MOV

Technology & Computing abbreviation · File Format

MOV
Stands forQuickTime Movie
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

MOV stands for QuickTime Movie, a file format abbreviation.

Apple's QuickTime video container format, used by iPhones, Macs and professional cameras and editing software, often holding H.264, HEVC or Apple ProRes video. Files end in .mov.

Example: The iPhone recorded the clip as a MOV, but the website only accepts MP4 uploads.

Usage notes

QuickTime launched in 1991, and its file format became the basis of the MP4 standard, so converting between them is usually quick and lossless. ProRes footage for professional editing is normally stored in MOV files. Apple stopped updating QuickTime for Windows in 2016, after which US security officials advised uninstalling it.

More file format abbreviations

  • M4A – MPEG-4 Audio file
  • M4V – MPEG-4 Video file (Apple)
  • MD – Markdown
  • MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface
  • MKV – Matroska Video
  • MOBI – Mobipocket e-book
  • MP3 – MPEG-1 Audio Layer III
  • MP4 – MPEG-4 Part 14
  • MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group
  • MSI – Microsoft Installer package
  • MSIX – MSIX app package
  • NEF – Nikon Electronic Format

See all 125 file format abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.