6 Tools for Compressing MOV File Size: Free and Easy to Use

MOV is a popular video format developed by Apple that stores both video and audio data and can also be referred to as the QuickTime video format. Users most often encounter it on Mac devices, although Windows operating systems are currently compatible with it. The MOV format gives us high video quality, but storing too many MOV videos can put a lot of pressure on our storage space. When we want to transfer video to video, we realize that many chat apps and social networking sites have attachment size limitations, which can lead to sending failure. So ,before we start, we need to compress MOV to the desired size. The choice of tool is critical in this process. A good compressor can effectively reduce the file size without losing any quality. In the next section, we'll pick out six suitable video compression tools, including three desktop programs and three online sites. Read on and see who's best for you. Each tool is paired with a step-by-step guide on how to use it.

Part 1. How to Compress MOV on Win/Mac

FVC Video Converter Ultimate

Let's start with the best and easiest way to compress a .mov, FVC Free Video Compressor, a platform that supports uploading more than 1,000 formats, including, of course, MOV, and where we can easily find Video Compressor in the toolbox. One of the things we like about this platform is that it allows you to customize the size of the compressed files, so we can easily make sure that the compressed files meet the size limitations of a particular platform. It also allows you to adjust the bitrate, resolution and duration of the videos. If you are not satisfied with the length or color of an existing video, you can also go to the main interface of this software and edit it as you like.

Here is how to compress a MOV file with FVC Video Converter Ultimate.

Step 1: Download and install FVC Video Converter Ultimate on your personal computer. After launching the software and entering the main interface, choose the Toolbox tab. Find the Video Compressor among all the options. You can also navigate it with the search bar.

Step 2: Open Video Compressor and click the add icon in the center of the screen. Then, you can upload your prepared MOV file.

Step 3: Set your target file size under the Size option. Here are also more options for you to adjust the video quality. Finally, click Compress.

FVC Video Converter Ultimate is very simple to use, and all MOV file size-decreasing steps are solved in three steps. It is so helpful to be able to accurately set the size of the output file, and the system also calculates the percentage of our compressed files. However, this platform offers only five free opportunities. After the free trial ends, we will have to subscribe to continue processing files.

Handbrake

If you're looking for a completely free desktop MOV compression tool, try Handbrake. It is an open-source tool for editing, compressing, and converting videos that can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Here is how to compress MOV files free with Handbrake.

Step 1: Download and install Handbrake from its official website. After launching it, click File > Open > Open Source and select the MOV video you want to compress.

Step 2: Handbrake will set the output format to MP4 by default. Then go to Dimension and change the Storage Size.

Step 3: Go to the Video tab and set the Video Encoder to H.264. Finally, click Start to launch the compression.

Handbrake is entirely free for reducing .mov file size, which is a pleasant surprise. It also has many compression customization options. However, Handbrake's interface is cumbersome, and some of the function buttons are not very obvious. If we are not experienced in using it, we will have to resort to tutorials. Also, this platform only supports uploading videos locally and not importing online videos.

VLC Media Player

Besides Handbrake, there is also a free and open-source MOV compression tool, VLC Media Player, which we usually use to play videos and audio in many formats or convert file formats. However, we can also find an MOV video compressor on its interface. In the next part, we will show how to reduce video file size by changing video encoding elements.

Here is how to compress MOV files with VLC Media Player.

Step 1: Prepare your computer for VLC Media Player. Open it and click Media > Convert/Save.

Step 2: The File menu will appear. Click +Add to upload your MOV video. Then click Convert/Save again.

Step 3: In the Convert panel, click the wrench icon and navigate to the Profile option. Go to the Profile Edition section and choose Video codec.

Step 4: Decrease the video bitrate, frame rate and quality. After completing the above settings, your video will be significantly reduced in size.

Step 5: Choose a storage path and click Start.

VLC Media Player has the same problem as Handbrake. The buttons for its compressed video are not easy to find, and there are many steps to operate them. It doesn't have an option to do the task with one click; we can only compress a .mov file indirectly by adjusting the video parameters manually.

Part 2. How to Compress A MOV File Online

After reading the above steps, you will notice that we must perform the installation and download operations before using the desktop side compressor. This step will not only consume too much time, but the installation package we get will also take up a lot of memory. To get around both of these drawbacks, we recommend trying a couple of online MOV compressors.

FVC Free Video Compressor

The first online compressor we recommend is the FVC Free Video Compressor. It can easily compress a 1GB video to 10MB for free and will work at 30X faster efficiency. The platform can also batch-compress multiple MOV videos and guarantees that no watermarks will be attached to the video frames. There are no ads, viruses or malware on FVC Free Video Compressor's website, so we can be 100% sure.

Here is how to compress MOV files on Mac or Windows with FVC Free Video Compressor.

Step 1: Open FVC Free Video Compressor online, and click Add Files to Compress to upload your MOV file. You may be asked to install a launcher.

Step 2: Set a target file size under Size. You can also change the resolution and bitrate.

You can even convert MOV to MP4 on this platform. Just choose Format > MP4.

Step 3: Finally, click Compress.

This compressor is perfect, but first-time users may need to download the desktop version of the plugin to use it properly.

VEED.IO

The second online MOV compressor you can try is VEED.IO. Its pages have a more modern style, and the distribution of buttons in the working interface is more in line with the template of a standard video editor.

Here is how to compress MOV with VEED.IO.

Step 1: Launch VEED.IO Online MOV Compressor. Click Upload a File to add your video.

Step 2: Set the output quality and resolution. Then click Compress Video.

The steps for compressing video with VEED.IO are just too easy. However, the network environment can easily affect the page loading of this platform, and sometimes, uploading videos is laggy.

XConvert

The last tool we recommend is the XConvert online MOV compressor. It also allows users to reduce video size by changing bitrate and resolution.

The platform allows users to select files from the local area and add videos to be compressed from the cloud.

Here is how to use the XConvert online MOV compressor.

Step 1: Open XConvert online MOV compressor website with your browser.

Step 2: Click Add video files and choose your original video. Select the compression mode between By Percentage, Using Variable Bitrate, and Using Constant Bitrate.

Step 3: After finishing the compression settings, click Compress.

Part 3. FAQs of Compressing MOV

Part 4. Conclusion

This article details how to compress MOV. Three desktop-side compressors and three online sites are recommended. Use the step-by-step guide to decide which one to use based on your preferences. Comparing all the performances, we always think FVC Video Converter Ultimate is the most cost-effective choice.