Where MOV files come from
MOV is Apple's QuickTime video format, so most MOV files start on Apple devices.
- The iPhone Camera app records video as MOV, in HEVC or H.264 depending on your camera format setting.
- Mac screen recordings made with Shift-Command-5 or QuickTime Player are saved as MOV.
- Final Cut Pro and other editors export MOV, including large ProRes files.
- Some mirrorless and DSLR cameras record MOV as well.
No need to convert MOV to MP4 first
The audio is extracted from the MOV on our side after upload, so the video codec does not matter. HEVC, H.264 and ProRes files all work the same way, and the picture itself is never processed.
MOV files from editors and cameras can be very large, because the video takes up most of the space. Uploads are sent in parts, and Retry picks up where a dropped connection left off. If a file is still above your plan's size limit, open it in QuickTime Player on a Mac and use File, Export As, Audio Only. That saves an M4A file with the same speech at a fraction of the size.
You can also upload straight from an iPhone. Open this page in Safari, tap the upload box, and choose the video from your photo library or from Files. Long videos are large, so use Wi-Fi if you can. Another option is to put the video in Dropbox or Google Drive and paste the link into the import box.
If you only need part of a long clip, trim it first in the Photos app with Edit. A shorter file uploads faster and uses less of your plan's per-file length.
Check the audio before you upload
A transcript can only contain what the file actually recorded, and MOV files have a few common traps.
Mac screen recordings have no sound unless you picked a microphone under Options in the screenshot toolbar. The default is no microphone. If you recorded a walkthrough and the video plays silently, there is nothing to transcribe. Play a few seconds of the file first.
iPhone videos use the phone's built-in microphones. A person speaking to the camera from a meter or two away transcribes well. Someone across a room, wind outdoors, or music playing nearby will reduce accuracy. For interviews filmed on an iPhone, a clip-on microphone near the speaker makes a large difference.
If you have already added background music to the video in an editor, transcribe the original clip without music if you still have it. Music under a voice is one of the most common causes of wrong words.
Turning a MOV transcript into captions or notes
For captions, fix any wrong words in the editor, then export SRT or VTT. Most video editors, including Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro, can import SRT files, and video platforms accept them for uploaded captions. RocketScribe creates the subtitle file. It does not burn captions into the video or style them.
For notes, scripts or interview records, export Word, PDF or TXT. Timestamps can stay in or come out. If the video has several people talking, speaker labels on paid plans show who said each part, and you can rename them before exporting. The synced player makes checking easy: click any line and the audio jumps to that moment.
Languages in your videos
Speech in 90+ languages is supported. The language is detected automatically, or you can set it per file, which helps if the first few seconds of a clip are in a different language from the rest. Videos that switch between Chinese and English are handled as well.