M4V to MP4 Converter

M4V is Apple's name for an MPEG-4 video file: the same container as MP4, used by iTunes, iMovie, HandBrake and Apple devices. Many Windows programs, Android phones, TVs and upload forms only accept the .mp4 extension. Because the two formats are the same inside, the video, every audio track, the subtitles and the chapter marks are moved into a fresh MP4 without re-encoding, so nothing is lost and it takes seconds. Videos bought or rented in the iTunes Store are encrypted; the converter recognises them and explains why they cannot be converted.

How to use this tool

1. Choose one or more .m4v files.
2. Keep "Repackage" (instant, no quality loss); choose "Re-encode" only if an old player still refuses the MP4.
3. Download the MP4 files.

Formula

MP4 = the same video, audio and subtitle streams + chapters, in a new MP4 container

Repackaging copies the compressed streams bit for bit; only the container is rewritten, with its index at the front so the video starts playing before it is fully downloaded. HEVC video gets the hvc1 tag Apple and Windows players expect. A protected file is recognised by its encrypted track descriptions (FairPlay "drms"/"drmi" or Common Encryption "encv"/"enca"), read from the file's index before anything is converted.

Example

A 45-minute HandBrake export of 1.2 GB with H.264 video, AAC stereo and AC-3 5.1 sound, English subtitles and 12 chapters becomes an MP4 of almost exactly 1.2 GB with the same two audio tracks, the subtitles and all 12 chapters, typically in well under a minute.