Fix MOV File Not Playing on Mac: 8 Proven Solutions

MOV is a popular, high-quality video format developed by Apple. It is widely used for storing movies, TV shows, short video clips, and more. This multimedia container format is typically saved in QuickTime File Format (QTFF). The MOV files contain high bitrate videos with little to no compression, resulting in a substantial file size.

However, you may encounter instances where your MOV video file won’t play or show a black screen error. In this post, you will find effective methods to fix MOV files not playing on Mac issue. Before moving on, let’s see why MOV files are not playing on your system.

Reasons Behind MOV File Not Playing on Mac

From MOV file corruption to missing codecs, there could be various causes behind MOV files not playing. Trying to play the MOV file in an outdated or incompatible media player can also be why your video won’t play. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons:

• Media Player doesn’t support the MOV file format.
• Your system is missing the necessary codecs.
• Media player is not updated.
• MOV file got corrupted due to bad sectors on storage media.
• Virus or malware infection
• Outdated video drivers

How to Fix MOV File Not Playing on Mac?

Try these common solutions to fix the MOV file not playing on Mac issue.

Solution 1: Restart Your Video Player

Exit the media player, restart it again, and then try playing the video. If this doesn’t work, close all the applications and restart your computer.

Solution 2: Use Another Media Player

Play your video on another media player, such as QuickTime Player, VLC Media Player, 5K Player, or Cisdem Video Player, and see if it plays.

Solution 3: Download MOV Codecs

Your MOV files won’t play if you have missing or incompatible codecs installed on your system. To fix the codec issue, download the necessary codec pack on your Mac and see if the MOV video plays.

Solution 4: Convert to Another File Format

You can convert MOV files to MP4, AVI, or any other video format supported by your media player. You can also use powerful video & audio converter tools like Stellar Converter for Audio Video or other online tools like CloudConvert, Zamzar, Movavi Video Editor, etc. for format conversion.

Solution 5: Update Your Media Player

An outdated media player won’t play an MOV file on Mac. So, you need to update the existing media player to fix this issue. For example, if your MOV video file is not playing on an outdated version of QuickTime player, then try updating it. Here’s how to do it:

• Open QuickTime Player.
• Next, click QuickTime player in the menu and select Update Existing Software.

Solution 6: Transcode MOV Using VLC Media Player

Use VLC Media Player to transcode your corrupt MOV videos to make them playable on any unsupported media player.

• Open VLC Media Player on your Mac
• Click the File option at the top and select the Convert/Stream option.

• Click Open Media to select one or more video files you want to compress. Click the Customize icon next to the Choose Profile option.

• Navigate to the Encapsulation tab and select any file format. For example, AVI . Click Apply.

• Click the Save as File button at the bottom of the Convert & Stream window.

• Click Browse to select the location to save your video and remember to give a proper name to your file. Then click Save.

After transcoding, you can play the video in VLC or any other media player.

Solution 7: Repair MOV File Using VLC’s Video Fix Feature

Use the built-in ‘Repair AVI fixes’ feature in VLC Player to fix corruption issues in the file header and file index of any videos. To use this feature, you need to change the file extension of your MOV videos to AVI and then repair your file using VLC.

• Open the converted video file in VLC Media Player and then click VLC Media Player > Preferences.

• Navigate to Input/Codec tab.

• Select the Always Fix option from the ‘Repair AVI Files’ drop-down list. Click Save.

Best Solution: Fix MOV File Not Playing on Mac Using Professional Software

After trying all the above methods, if your MOV files still won’t play on Mac, your file may be corrupted. In such a scenario, use a professional video repair software like Stellar Repair For Video to repair corrupt MOV video files.

This video repair software can fix corrupt, non-playable, or damaged MOV videos saved in Windows/Mac, memory cards, SD cards, and other storage drives. The software even repairs MOV videos captured via iPhone/Android phones, Digicam, digital cameras, etc. Stellar Repair for Video can repair all kinds of MOV corruption in header, frames, and compression issues. It can even repair out-of-sync, jerky, truncated, unplayable, black screen, and blurry videos.

 

Steps to repair corrupt MOV files using Stellar Repair For Video:

• Download, install, and launch Stellar Repair for Video on your Mac.
• From the home screen, click Add File to upload your corrupt MOV videos.

• Click Repair to initiate the repair process.

• You can check the progress of the repair process in the progress bar.

• Once the repair process completes, click OK.

• You can see the preview and save them at a desired location by clicking Save Repaired files. Wait for some time for the saving process to complete.

Summing Up

This article is a comprehensive guide to fixing MOV files not playing on Mac. You can repair MOV files on Mac by converting the file format or checking if videos are playing on other media players. You can even use a free VLC Media Player to repair corrupt MOV videos.

However, for best results, it is recommended to use a professional MOV video repair tool like Stellar Repair for Video.

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About The Author

Vishakha Singh

Vishakha Singh is a Senior Writer at Stellar Data Recovery with half a decade of experience in writing content in diverse verticals. She's a tech enthusiast who loves creating photo/video recovery & repair tutorials. Vishakha also specializes in writing full-blown iPhone and Android guides.