During such rushing times, nobody has got time to wait to reach their favorite part of the content on the Internet. OTT platforms have made it extremely easy to consume filmography content over the internet. But suppose there is an important video that’s forwarded to you from an Apple device that has its own format that can’t run on your system. And you are stuck with a specific file format like MOV on a windows device and start feeling like you are back to the era where it takes hundreds of efforts to play a video then we got you! Here in this article, we’re going to discuss “How to Play MOV Files on Windows 10”.
What Is A MOV File?
Today, we have a myriad range of options available to us to watch videos. It is very widely known that the platforms on which they get played have their own specific functionality and different watching experience. But what’s also important, is the format in which you have the video available to you. MOV files are known for their high-quality video and audio, and they are often used for professional video editing and production. They can also store multiple tracks of audio and subtitles, making them a versatile choice for a variety of video content.
For example, a specific video format like MOV that is primarily made to be played on Apple QuickTime player does not normally play on windows. A video shot on an iPhone also usually gets saved in the .mov format as it is the default format. Thus, windows users go through a hard time dealing with files that are available to them in this format.
How To Play MOV Files On Windows 10?
It’s a piece of cake to open .mov files smoothly on windows with just a few extra steps. So here in this article, we are going to tell you of all those possible ways in which you can open a .mov file on your windows computer.
In order to play the .mov file on windows, you might have to get a few things checked if you want to play it using Windows Media Player, you’ll have to have the specific Windows Media Player version 12 to run the file.
Besides, you may have to face some obstacles from Digital Rights Management (DRM) in relation to copyright. Now let’s get started.
Method 1: Using Quicktime Player
Running MOV files using QuickTime Player is a smooth process that can be covered in a few steps. It is the most widely used way in which most .mov files run on Windows-based systems. Here we are going to show you from scratch that how to download and then use the QuickTime Player
1. Downloading and installation of a QuickTime player
Step 1: The first thing is to download QuickTime player for windows for free.
Step 2: Then you have to save the file.
Step 3: When the pop windows appear, save them.
Step 4: You’ll then have to go to the download folder on your system and get to this file to download.
Step 5: Once the installer appears, click “next“.
Step 6: Next time you’ll have to accept the license agreement to process further.
Step 7: Finally, click “install” as the last step to successfully install QuickTime.
2. Opening and Using QuickTime to Run MOV files
Step 1: Get to the .mov file you want to run, right-click on it and then select “open with” and choose “QuickTime Player“.
Step 2: One more way to open the file is by directly opening the QuickTime player in the Windows search bar.
Step 3: Click on File and choose “Open File“.
Step 4: Look for the file you wish to open and open.
This is one of the most common methods used by Windows users to play MOV files on their system and one of the effective ones as well. If for some reason you face difficulty executing this method then we’ve another one lined up in the list for you.
Method 2: Playing MOV Files Using Windows Media
Another way is to use Microsoft’s built-in Windows Media Player. It is the default player for Windows and fortunately, it also supports MOV files now. Here are steps to follow:-
Step 1: To use this method, you’ll have to open the “Windows Media Player” by searching it in the windows search box as shown below in the picture.
Step 2: Use the shortcut Alt + H to select “About Windows Media Player“.
Step 3: There is a trick here. As we said that in order to run a .mov file using Windows Media Player, you need to be having version 12 and the instruction above will lead you to know the version of your system’s Windows Media Player. Here is the snap of a version 12 Windows Media Player for example:-
Step 4: If your version match 12, It’s Great! but if not then skip the next steps and move on to the next method. After having confirmed version 12, again search for Windows Media Player in the Windows Search and enter it.
Step 5: Choose whichever file you wish to see and play it.
Step 6: Just as we could have also opened a file directly in the QuickTime player by right-clicking on it, the same way you could directly go to the file you wish to play and play it in the Windows Media Player by directly clicking on it.
This was the second method to access MOV files. The edge this method has over the previous one is that you don’t need to additionally download any software. Just a good old version 12 of Windows Media Player will do the work.
Method 3: Convert MOV to Other File Formats
If you can’t get lucky enough to be having the specific version 12 of the Windows Media Player nor can go through the trouble to download QuickTime Player in your system, then converting the .mov file into another supporting format remains your last resort to get access to the file.
Here are the steps that you can undertake to play the MOV file by converting it.
Step 1: Changing the format into a system-compatible format like MP4 or WAV can make your MOV file compatible with your system. To do that, go to Wondershare Video Converter and then click on “get free for windows” and hit Install.
Step 2: Click on “Start Now” to get the process of installation started and wait till the installation is completed.
Step 3: Once the installation is complete Wondershare software opens on the screen, you’d see an option of adding files on the top left corner of the software screen. Click on it and surf through your system storage to find the file you want to convert.
Step 4: Before you begin the conversion process, make sure that your desired conversion format is selected and proceed to convert it by clicking on “convert all” in the bottom right corner.
Conclusion
So these 3 above-mentioned methods have everything about them that would get you rid of the trouble of not being able to open the MOV file. In most computers and laptops of recent times, you’d find Windows Media Player version 12 to save you the trouble of downloading additional software or converting a file. However, if you don’t have that, you can always use these detailed methods to get your work done.
