Convert MOV to ProRes on Windows
From the iPhone, the camera or another editor. First look at what's inside the MOV.
Updated: October 2026 · 6 min read
Open Convert in AppGrabbit, drag the .mov files in, click the ProRes 422 HQ shortcut and Convert. First check what's inside the MOV: if it is already ProRes, there is nothing to convert; if it is H.264 or HEVC (iPhone, Android, compact cameras), the conversion makes it play smoothly in Premiere, Resolve, Avid or Final Cut. 1 credit per file · 5 free a month
A MOV is not a format: it is a box
.mov is the QuickTime container. What matters is the codec inside, and there are three cases:
| Where the MOV comes from | What it carries inside | Convert? |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, recent Android | 8- or 10-bit HEVC (H.265); sometimes Dolby Vision | Yes: HEVC is the hardest thing to decompress on the timeline |
| Compact and mirrorless cameras | H.264 or HEVC at high rates, sometimes 10-bit 4:2:2 | Yes, if the timeline stutters or if you deliver to a Mac |
| Final Cut, Premiere, a colleague on a Mac | ProRes (422, HQ, 4444…) | No: it is already the target format |
| Avid, Resolve on Windows | DNxHR or DNxHD | Only if you're asked for ProRes |
| Mac screen recordings, OBS | H.264 | Yes, if you're going to edit them |
How to convert MOV to ProRes on Windows
- 1Install AppGrabbit. 109 MB, Windows 10 and 11, no account. Windows will say it protected your PC because the installer is not code-signed: More info › Run anyway.
- 2Open the Convert tab. Drag your files onto "Drop files here or click to choose them". It takes MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, WebM and the usual audio and image files, with no size limit.
- 3Click the editor shortcut. "Editing the video?": ProRes 422 HQ, DNxHR HQ or WAV for editing. If you prefer another format, pick it from the "Convert to" list on each file.
- 4Check the output folder. "Saved to" shows the folder; change it if you want the files to land next to your project.
- 5Convert. Progress shows up under "In progress". Each file costs 1 credit; with Pro there is no cap.
Exactly what AppGrabbit outputs
- ProRes 422 HQ in .mov: 10-bit 4:2:2 video (prores_ks profile 3, with the vendor tag Final Cut recognizes) and 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- DNxHR HQ in .mov: 8-bit 4:2:2 video and the same 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- WAV for editing: the audio uncompressed, for Audition, Audacity or the mix.
- What it does not output: the other variants (Proxy, LT, 4444, HQX, 444). If your delivery calls for them, use the FFmpeg command or Shutter Encoder; both are below.
- Where it runs: on your PC, with the FFmpeg that ships inside the installer. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
What the conversion keeps and what it changes
Keeps
- The original's resolution and frame rate.
- The 10 bits if the MOV had them (10-bit HEVC from the iPhone, 4:2:2 cameras).
- The audio, which becomes 24-bit PCM at 48 kHz with no additional loss.
- The exact duration, with no frames cut or added.
Changes
- The size: from the phone's 50 to 100 Mbps to about 220 Mbps at 1080p, or 880 Mbps in 4K.
- The editor's workload: it no longer decompresses HEVC on every cut; that is why it stops stuttering.
- Dolby Vision HDR stays as 10-bit video in PQ or HLG: your editor decides whether to treat it as HDR or bring it down to SDR.
The variants, in case you're asked for another one
| Variant | Bits · sampling | ≈ Mbps at 1080p 29.97 | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProRes 422 Proxy | 10-bit · 4:2:2 | 45 | Proxies and offline editing; relinks to the original at the end |
| ProRes 422 LT | 10-bit · 4:2:2 | 102 | Editing on laptops and deliveries where size matters |
| ProRes 422 | 10-bit · 4:2:2 | 147 | General editing and broadcast |
| ProRes 422 HQ | 10-bit · 4:2:2 | 220 | Master and delivery. The one AppGrabbit outputs |
| ProRes 4444 | 12-bit · 4:4:4 + alpha | 330 | Graphics with transparency, demanding color grading |
| ProRes 4444 XQ | 12-bit · 4:4:4 + alpha | 500 | High-end camera footage and VFX |
Sources: Apple ProRes White Paper. Read in October 2026.
If the video isn't on your disk but in a link
A MOV uploaded to Google Drive downloads the same as always. But if the footage is on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, AppGrabbit fetches it in the Download tab and you convert it in the one next door: the whole workflow.
Phone or camera MOV files, to ProRes 422 HQ
Windows 10 and 11 · 109 MB · 1 credit per file, 5 free a month
Frequently asked questions
No. A .mov is just the container; inside it can be ProRes, H.264, HEVC or DNxHR. If your editor shows "Apple ProRes 422" in the clip properties, you're done. Convert only the MOV files that carry H.264 or HEVC inside, which are the ones from phones and most small cameras.
The conversion keeps the original's 10 bits. If your project is SDR, the colors will look washed out until the editor applies the HDR-to-SDR transform; if your project is HDR, they look right. That is decided by the editor's project, not by the ProRes.
They usually carry H.264 or HEVC at high rates, sometimes 10-bit 4:2:2. ProRes 422 HQ keeps them intact and makes them play smoothly on the timeline. If the camera already records in ProRes, don't convert.
Yes: drag the whole folder in, click the ProRes 422 HQ shortcut once and it applies to all of them.
About twenty times the size of the phone's MOV: 1.65 GB per minute at 1080p, 6.6 GB per minute in 4K. Convert the clips you are going to use, not the whole camera roll.
1 credit per converted file, 5 free a month. Pro, USD 8.99 a month, no cap and no yearly plan; 7-day pass for USD 3.99.