MOV Repair: Top 6 Ways to Repair Corrupted MOV Files

3 Quick Fixes for Corrupted MOV Files

According to the causes that make your MOV files unplayable, here are some quick fixes that can help you repair MOV files immediately.

1. Update and restart the media player > Re-import the MOV file and play it again.
2. Re-download MOV files online > Re-import MOV files to the media player and play them again.
3. Run a virus scanner to clean up existing or hibernating viruses and malware on your device.

If these fixes don't work, relax. Pick up one MOV repair tool we recommended and follow the tutorial steps below to make your MOV file playable again.

How Do I Fix A Corrupted MOV File that Won't Play?

Many music and movie lovers prefer to save HD videos and movies in MOV format. According to Adobe's 2023 industry report, professional video workers lose an average of more than 40 hours of work each year due to MOV damage.

If you are having a similar case as listed here, your MOV file format is highly likely corrupted:

So, how will you fix or repair the corrupted MOV files? 

Top 6 MOV Repair Tools and Software Recommend

In the following, you will unveil the top 6 MOV repair tools that will help you effectively fix corrupted MOV files with ease:

1. 1. EaseUS Online Video Repair (Free&Online)
2. 2. VLC Player (Limited functionality)
3. 3. QuickTime Player (Good for macOS)
4. 4. Online Converter (Formatting issues only)
5. 5. MOV Repair Tool (Professional&beginner-friendly)
6. 6. Change MOV File Extension (for not display)

Check out and learn how to make your corrupted MOV and even other video files playable again.

Method 1. Repair MOV Files with an Online Repair Tool

Applies to: Repair MOV file that won't play on Mac and Windows for free.

Let's start with an online repair solution - EaseUS Online Video Repair. It is designed for users to repair damaged videos from cameras, dash-cam, CCTV, video recording software, etc. Most importantly, this online tool is FREE now.

Key features of EaseUS Online Video Repair:

• Repair damaged video online at fast speed.
• Support repairing almost all the mainstream video formats, such as MP4, MOV, MKV, FLV, etc.
• EaseUS uses an AI-based file header repair algorithm to reconstruct damaged metadata by analyzing the ftyp and moov atomic structures of MOV files.

Now you can go to the website of EaseUS Online Video Repair, and follow the steps below to see how to repair MOV files online.

Step 1. Upload MOV video or you can drag & drop video directly from the specific location.

Step 2. Input your valid email address on the box and click "Start Repairing".

Step 3. Wait to take some time for uploading.

Note: If it is takes long, you can keep this webpage open and do your other things. There will be an email notification after the repair is completed.

Step 4. Go to your email to check the extraction code. Enter the extraction code and download the repaired MOV video.

Method 2. Repair MOV File by Gaining Accessibility Using VLC

Applies to: Repair MOV file that won't play on Windows and Mac, free.

As for most VLC users, when MOV video files are corrupted, you can relax. Using VLC Media Player, you can effectively fix and repair corrupted MOV videos. 

✍️ It is suitable for repairing MOV file problems caused by recording interruption or file header damage, and is especially suitable for the daily repair needs of ordinary users.   VLC repairs the damaged file structure by repackaging the media data (mdat atom) and metadata (moov atom) of the MOV file. Its built-in FFmpeg library supports repair of multiple encoding formats.

Check the respective tips here, and follow to make your MOV video file available for play again:

Tutorial - Repair MOV on Windows using VLC

Note that the Mac version of VLC is similar to its Windows version. If you are a Mac user, you may also follow the tutorial steps listed below to fix the corrupted MOV file on Mac.

Step 1. Install and run VLC Media Player, go to "Media" and click "Convert/ Save...".

Step 2. Click "Add" and browse to open your MOV file, click "Convert/Save".

Step 3. Under settings, select the preferred codecs - such as MP4 from the drop-down list, rename the destination file, click "Create".

Step 4. Browse a new location to shave the file and click "Start". 

Step 5. Go to "Preference" on the VLC top menu. 

Step 6. select "Always fix" in the "damaged or incomplete AVI file" section, then click "Save". 

Step 7. Now, you may play the corrupted .mov on VLC. 

After this, you may try to play the new video file and check out if it works. If it works, you can export and save the file to another secure location on your computer by then. 

If not, don't worry. You may still try other tools as recommended on this page.

Method 3. Corrupted MOV File Repair Using QuickTime

It applies to repairing corrupted MOV videos on Windows and Mac for free.

As MOV is usually regarded as a QuickTime file most users would use QuickTime Player to play it on Windows and Mac computers. QuickTime is an official media player developed by Apple that has native support for MOV files. It is suitable for repairing MOV file problems caused by playback interruptions or file header corruption, especially for macOS users.

✍️ QuickTime repairs damaged file structures by re-parsing the track information (trak atom) and timecode (stbl atom) of the MOV file. Its built-in ProRes encoder supports high-quality repair.

Check the steps and learn how to make MOV playable again on your computer using QuickTime.

Guide for Corrupted MOV File Repair using QuickTime

Here we'll take QuickTime Player 7 to show you the process of repairing corrupted MOV on Mac. 

If you are a Windows user, run the correct version of QuickTime, and you can also try the following MOV file repair process.

Step 1. Run QuickTime 7 player, import the corrupted MOV file to this player.

When the video file is severely corrupted, it will show a black screen error.

Step 2. Go to the Windows tab, and click "Show Movie Inspector". 

Movie Inspector will display the video details for you, including the Movie FPS, Movie format, pixel information, duration, data rate, size, etc.

Step 3. If the MOV file is damaged, QuickTime Player will show a black screen error message with details within the metadata of the movie file.

You may search the exact error code online for further help in repairing the MOV file.

Or, you can also try the following two MOV repair methods for a further try.

Method 4. Repair MOV File for Free Using Online Converter

Applies to: MOV file repair free on Mac, Windows, online.

Besides using video repair tools, media players, you can also try some online video repair tool for help. 

Here, we would like to recommend that you try Online Converter, a free online video conversion tool. Although it is a video converter, it also supports video repair, such as repairing MP4 videos, repairing MOV videos, repairing 3GP videos, etc.

As long as you have a web browser on your computer or mobile phone, you can grab the chance of repairing a corrupted video file immediately.

How-to Guide: MOV File Repair Free Online using Online Converter

Step 1. Open Online Converter - Repair MP4 page.

Step 2. Click "Choose File" button to select your broken MOV video and a similar Good video with the same format on the same device.

Step 3. Click "Repair" after upload the broken and good MOV video files.

Step 4. When the conversion completed, click "Download Now" on the new page.

The repaired MOV file will be converted into an MP4 file named as ***_fixed.mp4.

Note that the maximum video size is 200MB, if your MOV video is bigger than 200MB, you will need to try other paid online video repair tools or previously mentioned solutions for help. 

Method 5. Use EaseUS Fixo Video Repair to Fix Corrupted MOV File

Applies to: Repair MOV files on Windows, Mac. 

Best for: All levels of users - beginners, amateurs, professionals.

When MOV files don't play or corrupt your computer, you may turn to a reliable MOV repair tool for help. EaseUS Fixo Video Repair is capable of helping all levels of users efficiently repair corrupted MOV video files on your storage devices.

It works efficiently in repairing corrupted or lost videos with MOV, MP4 file extension on SD card of the most recent cameras, such as Canon, GoPro, DJI, etc.

What else can EaseUS Fixo do for you besides MOV repair?

- Repair corrupted JPEG, JPG

- Repair corrupted MP4

- Repair corrupted GIF

Follow the MOV repair tutorial to make your MOV files function normally again:

Repair MOV on Windows:

Step 1. Open Fixo on your local PC. Click "Video Repair" and add the corrupted MP4/MOV/AVI/MKV/3GP/FLV/MKV/WMV video files by clicking "Add Videos".

Step 2. Move the pointer to a video and click the "Repair" button to start the single video repairing process. If you want to repair all the videos, click "Repair All".

Step 3. Wait a few minutes, and the corrupted videos will be repaired. Click the play icon to preview the videos. You can save a single video by clicking the "Save" button next to the play icon. If you want to save all the repaired videos, choose "Save All".

Step 4. If the quick repair fails, you should utilize the advanced repair mode. Click "Advanced Repair" and add a sample video. Choose "Confirm" to ensure.

Step 5. A list of detailed information on corrupted and sample videos will show up. Click "Repair Now" to start the advanced video repair process. When the repair is complete, you can view the videos and click the "Save" button to save the repaired video files to an appropriate destination.

The process of repairing MOV video files on Mac is the same as on Windows. Therefore, you if are a Mac user, make sure you have downloaded the right version.

When you finish the process, saving the repaired MOV to a secure location. You can re-import it to your media player and enjoy the video again.

Method 6. Manually Change/Convert MOV File Extension to Other Formats

Applies to: Make MOV file playable again by changing or converting MOV to other formats, free.

Sometimes, MOV won't play issue will also occur if the current player doesn't support MOV format. You can try to switch a media player or convert the MOV file to other file formats, such as converting MOV to MP4.

To do so, we've collected two ways for you to try: 1. Using automated video converter for help; 2. Manually change .mov to .mp4.

Let's see the detailed process:

#1. Convert MOV File Extension using EaseUS Video Converter

Professional video editing software - EseUS Video Editor is designed for all levels of users to edit videos on their own. With it, you can flexibly switch video formats with the following steps.

Of course, converting MOV file to other video file formats is also incredibly easy and free.

Step 1. Import the source file

Launch EaseUS Video Editor. On the home screen, you can import the source file by either clicking the "Import" option or simply dragging the video to the appropriate area.

Step 2. Add to project

You need to add the imported file to the track by choosing the "Add to Project" option, or you can drag and place the video to the track as you want.

Step 3. Export the source file

Now you can click "Export" on the main menu on the top.

Step 4. Save as MP4/AVI/WMV/MKV/MOV/GIF<>

Under the "Video" tab, choose a file format among the available options as the desired video file format.

On the right pane, you can edit the file name, customize an output folder and settings and then click "Export".

#2. Change MOV File to Other Formats

Another manual way that you can try is to change the MOV file to other formats. It's free and easy. 

The following steps are executed on Windows, and if you are a Mac user, try the steps on your Mac computer.

Now, let's see:

Step 1. Open File Explorer, under the View tab, click "Options".

Step 2. On the Folder Options window, uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types".

Step 3. Create a copy of the target MOV file and right-click on the copied file, select "Rename".

Step 4. Change the file extension of the video file from .mov to .mp4. And click "Yes" to confirm the change.

After the file format conversion, you may retry to open the video and play it on your computer again.

Conclusion

This page covered 6 MOV repair tools that can you can try and apply to repair corrupted MOV files or other video files on your computer.

Before you start repairing MOV, we suggest you follow the quick fixes first. If MOV files still don't play, try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or an online video repair application for help. 

If you have further video, image repair requests, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard also works to help. Whenever you lose files or media files corrupted on your device, don't hesitate to give this software a try.