8 Solutions to Fix "MOV Files Not Playing" Error

You have downloaded the most popular movie to watch along with your family and friends. You launch a video player, and suddenly you realize that the MOV file won't play! You might have even tried playing the video, but still, you can't play the MOV file. No matter how much you try, you can't seem to figure out the real issue. And this, in the end, ruins your whole family time. Don't worry about that anymore, because we will show you the proven methods to fix the "MOV file not playing" error to help you play your important MOV files again.

Part 1. Reasons Behind the "MOV File Not Playing" Issue

What you need to know is that MOV files have complicated internal architecture. This is the main reason why they are so susceptible to damage. Here are some of the reasons why MOV files won't play.

Reason 1: There could be a missing video component because of which you can't play it on QuickTime. In case the MOV file has a missing EOF or broken header, the file won't play.

Reason 2: Another common issue is a frozen frame. This occurs when the file gets interrupted during the downloading process.

Reason 3: Sometimes, the video-watching experience can be disturbed because of audio as well, such as distorted and crackling sounds.

Reason 4: The file may contain a codec that is not supported by the media player being used.

Reason 5: There could be a virus or malware infection.

Part 2. 7 Workable Methods to Repair "MOV File Not Playing" on Windows/Mac

Solution 1: Fix incompatible MOV codec error

Technically, a video file consists of a codec and a container. The container is the file format that contains the metadata of the file, while the codec is necessary to encode or decode the video data.

If the codecs installed on your system are missing or incompatible, your MOV files will not play. Therefore, to fix the codec issue, you can download the necessary codec packages from authorized websites and install them on your system, such as K-Lite for Windows and Perian for Mac.

Solution 2: Convert MOV format to another one

the unsupported video file format can also lead to the "MOV files not playing" issue, so if you don't want to install a new codec or codec pack, converting the video format to another one is a good choice.

You can convert MOV to MP4, MKV, AVI, or any other video format that is compatible with your Windows player. Wondershare UniConverter is such a perfect tool for you! With this powerful video converter, you can quickly and easily change the format of your video files without compromising quality.

Solution 3: Fix corrupt videos with a professional video repair software

Wondershare Repairit Video Repair for desktop is a professional video repair software that can fix almost all video corruption issues with a very high success rate, including "MOV file not showing video", "mov file cannot be opened", etc. Different from the online version of Repairit, the desktop version supports richer video formats, larger size videos, which can better meet the diverse restoration needs of different users. Besides, the "Advanced Repair" mode will help users repair severely damaged videos with Repairit's patent technology and restore such videos to perfect quality. The following are the main features of Repairit Video Repairit:

Wondershare Repairit

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• Support to repair damaged videos with all levels of corruption, such as video not playing, video no sound, out-of-sync video or audio, sluggish video display, flickering video, missing video codec, etc.

• Support to repair videos of 15+ diverse formats, including MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MXF, KLV, INSV, M4V, WMV, MPEG, ASF, etc.

• Repair damaged or corrupted videos caused by video compression, system crash, video format change, etc.

• Repair critically damaged or corrupted videos available on SD cards, phones, cameras, USB flash drives, etc.

• Repairit has a quick and advanced repair mode. You can use either depending upon the level of corruption the video file has undergone.

• No limit to the number and size of the repairable videos.

• Compatible with Windows PC, Mac OS, and supports PC to mobile transferring/sharing.

Step 1: After you have downloaded Wondershare Repairit Video Repair software on your Windows computer, launch it by double-clicking on the icon.

Step 2: Click on the add option to start adding the files that are corrupted. You will see the Add option right under the Add video and start repairing the heading.

Step 3: Once the video/videos get uploaded, your job will be to click on the repair option. Clicking on that will start the repairing process. Once completed, you will see the prompt message. Click on OK, and your repaired files will be saved.

Step 4: Click on the preview option to check out the repaired file and see if it is running smoothly now. We recommend previewing the file before saving.

This video can help you fix your corrupted video files with a step-by-step guide.

If you are happy with the repair, click on the save option and save the file on your computer. Ensure to save them in a different folder. If you wish, you can create a new folder too.

However, if this also doesn't solve the problem, click on the "Advanced Repair" option, it will be beside the preview option. Follow the instructions on the tool. The tool will show you the option after analyzing the file. Click on repair to begin the advanced video repair process. Once done, click on the Save option to save the file.

Solution 4: Try using VLC to repair the MOV file

This second solution about "MOV file cannot be opened on Windows" is to use VLC. If you have VLC and trying to play the MOV file on VLC, you can try this solution. For those who use VLC to play their MOV files and come across a corrupt file, you can relax now. VLC allows you to repair the file without any hassle. Go through the steps below, and find out how you can fix the corrupt MOV file using VLC.

Step 1: For those who don't have a VLC media player, download the tool on your system. And if you already have VLC, simply go to the media option. Once there, click on Convert or Save.

Step 2: Now click on the add option to start adding the corrupt MOV file. After that click on the Convert/Save option.

Step 3: Go to setting, and from there choose the right codecs. From the drop-down menu, select MP4 or your preferred codec. Now, rename the destination.

Step 4: To save the file, click on the start option.

Step 5: Select the Preference option from the top menu.

Step 6: In the damaged or incomplete AVI file section, you need to choose the Always Fix option. After that, click on the save option.

Step 7: Once everything is done, try playing the file, and it should work properly.

In case you still can't play the MOV file, try other recommended solutions.

Solution 5: Try increasing cache values in VLC player

This solution is not for completely corrupt MOV files. If the video you are trying to play lag, stutter in between or playing jerky, you can try using this solution. Follow the step-by-step guide and increase cache values in VLC player easily.

Step 1: Launch the VLC player on your computer.

Step 2: Now go to the Tools option, after that click preferences.

Step 3: At the bottom, you will see two options, simple and all, you need to select all.

Step 4: Now, click on the Input/Codecs option. You will find it from the list.

Step 5: Move the cursor to the right panel and from there select the advanced option.

Step 6: Here in the advanced option, you will see File caching (ms) option. You have to change the value from 300 to 1000 or over.

Step 7: Once done, click on the save option. Now restart VLC.

After trying this solution, you should be able to play MOV files without any hassle.

Solution 6: Fix corrupted MOV file using QuickTime

This solution is suitable for both Mac and Windows. There are still many people who like playing MOV files on QuickTime player. Just like VLC, if you use QuickTime player to play your MOV files, you can use the same tool to fix the corrupt file as well.

Go through the steps, and learn how to do it.

Step 1: First, you need to launch the QuickTime player on your computer. After that, import the MOV file that is corrupt.

Step 2: Look at the top menu bar, and from there, select the Windows tab, and choose Show Movie Inspector. Once you do, you will get to see all the details about the video, such as size, data rate, duration, pixel information, movie format, movie FPS, etc.

Step 3: In case, the file is corrupted, you will see a black screen error message. It will have all the details.

Solution 7: Try changing the file extension of the MOV file

Sometimes, just changing the file extension of the MOV file can help you fix the "MOV file not playing on Windows" issue. Follow the step-by-step instructions to fix this issue.

Step 1: First, you will have to create a copy of the MOV file that is not working. Once done, change the file extension to .avi from .mov.

Step 2: Launch VLC player. Now go to tools. After that select preferences.

Step 3: On the top, you will see a few options, select input/codecs. After that, click on the save option.

Step 4: In the damaged or incomplete AVI file, you will see a few options, click on always fix. And this should solve the problem.

Part 3. Fix "MOV File Not Playing" Online (for Corrupted MOV Video File)

It’s incredibly frustrating when you come across the error "MOV file not showing video" while trying to play MOV file online, it most probably means that you are dealing with a corrupted MOV file. If you are trying to play a video online and the MOV file won't play, you can try the online video repair service that we have here for you.

Try to Repair Corrupt MOV Files Online

It's quite convenient to repair MOV videos online because you don't need to download software. Wondershare Repairit Online Video Repair is a free online video repair tool to help you fix corrupted MOV files. Developed by a professional team of experienced engineers, this powerful online tool can quickly and easily repair any corrupted MOV file online in just a few clicks. All you have to do is to upload the corrupted MOV videos to the website. Then wait for seconds, you will get the repaired MOV video as good as new.

Wondershare Repairit Online

• Repair damaged videos with all levels of corruption, such as video not playing, video no sound, out-of-sync video or audio, playback errors, header corruption, flickering video, missing video codec, etc.

• It supports customers repair 150 videos per month and supports each video of 3GB online.

• Repair critically damaged or corrupted videos available on SD cards, phones, cameras, USB flash drives, and more.

• The online version supports 10 video formats: MOV/MP4/M2TS/MKV/MTS/3GP/AVI/FLV/MXF/M4V.

• Security enough: videos are transferred via a 2048-bit encrypted connection and deleted after 3 hours.

• It fixes videos online without damaging the original quality or integrity.

Step 1: Add your damaged MOV files online by clicking the “+Add” button.

Step 2: Click the “Repair” button to start the video repairing process.

Step 3: Preview and save the repaired videos.

Closing Word

Repairing corrupt MOV files shouldn't be difficult at all if you know about the solutions correctly. If you can't play MOV file, then follow the solutions that we have shared with you. If none of the solutions work, you should try Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair software. This is an easy-to-use-tool and highly recommended by many users. Just upload your files and the tool will take care of the rest. We hope you have understood some of the easy ways to fix corrupt MOV files.