MOV
Also known as: QuickTime, .mov, mov file, QuickTime Movie
MOV is Apple’s QuickTime video container, the default format iPhones and Macs record in. Like MP4 it wraps video and audio streams rather than defining quality, and on Apple devices it typically holds HEVC or H.264 video.
- Apple’s QuickTime container; default iPhone recording format
- Closely related to MP4 and often holds the same codecs
- Size comes from resolution and bitrate, not the container
MOV vs MP4
MOV and MP4 are close cousins — both are containers built on the same QuickTime file structure, and both usually carry H.264 or HEVC video inside. The main difference is origin: MOV is Apple’s native format, while MP4 is the cross-platform standard.
On an iPhone, every video you capture is saved as a .mov file. When you AirDrop or share to another Apple device it stays MOV; when you send it elsewhere, iOS often converts it to .mp4 for compatibility.
Why MOV files get large
High-resolution capture is the reason. A few minutes of 4K video at 60 fps, or a long slow-motion clip, can run to several gigabytes regardless of the container. The format does not bloat the file — the resolution, frame rate, and bitrate do.
To reclaim space, the safest wins are removing clips already backed up to iCloud or another service, and compressing the ones you want to keep on the device.