy that looks like the source. Audio codec is AAC at 256 kbps.
- 3
Convert and import
Press Convert to MOV, download the files and drag them into your Photos library, iMovie event or Final Cut library. We delete uploads after 30 minutes.
An AVI that will not open on a Mac is rarely damaged. The wrapper is readable; the codec inside is the problem, and converting to MOV swaps that codec for one Apple has decoded natively since QuickTime 7.
Why a Mac won't open many AVI files
Microsoft introduced AVI in November 1992 with Video for Windows, and over the next fifteen years it became a box for almost any codec: Cinepak on CD-ROMs, DV from camcorders, Motion JPEG from compact cameras, and DivX or Xvid in shared films. A file's extension says nothing about which of these is inside.
Macs used to cope through QuickTime 7 plug-ins such as Perian, but macOS Catalina (10.15, 2019) dropped 32-bit software and those components with it. Since then, an AVI with DivX video opens as a black window or not at all in QuickTime Player, and iMovie greys it out in the import list.
Which codec is inside your AVI, and does the Mac read it?
| Codec in the AVI | Where it came from | Apple decoder on current macOS |
|---|---|---|
| DivX / Xvid (MPEG-4 Part 2) | 2000s downloads, DivX DVD player rips | None |
| DV | MiniDV camcorders captured over FireWire | Yes |
| Motion JPEG | Compact cameras of the 2000s | Yes |
| Cinepak, Indeo | 1990s CD-ROM and game videos | Removed with 32-bit QuickTime |
| HuffYUV, Lagarith | Lossless captures from VirtualDub and game recorders | None |
AVI
Audio Video Interleave
AVI is a multimedia container introduced by Microsoft in 1992 as part of Video for Windows. It can hold many codecs, from uncompressed video to DivX and Xvid, which made it a common format for camcorders and downloaded films in the 2000s. It lacks modern features such as reliable variable frame rates and standard subtitle support, and files are often large. Desktop players such as VLC play AVI, but phones and browsers usually cannot.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1992 · Microsoft
MOV
QuickTime movie
MOV is the QuickTime container format created by Apple in 1991. iPhones record MOV files, and professional editing tools use it for high-quality codecs such as Apple ProRes, including versions with transparency. It can hold multiple video, audio, timecode and subtitle tracks. MOV files from editing software can be very large, and some Windows apps, Android phones and websites play them poorly or not at all.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1991 · Apple
AVI goes to MOV for the Mac: Apple's player and editors open the .avi wrapper but not the DivX or Xvid video most AVI files carry, while H.264 in QuickTime imports straight into an iMovie or Final Cut timeline.
Import the converted MOV on a Mac, iPhone or iPad
iMovie on Mac
- 01Open your project and choose File > Import Media.
- 02Select the converted .mov files.
- 03Clips appear in the event and play without rendering.
Final Cut Pro
- 01Choose File > Import > Media and pick the MOV files.
- 02Leave optimized media off for H.264 unless playback stutters.
- 03Keep the AVI originals in a separate archive folder.
iPhone or iPad
- 01Save the MOV to the Files app.
- 02Share it to Photos with Save Video.
- 03Open it in iMovie for iOS or send it to family.
AVI to MOV file size and sound
Expect the MOV to be smaller than a DV or lossless AVI, often by a large factor, because H.264 is far more efficient than DV's fixed 25 Mbit/s stream. Against a DivX AVI the size is usually similar at CRF 18. If you need a smaller file for sharing rather than editing, raise Quality (CRF) to 23 or see how to compress video for Discord and email.
Old AVI soundtracks are usually MP3, uncompressed PCM or ADPCM. AAC at 256 kbps covers all three without audible loss. Tick Remove audio for silent B-roll so editors do not show an empty waveform.
AVI to MOV converter questions
Why does a Mac play only the sound of my AVI, or nothing at all?
macOS reads the AVI container but has no decoder for DivX, Xvid and several other codecs that AVI files commonly carry. The audio track is often plain MP3 or PCM, which macOS does decode, so you hear sound over a black window.
Should I convert AVI to MOV or to MP4 for iMovie?
Both import, since they share the same H.264 video and AAC sound. Pick MOV when a template, a client or a Final Cut workflow names .mov; pick the AVI to MP4 converter when the file will also go to Windows, Android or the web.
Why is Quality (CRF) set to 18 on this page?
These files are usually going into an editor and will be exported again, so each generation loses a little. CRF 18 keeps the first copy visually the same as the AVI; the default 23 is fine if you only want to watch the clip.
Can I convert AVI to MOV with ProRes?
No, the Video codec menu offers H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1. If you need ProRes for heavy grading, import the H.264 MOV into Final Cut Pro and use its Create optimized media option, which transcodes to ProRes 422.
Will a 4:3 AVI from an old camera be stretched to widescreen?
No. Resolution keeps the aspect ratio of the source, and with Same as source the frame size is not changed. Editors place 4:3 footage in a 16:9 project with black bars at the sides, which you can crop later if you prefer.
