How to Repair MOV File on Windows and Mac?

MOV video file format developed by Apple INC is a quite popular platform, especially for Mac users. It stores data very efficiently and allows for easy editing of the files.

It becomes a bit of a hassle for some users, however as MOV files have been specifically developed on QuickTime Media Player and very few players support this type of file format.

Also, MOV files, like all files, can get corrupted and become practically useless but like all files, they can easily be repaired. This, my good friend, is essentially what this article is all about. Please! Take a seat!

Part 1: The Reasons that Cuase MOV Files Corrupted

MOV files can get corrupted and MOV files become unplayable due to a host of factors. Some of the possible issues that can cause video files to become corrupted have been detailed below:

1. Improper systems shutdown

If the intended shutdown process is not followed sequentially, the structures of MOV video files can get damaged causing the files to operate abnormally.

2. Incompatible video players

Applications that cannot play MOV video files can damage or overwrite the file headers if they are used to play the files. This can make the file data corrupt and inaccessible. (Fix the error of "Cannot play the file")

3. Improper conversion

Not all applications can efficiently convert MOV files to more common formats and as such, multiple problems can easily develop during such conversions.

The files can easily become corrupted if the application used for such conversions are ineffectual or if the conversion was interrupted.

4. Disrupted transfer

If the process of file transfer between two or more mediums is abruptly or prematurely terminated, files can easily get corrupted.

5. Compression issues

When videos are compressed to reduce the size, they can easily become corrupted especially if the right application is not used or the process is not followed to a logical conclusion.

6. Bad sectors on storage media

The storage medium of a video can affect the viability of a video if the medium has problems of its own. Issues such as bad sectors on hard drives or hard drives with physical damage can all cause a video to become corrupted.

7. Virus attacks

Virus attacks, whether specifically targeting files or general in nature can all tamper with the internal structure of a video file thereby corrupting it.

Part 2: 5 Proven Ways to Repair Corrupt MOV Files

If a MOV file becomes corrupted, the situation can still be salvaged using the appropriate tools of the trade. Tools that you are going to be shown how to use to repair corrupted MOV files.

Solution 1. Use A Professional Video Repair Software

If you looking for a way to repair your damaged videos quickly and efficiently, a professional video repair software like Wondershare Repairit may be just what you need. With the help of Repairit's advanced technology, you can easily restore your corrupted videos to their original condition in no time at all.

Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair is an advanced video repair tool that allows for the repair of videos due to errors such as change in video format file, read and write errors, playing video errors like "video not playing" or "error loading media file" issues amongst others.

Repairit can easily rectify flickering in videos, choppy videos, video play back interruptions all with a mere click of a button.

This highly efficient tool supports 16 video formats such as MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, etc. This wide range of formats means that it almost a certainty that Repairit would be able to handle whatever you throw at it.

See more advantages of Wondershare Repairit:

Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair

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1,010,994 people have downloaded it.

• 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, mobile phones, cameras, USB flash drives, etc.

• Repairit has a quick and advanced scanning 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.

• Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022, and macOS 10.10~macOS 14.

Follow the steps below to use Repairit in simple repair mode.

1. Open Repairit and drag and drop the video you want to repair into the cuboid area.

2. Click on the 'Repair' tab and wait for the repair to be completed.

3. In the new window that opens after the repair is completed, you can preview the MOV video files.

Advance repair mode:

This mode is more suited to video files that are severely corrupted. Advance Repair accordingly allows you to repair it by adding a Sample File to it. A Sample File is a working file created from the same device and of the same format as the corrupted file.

Repairit consequently uses the information from the working sample files and repairs the corrupted files. Follow the steps below to repair your video in this mode:

1. Add some sample videos shot by the same device.

2. After selecting the sample video, click the save tab. Once the repair is completed, a new window would open indicating a successful repair. Finally, you can also preview and save the repaired video.

Solution 2: Repair Corrupted MOV Videos Online for Free

If you do not want to download software on your computer and your corrupted video is no more than 3GB, you can try the online version of Repairit Video Repair to get your video repaired online with ease. All you have to do is to open the tool on the browser, upload the concerning video, and then get your work done. The tool offers services for 10 popular formats, including MOV, it supports the MOV file format. Further details about the Wondershare Repairit Online tool are explained in the rest of the article.

The Wondershare Repairit Online Tool has many perks according to its ease. The most prominent of these are as follows.

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 various 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.

Steps to proceed with this software tool are very easy. So, let's go through all the steps to be followed to repair mov file online.

Step 1: Uploading the video

To upload your video, open the software's interface online. Locate and click on the Add (+) option. You will get a chance to browse. Locate and add the corrupted video. After completing the process, click on upload the video.

Step 2: Repairing process

Once you are done with the uploading process, the repairing process will be started by itself.

Step 3: Saving

Once the process is completed, preview and save the video.

Solution 3. Using QuickTime player

While QuickTime player has a lot of features such as editing, trimming, looping, saving, and reverting of video files, it does not possess the advanced features needed to repair severely damaged files.

While it does not have any advanced features for repairing severely damaged video, a feature does exist to check and display MOV file attributes, which can be helpful in further attempts to repair MOV. Here's how to access this feature:

Step 1: Download and Open QuickTime player on your computer, upload your damaged MOV file in QuickTime, if the video file is corrupted, it will show a black screen error.

Step 2: Click the "Window" option and choose "Show Movie Inspector".

Step 3: The Inspector will display the detailed information of your MOV file, then find the exact error code message of the bad MOV and search it online for further MOV repair.

Nevertheless, QuickTime player can repair marginally damaged videos automatically but if the file is severally damaged, there is very little that QuickTime player can do about it; You may have to examine other methods to repair your file.

Solution 4. Using VLC player

VLC Media Player can be used to repair corrupt MOV files either by using the conversion method or the change of file extension method.

Both methods have been detailed below for you:

Solution 4-1: Repair corrupt MOV files by conversion

To install the required codec, do the following

1. Launch VLC player on your Windows or Mac and go to the Media menu, then select Convert/Save.

2. Add the corrupted or damaged MOV files to the VLC Player and then click on the Convert/Save.

3. Select the destination folder, give the desired file name, select the desired video profile, and click on the start button to repair the MOV file on Windows/Mac.

Solution 4-2: Repair corrupt/damaged MOV files by changing the file extension

Rename the extension of the damaged or corrupted MOV files from .MOV to.

Run VLC player and select "Preferences".

Click on "Input/Codecs" in "Preferences", and select "Always Fix" next to "Repair AVI Files".

Finally, Click on "Save" in the lowermost section of the Preferences.

Solution 5. Convert MOV to MP4

VLC Media Player can not only play videos; it can also convert videos to various formats including the conversion of MOV files to MP4 format. Follow the instructions below on how to convert MOV. Files to Mp4 format.

1. Open the VLC and click the Media tab on the menu bar and then select Convert/Save from the drop-down list.

2. Click the Add button on the right side to locate your files and add them accordingly.

3. Click on the Convert/save tab at the bottom to proceed. (it will open a window where you can choose the destination and output format for the converted video)

4. Click the Browse tab and then select a location, give a name and click on Save then select the"Video - MP3 (.mp4)" option from the "Profile" drop-down list.

5. Finally, select the Start tab at the bottom to begin the MOV to the MP4 conversion process, and voila! you are done.

Part 3: Bonus Tips on MOV Video Files

MOV is a video format file developed by Apple INC and it was envisioned to support its QuickTime movie player.

It is unique among other file formats as it uses a specialized process of storing data as tracks. A track, in this case, stores a particular type of data that is stored in a multimedia container file.

There are several such tracks present in the container with each track holding a particular type of data such as text, audio, or video.

The use of a distinct design gives MOV files an edge over other types of file formats due to its ease of editing and extensive ability to weave with other media.

1. What plays a MOV file on Mac and Windows

You can play MOV files using the following players:

- QuickTime player

Windows users can also use Mac’s default player, Quicktime, to play videos.

As of 2016, however, Apple INC no longer supports Quicktime Player for Windows.

This means that you would only be able to run an older version of QuickTime on Windows and you cannot receive official security updates from Apple INC.

- Windows media player (WMP)

You can play MOV. Files on Windows by using the newest version of Windows Media Player (Version 12). Windows Media Player is pre-installed on your Windows PC.

- VLC media player

The VLC media player is a superb player that can play MOV Files and is supported by both Windows and Macs. In addition to MOV. Files, also support an extraordinarily wide range of video formats including formats like M4V, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MTS, VOB, AVCHD, M2TS, and MP3.

2. How to open MOV file on Mac and Windows

If you want to open a MOV file without converting it first, you should use a compatible media player.

Default media players of Apple devices and Windows 10 computers can play MOV files without any additional plugins.

You can also open MOV files on a computer by using Google Drive by backing up the videos to the online storage platform. This allows you to stream the MOV file from any browser on a computer.

3. How to crop and cut MOV files

You can use Quicktime Player to crop and cut MOV files on any video that can be opened with Quicktime Player.

Follow the instructions below to use the application for that purpose:

Step 1. Open the QuickTime Application, then click the File tab and then from the drop-down list, click Open File.

Step 2. Open the video you want to edit. Click Edit and then from the drop-down list, click Trim; this would show the video in editing mode.

Step 3. Alter the beginning and end handles to segregate the part of the recording you want to save. Click and drag the handle to the desired position.

Step 4. Click Trim to cut out the portions of the video that are outside of the handles and return the display to the trimmed video in the QuickTime player.

Then, you can preview your video screen recording using the playback controls. Simply Save/export your trimmed video.

Here tells you what MOV files were all about, why they get corrupted, and how to repair them.

You can be the judge and jury and I believe you would reach the same conclusion as I did... Repairing MOV files is not such a big deal!