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User profile for user: Alec-46
Alec-46 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

How to change video format on iPad

I have an iPad Air with iPadOS 16.5. I wish to take videos in MP4 format. Going to settings/camera/formats and setting Camera Capture to “most compatible” should set MP4. However, nothing I do will change the format from the default MOV. Can anyone help?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPad Air, iPadOS 16

Posted on May 19, 2023 12:03 PM

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User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
143,328 points

Posted on May 19, 2023 3:11 PM

The MOV files that modern Apple devices create, are MP4 compatible. You can safely rename .mov to .mp4 once transferred.

MOV and MP4 can have .H264 video. MOV and MP4 can have .H265 video. It depends on the playback software and hardware if .H265 is compatible. iPad will store its own recordings in MOV format either way (.H.264/.H265).


  • Settings﹥Camera﹥Formats﹥Most Compatible ✓ will configure for JPEG/H.264 AVC instead of HEIF/.H265 HEVC (not about .mov vs. .mp4).
  • Settings﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Automatic ✓ will transfer in a format that the computer (e.g. iTunes app) can play [more compatible when needed, based on destination OS version], i.e. converting on the fly when needed. Applies to both photos and videos.
  • Settings﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Keep Originals ✓ will transfer in the recorded format, even if the computer (e.g. iTunes app) likely can’t play that. Applies to both photos and videos.


Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
143,328 points

May 19, 2023 3:11 PM in response to Alec-46

The MOV files that modern Apple devices create, are MP4 compatible. You can safely rename .mov to .mp4 once transferred.

MOV and MP4 can have .H264 video. MOV and MP4 can have .H265 video. It depends on the playback software and hardware if .H265 is compatible. iPad will store its own recordings in MOV format either way (.H.264/.H265).


  • Settings﹥Camera﹥Formats﹥Most Compatible ✓ will configure for JPEG/H.264 AVC instead of HEIF/.H265 HEVC (not about .mov vs. .mp4).
  • Settings﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Automatic ✓ will transfer in a format that the computer (e.g. iTunes app) can play [more compatible when needed, based on destination OS version], i.e. converting on the fly when needed. Applies to both photos and videos.
  • Settings﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Keep Originals ✓ will transfer in the recorded format, even if the computer (e.g. iTunes app) likely can’t play that. Applies to both photos and videos.


Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support

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How to change video format on iPad

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