There are a few reasons why your MOV file is not playing on a QuickTime player like an outdated QuickTime player, unsupported video codec, or a damaged or corrupt video file.
The good news is all of that is fixable with effective DIY methods, take a copy of the video file and try and try all the solutions listed below to get your .mov file back to playing on the QuickTime player.
DIY Methods to Fix the “MOV File isn’t Compatible with QuickTime Player” [5 Solutions]
- Relaunch the QuickTime Application
- Reset QuickTime Preference
- Update the QuickTime Player
- Convert the Video File Format
- Repair the Corrupt Video File
Solution 1: Relaunch the QuickTime Application
In case of a temporary software glitch, simply closing the application and relaunching can fix the bug causing “.mov file not compatible with Quicktime” error and enable you to play the MOV file back on QuickTime player.
Solution 2: Reset QuickTime Preference
Corrupt preferences could cause video playback issues, You could reset it by deleting the preference file, Here is how you do it:
- Open Finder and select Library
- Navigate to the preference path
- Locate com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX.plist
- Move the file to Trash
- Now Relaunch the QuickTime Player.
This will force the application to create a new preference with default settings and fix the MOV playback issue.
Solution 3: Update the QuickTime Player
Outdated QuickTime Players may not be compatible with new 10-bit and 4K MOV videos. Updates include compatibility fixes for newer codecs. Additionally, the newer version of QuickTime Player supports modern audio and video codecs in 64-bit.
QuickTime Player updates are typically included with macOS updates. To get the latest version of QuickTime Player, it’s recommended to update your macOS:
- Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner and select System Preferences.
- Choose Software Update to check for available updates.
- If a macOS update is available, click Upgrade Now.
- Install the update and restart your Mac.
After updating, QuickTime Player will be upgraded to the latest version. Try playing the MOV video in QuickTime Player again to see if the “file isn’t compatible with QuickTime Player” issue is resolved.
Solution 4: Convert the Video File Format
You can choose to convert the video file from MOV to any other video file format like MP4, AVI can help fix the issue.
You can choose any online video converting tools like CloudConvert, FreeConvert, etc., or you can also use iMovie to convert the MOV video. Here is how it’s done:
- Open iMovie, click on Create New and select Movie.
- Click on Import Media and import the MOV video.
- After importing, click on File and choose Share.
- Choose the format, resolution, and compression settings from the export Window and save the video in your desired location.
Solution 5: Repair the Corrupt Video File
If QuickTime Player continues to show “the file isn’t compatible with QuickTime Player” when you play a MOV file on a Mac, try playing it with another media player, such as VLC Media Player or Elmedia Player.
If the video file still shows an error on other players, the MOV file must be corrupted. You will need to repair it using an effective video repair tool to play the MOV file.
When choosing video repair software we suggest you go with reliable software that offers features like previewing the repaired video before saving and avoids uploading videos to external servers that value your privacy
We suggest you try the Rikvr Video repair tool to fix the corrupt MOV as it ticks all the checkboxes of an effective and safe video repair tool that’s capable of repairing all popular video file formats in simple clicks.
The tool is capable of repairing severely corrupt MOV files and bringing them back to playable again.
Fix MOV Videos using RIKVR Video Repair
Step 1: Download and Install RIKVR Video Repair on your computer.
Step 2: Launch the software, click on Add File choose the MOV video file, and click on Repair.
Step 3: The tool starts repairing the MOV video file.
Step 4: Once the video repair is completed, the tool displays the repaired video file description
Step 5: Preview the repaired video file before saving it on your computer.
Save your repaired video file with audio in your preferred location
Conclusion
“QuickTime player can’t open MOV Mac” is a real headache, We recommend you try the above solutions in this article to fix the issue and make the MOV video playable again.
Keep your QuickTime player updated, and always download videos from reliable sources to avoid such video playback errors on your PC videos in the future.
