Fix MOV Files That Are Not Working in Windows Movie Maker

Are you troubled with .mov files not playing in the latest Windows Movie Maker? Some digital cameras and iPhones record videos in MOV format and it is frustrating to see those video files not opening in Windows Movie Maker. Fortunately, you can make the .mov files play in the Windows Live Movie Maker by converting them to a .wmv file format for free!

We are recommending any free video conversion tools here. You can convert them to Windows Live Movie Maker itself. Yes, that’s true. Windows Live Movie Maker has the option to convert the video to file formats it can recognize.

Before we proceed further with the conversion steps, it is recommended to create a copy of the original .mov file. In case, something goes wrong while converting you don’t want to end up in a situation where you cannot play MOV file or you feel that the quality is reduced after the conversion, don’t have to worry as you’ll have your original video with you. Now, let’s get started.

Steps to Convert MOV files to WMV in Windows Live Movie Maker

Step #1: Check The File Format Before Converting

First, confirm that the file format just to be sure that the movie/video you are converting is a .mov file. To do so;

Open File Explorer and navigate to the movie directory. Select the file by left clicking it and see at the bottom of the window. Just below the filename of the video, you’ll see some text in gray saying QuickTime Movie. Now, we are confirmed about the video clip file format. Let’s move to the next step.

Step #2: Run Windows Movie Maker

Windows Live Movie Maker offers a lot of Windows Live features since Windows 7, most of which are already installed in it. You can free download the latest application from Microsoft site. To open Windows Live Movie Maker, click on Start Menu, and then select All Programs and then Windows Live and then select Windows Live Movie Maker.

Step #3: Import .mov file into Windows Movie Maker

Once you launch the Windows Live Movie Maker, click Home tab in that, select “Add Videos and Photos.” A window will open, browse your video from there and click on Open.

Step #4: Test the Movie

Test if the video is opened correctly in the Movie Maker. Play the video and check the seeker on the right-side.

Step #5: Export and Convert MOV to WMV

In the Home tab under Sharing section, click More Options. From the choices that appear, select Other Settings to Save a Movie On Your Computer. You’ll have the option of select the quality of the video like HD, HQ and Standard Definition. If your movie is shot in high-definition, you can select HD to maintain the same quality.

Step #6: Select The Save Location

Choose a location to save the video file and give any file-name that you like but make sure you DO NOT change the file type in Save as type drop-down list. It should say “Windows Media Video (WMV) File.”

Step #7: Conversion Process Begins

The conversion process starts and you will see a window with the progress bar. Patiently wait for some time. The conversion process depends on the size of the video, the quality you selected and your computer’s speed.

That’s it! After the conversion process is complete, you’ll have a new .wmv video ready to stream.