How to fix QuickTime Player can’t open MP4 issue? This article explains the reasons. It also shows 6 effective solutions, including restarting the computer, reinstalling QuickTime Player, converting video format, scanning the computer for viruses and malware, changing to another video player, or repairing the video.

What to Do if QuickTime Player Can’t Play MP4 Files?

  • Restart your computer
  • Reinstall QuickTime Player
  • Convert video format
  • Scan your computer for viruses and malware
  • Use another supported video player
  • Repair your video

Fix 1: Restart Your Computer

When you are using your Windows or Mac, your operations will produce some temporary and cached files. For example, there may be some residual files that remain on your computer but you don’t know this. These files can be the cause of QuickTime Player not playing files. Besides, many files are just running in the background. Some of them are unnecessary and they even cause problems.

Also Read:Why Rebooting a Computer Fixes Problems? Answers Are Here

It is easy to remove these files. You just need to restart your Windows or Mac. After that, you can use your QuickTime Player to play

Fix 2: Reinstall QuickTime Player

If your QuickTime Player not playing MP4 because it is corrupted or outdated, you can reinstall it to have a try. Since Apple has ended support for both the Windows version and Mac version of QuickTime Player, you need to go to the Apple official QuickTime download page to get the newest version and then install it on your computer. Please select a suitable version according to the operating system you are running.

Fix 3: Convert Video Format

If your QuickTime Player is not working, you can try converting MP4 to MOV, which is natively supported by QuickTime Player. You can use MiniTool Video Converter, a free video and audio format converter for Windows. This software is specifically designed for converting video and audio file formats. Below is a detailed guide to fix QuickTime Player can’t open MP4 using MiniTool Video Converter to convert videos.

Fast Track:

  • Download MiniTool Video Converter
  • Upload the target video
  • Specify MOV as the output format
  • Start the conversion process
  • Check the converted video

Step 1: Obtain MiniTool Video Converter

Download and install MiniTool Video Converter. Then, run this application.

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Upload the Target File

In the default Convert Video tab, click on the Add Files option to import the target video.

MiniTool Video Convert interface with the Convert Video tab and the Add Files option selected.

Step 3: Configure MP4 as the Output Format

Click on the Gear icon to open the format settings window. Next, go to the Video tab and choose MOV. Then, select a proper resolution, such as 4K Video.

MiniTool Video Converter format settings window showing how to set MP4 for the converted video in the Convert Video tab.

Step 4: Begin the Conversion

Expand the Output option to choose a storage location for the converted video. Then, click on the Convert button to begin the conversion process.

MiniTool Video Converter with the Output option and the Convert button selected in the Convert Video tab.

Step 5: Check the Converted Video

Once the conversion ends, the converted video will land on the Completed tab. Here, click on the Play icon to check it. Or click on the Folder icon to locate the converted video on the computer.

MiniTool Video Converter Completed tab with the Play icon and the Folder icon selected in the Convert Video tab.

MiniTool Video Converter supports converting videos to MP4 in batches. It supports 1000+ formats, including 4K/FHD/HD MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, M4V, and more.

Fix 4: Scan Your Computer for Viruses and Malware

If your computer is attacked by viruses or malware, the issue of QuickTime Player can’t open MP4 can also happen. Due to this, you can use antivirus software to scan your computer for viruses and malware and remove them.

Here are some choices for you:

  1. Norton
  2. Bitdefender
  3. McAfee
  4. BullGuard
  5. Panda

All of them have both Windows and Mac versions. You can select one of them to scan your computer.

Also Read:How to Protect Your Computer from Viruses? (12 Methods)

Fix 5: Use another Video Player

QuickTime Player is not the only video player. If it can’t play MP4 video or other types of videos, or it is not working on your computer, you can use another video player to have a try.

No matter whether you are running Windows or Mac, you can try one of the following video players to play videos:

  1. VLC (VLC media player)
  2. 5Kplayer
  3. GOM Media Player
  4. MediaMonkey
  5. Kodi

Fix 6: Repair Your Video

Another possibility is that the video you want to play is corrupted or has a missing codec. In a situation like this, you need to use a professional video repair tool to repair the video or download a codec pack (if you are not a professional user, you’d better not download a codec pack because an unsafe source may bring viruses or malware to your computer). If you can’t do it by yourself, you can ask a professional for help.

Also Read:How to Protect Your Computer from Viruses? (12 Methods)

QuickTime Supported Media Formats

In this part, we will show you two tablets of QuickTime Player supported video and audio formats.

Supported Video Formats

Supported Video Formats
Video FormatsCodecs
QuickTime Movie (.mov) MPEG-4 (.mp4, .m4v) MPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later) MPEG-1 3GPP 3GPP2 AVCHD (OS X Mountain Lion or later) AVI (Motion JPEG only) DVMPEG-2 (OS X Lion or later) MPEG-4 (Part 2) H.264 H.263 H.261 Apple ProRes Apple Pixlet Animation Cinepak Component Video DV DVC Pro 50 Graphics Motion JPEG Photo JPEG Sorenson Video 2 Sorenson Video 3

Supported Audio Formats

Supported Audio Formats
Audio FormatsCodecs
iTunes Audio (.m4a, .m4b, .m4p) MP3 Core Audio (.caf) AIFF AU SD2 WAV SND AMRAAC (MPEG-4 Audio) HE-AAC Apple Lossless MP3 AMR Narrowband MS ADPCM QDesign Music 2 Qualcomm PureVoice (QCELP) IMA 4:1 MACE 3:1 (Mac OS X v10.6.x only) MACE 6:1 (Mac OS X v10.6.x only) ALaw 2:1 ULaw 2:1 24-Bit Integer 32-Bit Integer 32-Bit Floating Point 64-Bit Floating Point

Summary

This article shares 6 fixes to fix QuickTime Player can’t open MP4, including restarting the computer, reinstalling QuickTime Player, converting the video format, scanning the computer for viruses and malware, using another video player, and repairing videos.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact MiniTool official via support@minitool.com.

QuickTime Player Can’t Open MP4 FAQ

1. Is MP4 compatible with QuickTime?
QuickTime and MP4 container formats use the same MPEG-4 formats. So they are mostly interchangeable in a QuickTime-only environment. You can say MP4 is compatible with QuickTime. But MP4 is more complex. Perhaps, you can’t use QuickTime Player to play MP4. When this issue happens, you should not worry about it. You can use the methods mentioned in this post to solve the issue.
2. Why can’t I open MP4 files?
The main causes are as follows:
The video has a missing codec.
There is something wrong with your media player.
The video has the wrong extension.
Your media player doesn’t support the video format.
Your media player settings are not correct.
    3. What Tool can open MP4 files on a Mac?
    QuickTime Player, Photos, and Keynote can work with many kinds of video and audio formats. MP4 is included.
    4. Is MPEG4 the same as MP4?
    MPEG4 and MP4 are not the same. The history, application, and compatibility are different. You can find the detailed explanation in this post: MPEG4 VS MP4: What Is The Difference & How To Convert.
    • linkedin
    • reddit