(4 Ways) How to Convert MOV to HEVC/H.265?

As you know, MOV is a commonly-used video container format that always encapsulates video encoded by a variety of video codecs. Apart from the well-known H.264 and H.265, MOV can also contains some unusual video compression formats like Cinepak, M-JPEG, Apple ProRes, CineForm, etc., which will often get you into the dilemma that MOV won't play normally.

To consider a trade-off between video quality, file size and playback compatibility, it's a good option to convert MOV to HEVC, as more and more devices support HEVC decoding nowadays. Therefore, I've compiled this article and sorted out 4 handy MOV to HEVC converters, helping you convert a bunch of MOV files to H.265 with ease. Just read on!

If you're tired of intricate FFmpeg scripts and command-line interface, WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro will definitely bail you out of the trouble because of its self-explanatory layout and intuitive GUI.

As a novice-oriented video processor already equipped with 500+ presets, converting MOV files to HEVC has never been much easier. The support of batch processing and hardware acceleration makes the HEVC encoding more efficient.

In addition to playing MOV files, VLC media player, the most universal media player, also functions as a handy VLC video converter. If you still have no idea how to do that, let's see how it works to convert your MOV files to H.265.

Step 1. Run VLC media player on your computer, click "Media" button on the top navigation bar and choose "Convert / Save" option in the drop-down menu.

Step 2. On the pop-up "Open Media" window, click "+ Add" button under "File" tab to import one or multiple MOV files, then press "Convert / Save" button to proceed.

Step 3. Select "Video - H.265 + MP3 (MP4)" option in the drop-down list of "Profile" section.

Step 4. Click "Browse" button to choose a destination folder. If you've added multiple MOV files for VLC batch conversion, you're not allowed to specify the destination folder. The output H.265 videos will be saved on the same location of your original MOV files.

Step 5. Press "Start" button to make VLC convert MOV to H.265 MP4.

Speaking of video conversion, HandBrake has to be mentioned on the list, enabling you to convert MOV files to HEVC with simple steps although it's a bit advanced for those who have little knowledge about video processing. Go ahead and follow the instructions.

Step 1. Run HandBrake, you'll be guided to add a single MOV video or a folder with loads of MOV files for HandBrake batch conversion.

Step 2. After the files are loaded, click on "Presets" menu on the top to expand the HandBrake built-in presets and choose any option. You're recommended to go to "Hardware" category and select a preset if your computer supports hardware-accelerated HEVC encoding.

Step 3. Select "MP4" or "MKV" format under "Summary" tab. Then switch to "Video" tab to choose "H.265" option in "Video Encoder" section. You can also switch to other tabs to make your desired changes.

Step 4. Click "Browse" button to choose a destination folder.

Step 5. Press "Start Encode" button on the top bar to start HandBrake MOV to H.265 encoding process.

If you don't want to install any application on your computer, you can also choose some online video converters to convert MOV files to HEVC for a temporary need. But they're only recommended for a handful of small MOV files, because all of the online services have a limit on upload file size. I've listed 3 websites below for your reference. Since all of them share the same operations steps, I'll take Convertio as an example for illustration.

https://convertio.co/mov-hevc/
https://www.freefileconvert.com/mov-hevc
https://anyconv.com/mov-to-hevc-converter/

Step 1. Open Convertio through your browser: https://convertio.co/mov-hevc/

Step 2. Upload your MOV files from local drive, cloud drive or URL. For free users, you're limited to upload MOV file within 100MB.

Step 3. By default, it will convert your MOV file to HEVC MP4. To keep the original format, just choose "MOV" in the drop-down list. Then press the "Gear" button to open "Settings" window, and choose "H.265 (HEVC)" option in "Codec" section.

Optional. Modify video and audio settings at will.

Step 4. Hit "Convert" button to start to convert MOV files to H.265 online.

Step 5. When the conversion is complete, download the converted HEVC/H.265 files to your computer.

Q1: Can I convert MOV to HEVC/H.265 on a Mac?

A: Yes, both HandBrake and VLC are available for Mac. Additionally, online converters can be used on any platform.

Q2: How long does it take to convert MOV to HEVC?

A: Conversion time depends on various factors, including your computer's processing power, the file size, and your chosen settings. HEVC encoding is generally more time-consuming than other codecs due to its complexity. It will speed up the conversion if your computer support HEVC hardware-accelerated encoding.

Q3: Will converting MOV to HEVC/H.265 result in quality loss?

A: While some quality loss is inevitable in any conversion process, HEVC is designed to maintain high quality even at lower bitrates. With proper settings, the quality difference should be minimal or imperceptible.

That's all I want share with you how to convert MOV files to HEVC/H.265 effortlessly, and you can choose any solution as you wish. Hopefully, this post is of some help to you guys. Thanks for reading!