How to Convert Any Video to MP4 on PC/Mac/Online?

With a small video size, high quality, and good compatibility with hardware and software, MP4 is no doubt the most popular video file format nowadays. When you encounter a video playback or upload issue, converting the file to MP4 format can usually work it out. Given this, the following parts will introduce different methods to convert a video file to MP4 on PC, Mac, and online. Keep reading for the detailed tutorials.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is the best solution for converting videos to MP4 or any desired format on your Windows PC. It supports almost all types of video, such as MKV, MOV, MTS, M2TS, TS, MOD, DAT, AVI, 3GP, FLV, F4V, M1V, etc., and converts them to MP4 rapidly with high quality. Meanwhile, it lets you change the output video/audio settings like bitrate, frame rate, resolution, sample rate, volume, etc.

With the software, you can achieve more:
✔ Download online videos to MP4.
✔ Record video files on PC in MP4.
✔ Trim, crop, rotate, flip, merge, and compress large files.
✔ Add subtitles, watermarks, and video effects to your MP4.
✔ Make GIFs and ringtones & more.

Free downloadFree download the powerful video converter now and see how to convert videos to MP4 in 4 simple steps below.

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Run the HD Video Converter Factory Pro installer and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the software installation. Then, launch the software and select Converter on the main interface.

Click + Add Files or Add Video Folder to import the video files you want to convert to MP4. Alternatively, you can just drag and drop the files therein. Batch mode is supported.

Click the format image on the right to open the export profile menu. Go to the Video tab and select MP4 as the output format. Optionally, edit your videos based on your specific needs.

💡 If you want to ensure your video can be played on all devices, it's recommended to choose the H264 profile, which is an optimized video format encapsulated in the MP4 video container and uses AAC audio encoder to ensure universal compatibility across devices.

For converting large files or HD videos, you can choose the H265 preset, which compresses video size more efficiently without compromising quality.

Click the ▼ button at the bottom to specify an output path. Finally, press Run to convert your videos to MP4 at once.

💡 If you see the GPU icon, it means the conversion process can utilize hardware acceleration to significantly boost speed. And depending on the specific hardware, conversion can be up to 50 times faster than without GPU acceleration.

If you see the lightning icon, it means the conversion involves only changing the video container format without re-encoding the video, so the conversion will be completely extremely fast and without losing quality.

If you want to convert online videos to local MP4 files, this software can also help you. Simply follow these steps:

• Go to the website that plays the video you want to download and copy the video link. Most of time, you can find the video link using the share button. Sometimes you can also copy the link at the top of the address bar.
• Open the software and go to the Downloader module
• Click + New Download. Paste the copied link and click Analyze.
• Once the download options appear, select the desired option and click OK to add it to the download list.
  * You can repeat the steps above to add multiple videos for conversion in batches.
• Specify an output path at the bottom.
• Click Download All to begin the process.

iMovie is a video editing app made by Apple for Mac and iOS devices. You can convert an iMovie project (.mov) to MP4 for better compatibility with non-Apple platforms and devices. Here is how to convert video to MP4 in iMovie:

Step 1: Open the iMovie app on your Mac.

Step 2: Click the Import button in the toolbar to open the Import Media window.

Step 3: Select the video you want to convert from the list.

Step 4: Go to File in the top menu and select Share > File.

Step 5: Select the output format as Video and Audio and choose your preferred video quality, resolution, and other settings.

⚠️ Note: Do not select the ProRes quality option, or the file will be saved as a MOV file.

Step 6: Click the Next button, name the file, pick a destination folder, and save the MP4 file.

An online file converting service, which works directly on the website, can help you change the file format to MP4 without an app. Popular options include:
- CloudConvert (https://cloudconvert.com)
- FreeConvert (https://www.freeconvert.com/video-converter)
- Online-Convert (https://video.online-convert.com/convert-to-mp4)
- Convertio (https://convertio.co)

For example, here is how to convert videos to MP4 with CloudConvert:

🔔 Note that these web-based tools often have strict limitations, including file size limits (ranging from 100MB to 1GB) and conversion times (e.g. 10 files per day). If you need to convert large files to MP4 format or process multiple videos, using professional desktop software is a more reliable and efficient option.

Step 1: Visit https://cloudconvert.com.

Step 2: Click the Select File button to add the video you need to convert.

Step 3: Select the output format as MP4.

Step 4: Click the 🔧 "wrench" icon and adjust the output options at will. Then, press Okay to save your changes.

Step 5: Click Convert to initiate the uploading and converting process.

Step 6: Once done, click Download to save the MP4 file to your device.

In this article, you've learned how to convert a video to MP4 with WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro, iMovie, and CloudConvert. Of course, online options make the most convenient solutions, but due to longer processing time, usage limitations, and security concerns, such services are recommended only for casual conversion needs. For a more stable and reliable experience, the desktop software is the better choice.

Yes. You can use a desktop video converter like WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro. It has no size limit, handles videos multiple GB in size, and can reduce them to a few MB using advanced compression methods like H.265 or other compression settings.

To maintain output quality, you should use a highly efficient encoder like HEVC/H265, which can preserve sharper image quality at lower bitrates compared to older codecs such as H264 and MPEG-4. Additionally, if your source HD video uses a codec supported by the MP4 format (such as MPEG-4, H264, H265, or AV1), you can use the Lightning Mode in WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro to convert the video to MP4 without any quality loss.

It's worth noting that MP4 is just a container, even if your media player or device supports MP4, the video will still not play if its internal codecs are unsupported. To ensure your video plays smoothly on almost all platforms, be sure to use H264 video encoding and AAC audio encoding when converting to MP4. See #Step 3.