3 Ways: Convert M4V to MP4 on Mac [Including iTunes M4V]

Can I Just Change M4V to MP4 on Mac?

Today, let's begin with the most frequently asked question, "Can I just change M4V to MP4 by renaming the file?" M4V is very similar to MP4, and both .m4v and .mp4 files are used as the extensions for MPEG-4 Part 14 container format, so it's possible and easy for us to just change the filename from .m4v to .mp4. There is no conversion needed. However, there are two cases that renaming doesn't work, that is:

1. In some cases, .m4v can also be used as the extension of MPEG-4 Part 2 video bit streams;
2. If your M4V files are from iTunes Store, they will be protected by Apple's FairPlay DRM technology.

So every time when you need to convert M4V to MP4 format, you can first try to simply rename the file from XXX.m4v to XXX.mp4 to see whether it works. If it succeeded, you can then play your converted file on the device you want. If not, just keep on reading this post. Here we'll introduce 3 easy methods to help you convert M4V to MP4 on Mac with ease.

1. Convert M4V to MP4 on Mac with VLC

As stated above, you can simply renamed your M4V files to MP4. If it failed, you may need to a tool to help you. So can I convert iTunes DRM protected M4V files with VLC? - you'll ask. VLC, like all other open-source media player, cannot play and convert protected files. In other workds, as long as your M4V files are not from iTunes, VLC is able to help you convert them to MP4 on Mac. The following is the simple steps to convert M4V to MP4 Mac VLC.

Step 1: Open VLC media player on your Mac computer and click the "Media" menu on the top menu bar and select "Convert/Save" from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Click on the "+ Add" button to import one or more M4V files that you want to convert. Still, on this popup window, click the samll down trangle icon beside "Convert/Save" and select the "Convert" button.

Step 3: On the new popup, go to "Setting" > "Profile" and choose an output format for your files such as "Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4). You are also allowed to customize the parameters as you like by clicking the Tool icon next to it. Next, click the "Browse" button to select an output path for your converted files on your local computer.

Step 4: Once all settings are ready, now you can click the "Start" button and VLC will begin to convert the M4V files to MP4 format for you.

2. Convert M4V to MP4 on Mac with Online Converter

Of course, there are some web-based online video converters that can also convert DRM-free M4V files to MP4 format. There are many such tools like Convertfiles, Online-Convert, Onlineconverter, Cloudconvert, etc. Here we will take the Convertfiles as an example and the conversion process is quite simple.

Step 1: Open your browser on your Mac computer and then go to the Convertfiles official website. Click the "Browse" icon to select the M4V file you want to convert. You can also copy and paste the link of your target file to download it from the Internet.

Step 2: From the dropdown menu of Output format, choose the MPEG-4 Video File (.mp4) for the converted file.

Step 3: Now click the "Convert" button and wait a while until the convesion process completes. You can then preview your MP4 new file or save it to your computer.

3. Convert iTunes M4V to MP4 on Mac with TunesKit [Must Have]

Another situation is that your M4V files come from iTunes Store and thus almost all are encrypted by DRM protection. Thus, if you want to convert iTunes movies and TV shows from M4V format to MP4 format, what you need is a third-party iTunes video converter such as TunesKit M4V Converter. You can't use the afore-mentioned two methods to convert DRM-protected M4V videos to MP4 on Mac.

With TunesKit, it becomes easy. The program adopted an advanced technology to remove the DRM protection and then convert iTunes M4V to MP4 for playback on any device you want. More importantly, TunesKit M4V Converter helps users to convert iTunes movies, TV episodes, music videos at a super fast speed without any quality loss. It will keep 100% original quality, including ID3 tag, Dolby AC3 audio tracks, CC subtitles, etc. Besides, this converter can also convert non-DRM protected M4V video files to MP4 or other format as well.

Highlights of TunesKit iTunes M4V Converter

• Bypass DRM from iTunes M4V videos
• Convert iTunes M4V to MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV, MOV, etc.
• Preserve 100% original quality while conversion
• Support to customize presets for popular portable devices
• Convert other DRM-free M4V video files easily

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Now let's see how to convert M4V to MP4 on Mac with the help of TunesKit M4V Converter for Mac. Before get started, you should download and installed the TunesKit program as well as iTunes on your computer.

Step 1Open TunesKit and import M4V videos

You will see TunesKit has a clear interface once open it. Then click "Library" button to select choose your target iTunes movies or TV shows for conversion. Hit the "OK" button to load the files. You can also drag and drop the iTunes videos to the program with ease.

Note: Please be noted that you should have already authorized your computer with the same Apple account you used to buy or rent the iTunes movies or TV shows. And it must be able to play well in iTunes. Or there may be some errors during the conversion.

Step 2Select output format as MP4

Next click the "Format" button to confirm whether the output format is "Lossless MP4" as default, which means your M4V files will be converted fast and losslessly. If not, choose it as output format. Or you can select the MP4 format under General Video tab as well.

Step 3Convert M4V to MP4 Mac

Now you can click on the "Convert" button and TunesKit will start the conversion. A few minutes later, all your M4V files will be converted as common MP4 files. You can then find them on the history folder and copy to any player or device for watching freely.

Comparison: TunesKit vs VLC vs Online Converter

The following brif table will let you understand clearly about the advantages and disadvantages of these three methods above to convert M4V to MP4 on Mac, so that you can make your decision more easily.

Adam Gorden is an experienced writer of TunesKit who is obsessed about tech, movie and software.