What is a MOV file? How to open MOV files in Windows 11?

MOV is basically a video file format. To open and view it on Windows PC, you need an application that supports this format. In this guide, we will be talking about the MOV file format in detail and how you can view it on Windows 11/10. So, without much ado, let us check it out.

What is a MOV file?

MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie) is a video format developed by Apple. It is one of the common video formats that stores videos, movies, TV shows, and other video content. This file format uses the multimedia container format developed by Apple known as QuickTime File Format (QTFF). It supports high-quality video. The MOV file format was mainly developed for the QuickTime media player and Mac platform. However, it has become as common as MP4, WMV, and AVI video formats and is now supported on Windows and other platforms as well. It supports multiple media tracks including audio, video, subtitles, images, 3D models, virtual reality panoramas, and timecode data.

Now, to view MOV files on Windows PC, you need an app that supports the file format. Fortunately, the new Media Player app in Windows 11 lets you open and view MOV videos. You can simply open your MOV file and then watch your video using the standard playback features. However, if you want more advanced tools to view a MOV file, you can check out the methods and list of tools we have shared in this post.

How to open a MOV file in Windows 11?

There are multiple ways to open MOV files on Windows PC. To open and view MOV video files on your Windows 11/10 PC, here are the methods you can use:

Open a MOV file in MOV File Player.
Use free media player software to view MOV files.
Try a free online tool to watch MOV files online.

1] Open a MOV file in MOV File Player

MOV File Player is a dedicated free desktop application to open and view a MOV video file. This free software is specially designed to watch MOV videos on your Windows PC. Although you can also view MP4 video files in this software.

You can find all the essential playback features in it. These options include play, pause, increase/decrease volume, fullscreen, loop playback, etc. You can take a snapshot of a video frame in JPG image format. Other than that, it also provides an Add Subtitle File option to import and add a subtitle file (SRT/ ASS) to your MOV video so that you can watch the video with subtitles.

All in all, it is a simple and nice free application to view MOV videos on your PC.

See: Best Free Video Metadata Editor software for Windows

2] Use free media player software to view MOV files

You can use a free media player to open and view MOV files on your Windows 11 PC. Here are some best free software that support MOV file format:

GOM Player
5K Player
VLC media player
KMPlayer
PotPlayer

Let us discuss some nice features of the MOV video player software listed above.

1] GOM Player

GOM Player is a popular media player for Windows that also lets you watch MOV videos. Apart from MOV, it can play videos and audio in formats like MP4, AVI, MKV, FLV, WMV, MP3, etc. You can also watch 360-degree videos in it. It even lets you play videos directly from YouTube or another web service.

It is an advanced MOV video player, with many handy playback and other tools. You can control the playback speed of your video, rotate or flip the video, use advanced filters, modify aspect ratio and window size, pan and scan the video, apply audio filters, etc. You can also add subtitles to your MOV videos.

It is one of the best media players that lets you open and play MOV videos.

2] 5K Player

You can also try 5K Player to play MOV videos. It is also a media player application for Windows that lets you watch videos in a variety of formats including MOV. Other supported video formats in it include 3GP, ASF, AVI, MP4, MKV, MTS, OGM, WEBM, etc. Plus, you can also listen to audio files like MP3, AC3, OGG, PCM, FLAC, WAV, etc. It can even play 360-degree videos on your PC. Also, HD video quality including 4K, 5K, and 1080p resolutions are supported by this MOV video player.

While playing MOV videos, you can change the contrast, brightness, saturation, and gamma of the video. Some nice features provided in it include built-in AirPlay receiver/sender, add subtitles, live streaming, create media playlists, etc.

Read: How to speed up a video and make it faster in Windows?

3] VLC media player

VLC media player requires no introduction. It is one of the most used media players on Windows and other platforms. Using it, you can open and play MOV files on your PC. It can play video files of almost all video formats. Plus, you can even open videos using their URLs.

You can use the basic playback control to enjoy the MOV video as you want. It also lets you change the aspect ratio of the video, crop it, zoom into the video, add subtitles to your videos, take a snapshot of the current video frame, etc. You can even customize the speed of the video and make it faster or slower than normal. Tools like Media Information, Effects and Filters, Codec Information, and more are also provided in it.

If you use VLC Media Player, you can simply open and play a MOV file.

4] KMPlayer

KMPlayer is one of the best free 4K players for Windows that lets you view MOV files. Using it, you can play a wide number of video files. It supports 4K, UHD, and 8K videos up to 60fps. It includes all the essential video playback features. Along with that, it comes with some advanced functions as well. These functions are enabling VR mode, hardware acceleration, keeping the media player on top, exporting images from video, built-in video codecs (HEVC, h.264, VP9), and more.

It also comes with a feature to generate a thumbnail image of all the video frames. Plus, it also lets you record screen as a GIF. It is one of the best MOV and media players that you can download from here.

5] PotPlayer

PotPlayer can be another alternative to watching MOV videos on your PC. You can watch videos in almost any format using this media player. It comes with a built-in browser, which you can use to browse and select the MOV file you want to play.

It comes with basic as well as advanced playback functions. You can adjust playback speed, aspect ratio, frame size, and more. It also lets you apply various video and audio effects and filters to change the look and feel of the video. It also supports subtitles. So, you can watch MOV videos with existing or new subtitles. You can also create a playlist of your favorite videos in it.

Read: Best free WebM to MP4 converter software for Windows 11/10.

3] Try a free online tool to watch MOV files online

You can also try a free online tool to play MOV files online in a web browser. This free web service called FileProInfo allows you to view MOV videos online. You don’t need to download any software to view MOV videos. Just open its website in a web browser and then select the source MOV file that you want to play. After that, verify the reCAPTCHA and click on the Open MOV File button. You can now view the MOV video with playback functions like playback speed, picture-in-picture mode, fullscreen, etc.

How do I convert MOV files to Windows Media Player?

To convert MOV files to WMV format, you can use a free video converter application. You can try this free, open-source, and command-based software called FFmpeg. It lets you convert MOV to WMV and other video formats using commands. You can also use a GUI-based video converter like HandBrake. There are some free online video converter tools that you can use for the same.

Can I convert MOV to MP4?

Yes, you can convert MOV to MP4 without any hassle. You can do this using tools like HD Free Converter Factory, Any Video Converter, and Online Video Converter.

Can I open .MOV files on Windows?

Yes, you can open MOV files on Windows PC. Windows natively supports the MOV file format. So, you can use its built-in Media Player app (formerly known as Groove Music) to play your MOV videos. Besides that, there are multiple advanced third-party media players that you can use to view MOV files on Windows. For example, you can use MOV File Player, VLC Media Player, GOM Player, KMPlayer, and more.

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