3 Easy Ways to Repair a Corrupt MOV File

MOV is a popular file format among professionals for its high quality. Developed by Apple, an MOV file contains multiple tracks for storing audio, video, text tracks, timecode, and more. Primarily, it is a QuickTime file compatible with Mac.

Sometimes, you may find that a MOV file is showing some error or not playing at all. One of the probable reasons is that the MOV file is corrupt. This blog intends to familiarize you with three easy ways to retrieve your corrupt MOV file. Before understanding how to repair corrupt MOV files, let’s find out why your MOV file turns corrupt.

Common reasons why MOV files can turn corrupt

• Incompatibility

Trying to play a MOV file with incompatible media player applications can damage the file header and make it inaccessible. A media player that supports the MOV video file format or a video file converter can eliminate this root cause.

• Improper system shutdown

Sudden or improper system shutdown can terminate the input/output operation and damage the MOV file’s bit pattern.

• Disrupted transfer

Disruption during the transfer process due to a power cut, device disconnect, etc., can corrupt a MOV file. Improper conversion

Interruption during the conversion of MOV files to other formats can lead to video file corruption.

• Video compression issues

Improper video compression results in patchy images and less prominent details.

• Power interruption during video recording

Power interruption while recording a video can cause improper header to write operation, resulting in an unplayable or corrupt video.

Check, Diagnose and Confirm File Corruption using QuickTime 7 Player

The QuickTime 7.7.9 player has a wide range of features for trimming, editing, saving, looping and reverting video files. Further, it can also repair slightly damaged MOV files. If a MOV file is severely damaged, QuickTime 7 player throws a black screen error message. You can check the properties of the damaged video files using QuickTime player with the following steps –

• Launch QuickTime Player.
• Go to the “Windows” tab and select “Show Movie Inspector”.

You can check details such as video format, movie FPS, duration, pixel information, data size, data rate, and more.

As a quick-fix, you can do any or all of these three steps to repair your file –

• Try downloading the file again, re-import it to the media player and play it again.
• Update and restart your media player. Re-import the file and play it.
• Run a virus scanner that will clean up any existing malware or virus on your system.

If the above steps do not work, we can help you make your video playable again on Windows or Mac with these three simple ways!

Also read: 3 Top Free Duplicate File Finder Apps For Mac

Method #1. Repair Corrupt MOV Files with VLC Media Player

The VLC media player can help you repair corrupted, damaged, or broken video files. When you try playing such a file with a VLC Media player, it will ask you to repair unplayable/corrupted, or broken videos. Click “Yes” and follow the instructions for fixing your video.

Alternatively, you can carry out the following steps to repair corrupt MOV files in VLC Media Player.

• Start VLC media player.
• In the menu, click “Media” and select “Convert/Save”.
• In the “Open Media” dialog box, select “Add” to browse and choose the videos you want to repair.
• Select the checkbox “Show more options” to check or edit the profile setting and click on “Convert/Save”.
• In the “Convert” window, select the appropriate codec from the drop-down list under “Settings”.
• Save the file at the preferred location with the relevant name and click the “Start” button. You can also delete the existing profile or add a new one.

Method #2. Repair corrupt MOV file using VLC Player

You can fix a damaged MOV file by changing its extension in the VLC media player using the following steps.

• Make a copy of the original corrupted MOV file.
• Change the video file extension from .mov to .avi.
• Open the . AVI video file in VLC Player.
• Select “Preferences” under the menu item “Tools”.
• Select “Input/Codecs” from the top.
• Select “Always Fix” from the drop-down list in the “Files”.
• Click “Save” located at the bottom of the “Preference” window.

If the above solutions fail to repair your MOV file, “Stellar Repair for Video” can help you recover it. Stellar Repair for Video is an advanced HD video repair software that repairs broken, corrupted, or unplayable video files. The software is easy to operate and repairs your videos in 3 quick steps –

• Add the corrupted file.
• Start the repair process.
• Preview and save the repaired files.

Why choose Stellar Repair for video?

Stellar Repair for Video comes with numerous innovative features that ensure successful and hassle-free MOV file recovery.

• Supports 17+ file formats, including MOV, MP4, AVI, and MKV
• Repairs multiple VR, 4k, 8k, and 360^o videos simultaneously
• Offers a complete video repair solution for Windows as well as Mac OS
• Repairs severely damaged video files using sample files
• Supports all storage media, including USB flash drives, SD cards, HDD, and more
• Supports videos created from camcorders, DSLR, drone, CCTV, point and shoot, dashcam, mirrorless, iPhone, Android, and more
• 100% safe and secure
• Supports all digital media players and all popular video codecs
• Premium edition supports recovering deleted photos and videos besides repairing broken and corrupted video files

Learn more about Stellar Repair for Video. Also, check our solutions to recover deleted or lost data from any Windows device.