MOV vs WMV
How do MOV and WMVcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.mov
Full guide →QuickTime Movie
MOV is Apple's video format, native to macOS and iOS. iPhones record video in MOV format by default. It supports high quality and professional features but works best within the Apple ecosystem.
.wmv
Full guide →Windows Media Video
WMV is Microsoft's proprietary video format. It was popular on Windows platforms in the 2000s but has largely been replaced by MP4. WMV files are still encountered in corporate and legacy environments.
| Specification | MOV | WMV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | QuickTime Movie | Windows Media Video |
| Extension | .mov | .wmv |
| MIME type | video/quicktime | video/x-ms-wmv |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Apple | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 1991 | 1999 |
MOV advantages
- High quality video support
- Native Apple ecosystem format
- Professional-grade features
- Supports ProRes codec
MOV limitations
- Large file sizes
- Less compatible outside Apple
- Requires QuickTime on Windows
- Not ideal for web streaming
WMV advantages
- Native Windows support
- Good compression for its era
- DRM support
- Windows Media Player integration
WMV limitations
- Limited cross-platform support
- Proprietary format
- Declining popularity
- Inferior to modern codecs
Which should you use?
MOV and WMV target different use cases. MOV is ideal for iphone and ipad video recording, while WMV works best for legacy windows video libraries.
Best uses for MOV
Best uses for WMV
Convert between MOV and WMV
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.