M4V to MP4 Converter
M4V is Apple's name for an MP4 file, used by the iTunes Store, Apple's video apps and HandBrake. Most unprotected M4V files only need a clean MP4 copy to play and upload everywhere.
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
Add the M4V files
Drop them on the upload area, up to 20 files of 95 MB each. Protected iTunes purchases will not convert.
- 2
Keep H.264 and AAC
Video codec Auto writes H.264, and the sound becomes AAC at 160 kbps, the pair Android, Windows and every browser play.
- 3
Convert and download
Press Convert to MP4 and save the new files next to the originals.
How do I convert M4V to MP4?
Upload the M4V and press Convert to MP4. The video is written as H.264 with AAC sound in a standard MP4. It works on any M4V without DRM; iTunes Store purchases are protected and cannot be converted.
M4V vs MP4: Apple's version of the same container
Apple introduced the .m4v extension for video sold in the iTunes Store, which began selling TV episodes in 2005. The file is an MPEG-4 Part 14 container like any MP4; the extension simply told iTunes and iPods that this was video, the same way .m4a marks audio-only files.
Today you meet M4V in three places: purchases and rentals from Apple, exports from iMovie, Compressor and older iTunes versions, and HandBrake rips of your own discs. Android's gallery, many Windows apps, smart TVs and upload forms that check the extension do not recognize .m4v even when they would play the contents.
M4V
Apple MPEG-4 video
M4V is a video format from Apple that is nearly identical to MP4. It was used for iTunes Store movies and TV shows, which could be protected by FairPlay DRM, and for exports from Apple apps. DRM-free M4V files can usually be renamed to MP4 and played anywhere. Protected files play only in Apple's TV app or on authorised devices.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- Apple
MP4
MPEG-4 video
MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is a multimedia container standardised by ISO/MPEG and based on Apple's QuickTime format. It usually holds H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, and can also carry subtitles, chapters and metadata. It is the most compatible video format in the world, playing on phones, browsers, TVs, game consoles and social platforms. The video inside is almost always lossy, so repeated re-encoding gradually reduces quality.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2001 · Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
M4V goes to MP4 when a video from Apple's ecosystem has to leave it: an Android phone, a Windows app or an upload form expects .mp4 and refuses the Apple-flavored extension.
DRM-protected M4V files cannot be converted
Movies and episodes bought or rented from Apple are locked with FairPlay DRM. This converter does not decrypt them, and the upload will fail. Only M4V files without protection, such as your own exports and rips, can be converted to MP4.
Rename or convert an M4V to MP4
| Convert here | Rename to .mp4 | Keep the M4V | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works on your own exports and rips | yes | yes | yes |
| Works on FairPlay-protected purchases | no | no | yes |
| Fixes HEVC video or AC-3-only audio | yes | no | no |
| Accepted by forms that list MP4 | yes | Usually | no |
| Keeps chapter markers | no | yes | yes |
Playing the converted M4V on Android and Windows
The MP4 opens in Google Photos, the Android gallery, Windows Media Player, the Windows Photos app and every browser. If the M4V held 4K HEVC from a recent iPhone or Mac export, the converted H.264 file may be larger; choose 1080p under Resolution to keep it manageable.
A clip saved straight from an iPhone is usually a MOV rather than an M4V; MOV to MP4 is the page for those. If an MP4 you already have still refuses to play, MP4 to MP4 re-encodes it in place.
M4V to MP4 questions
Is M4V the same as MP4?
Structurally, yes. Both follow MPEG-4 Part 14, and an unprotected M4V is an MP4 with a different extension. The differences are what Apple tends to put inside: FairPlay DRM on store purchases, AC-3 surround tracks, chapter markers or HEVC video.
Can I just rename .m4v to .mp4?
For an unprotected file whose codecs the target device supports, renaming often works and costs nothing. It fails when the video is HEVC, when the audio is AC-3 only, or when the upload form checks the contents. Converting rewrites the streams so those cases work too.
Why can't I convert a movie I bought on iTunes?
Films and TV episodes from the iTunes Store and the Apple TV app are encrypted with Apple's FairPlay DRM, which ties playback to your Apple account. This converter does not remove copy protection, so those files cannot be converted here; watch them in the Apple TV app instead.
How can I tell whether my M4V has DRM?
Ask where it came from. Anything bought or rented from Apple is protected, and iTunes or the Apple TV app lists such a file's kind as a protected MPEG-4 video. Files you made yourself with HandBrake, iMovie or a screen recorder are never protected.
Why does HandBrake save my videos as M4V?
HandBrake's automatic file extension setting names an MP4 output .m4v when it includes features Apple's apps use, such as chapter markers or AC-3 audio. You can switch it to always use .mp4 in HandBrake's preferences.
Will the chapters in my M4V survive?
Plan on a single continuous video: the converter writes one video track and the main audio track and has no chapter setting. If chapters matter, keep the M4V for Apple's apps and use the MP4 copy for sharing.
