Free Online M4V to MP4 Converter

Repack an iTunes M4V as a standard MP4 that non-Apple players accept.

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M4V to MP4: Apple's variant to standard MP4

M4V is Apple's proprietary MP4 variant, primarily used for iTunes Store purchases. The container is nearly identical to MP4, same H.264 video, same AAC audio, same ISO Base Media File Format structure. The key difference is DRM: iTunes-purchased M4V files use Apple FairPlay encryption. DRM-free M4V files can often be converted by simply renaming the extension. DRM-protected files require the authorized iTunes account for playback and cannot be converted without DRM removal.

Convert DRM-free M4V files to MP4 for playback on non-Apple devices and platforms that don't recognize the .m4v extension. If the M4V is from iTunes and has DRM, the conversion will fail, the file can only be played through authorized Apple software.

M4V vs MP4: Side-by-side

Technical comparison of the two formats, useful for deciding which to use, or for confirming what changes during conversion.

Property	M4V	MP4
Full name	iTunes Video (MPEG-4)	MPEG-4 Part 14
Year introduced	2003	2001
Developer / standard body	Apple	MPEG
MIME type	video/x-m4v	video/mp4
File extension	.m4v	.mp4 / .m4v
Compression	H.264	H.264 or H.265 codec
Color / data depth	8-bit	8/10-bit
Max dimensions / size	Codec-dependent	Codec-dependent (up to 8K)
Transparency	No	No
Animation	No	No
Standard / specification	Apple (MPEG-4 variant)	ISO/IEC 14496-14
Best for	Apple TV, iTunes movie purchases, iOS video	Universal video compatibility, plays on every device

Frequently asked questions

How do I open M4V files?

On Windows: Media Player or VLC. On a Mac: QuickTime and TV, natively. Apple's MP4 variant. Plays widely unless it carries FairPlay DRM from an iTunes Store purchase, which nothing outside Apple's apps will open.

What is the difference between M4V and MP4?

Very little at the container level, M4V is Apple's variant of MP4 and usually holds the same H.264 video and AAC audio. The practical difference is that M4V was used for iTunes Store content and can carry Apple's FairPlay DRM, which is why some players refuse it.

Can I convert a DRM-protected M4V?

No. Films and shows bought from the iTunes Store are encrypted, and that protection cannot be stripped by a format converter. Only DRM-free M4V files, home videos, your own exports, most downloads that are not store purchases, will convert.

Will I lose quality?

Usually not meaningfully. Because the two containers typically hold identical codecs, the conversion is largely a rewrap rather than a re-encode, so the video data passes through unchanged or close to it.