[Fixed] MOV No Video Only Audio Error on Mac/Windows

"On some, but not all, of my .mov files, WMP only plays audio. These are videos that I made on iPhone XS Max. Some of the videos have been edited on the phone. I then upload the files to dropbox, using the dropbox app. It is from here that my computer struggles to play some of the video in Windows Media Player. I downloaded Quicktime and get the same result (audio, but no video)." – User from Microsoft Community

MOV, a container format supported by both Mac and Windows, can comprise timecode, text tracks, video and audio data, and each media track is encoded with one or several different codecs. So, to play MOV files successfully with video, the player must recognize the certain codecs inside MOV. Besides the incompatible codecs leading MOV no video error, there are also many other factors like corrupted MOV video, wrong settings of computer, updated/outdated media player, etc. After ransacking the internet, there are roughly 2 situations (playing MOV and editing MOV) about MOV file no video that have got top attention. So, this guide will show how to solve MOV file only audio no video error with some examples step by step.

Table of contents:

Part 1. Why Does MOV File Play Audio but No Video?

Part 2. How to Solve MOV File No Video Only Audio Error?

• 1. Fix Corrupted/Damaged MOV File
• 2. Fix Missing Codec or Codec Incompatibility – Cause over 90% MOV No Video Error
• 3. Update Your Media Player or Editor Software
• 4. Reset Your Player or Editor Software

Part 1. Why Does MOV File Play Audio but No Video?

Corrupted or damaged MOV file is a physical factor that you should consider first. Your MOV video may get damaged or broken when transferring or downloading in wrong ways. Under such circumstance, you should re-download the file or simply repair MOV with a tool. Second, missing required MOV codec or codec incompatibility is another yet most important factor causing over 90% MOV no video or no sound error. Third, outdated or updated software or OS is also a culprit. Last, some other small causes include virus intrusion, bad sectors on storage media, wrong settings of your software, etc.

Accordingly, we will explain the main reasons to MOV file no video problem in detail and provide workable solutions.

Part 2. How to Solve MOV File Only Audio No Video Error?

Method 1. Check If MOV File is Corrupted or Damaged

You can’t even open a MOV video but get a black screen if the MOV video is totally damaged or broken. This problem is usually caused by improper transferring, uncompleted downloading, wrong storage, or being edited by an unsupported editor. To solve the issue to make MOV playable with video, repairing MOV file with a tool is a most suggested way.

Method 2. Fix Missing Required Codec or Codec Incompatibility – Main Cause

As MOV is a container format which can contain different media tracks, while each media track is encoded using different codecs, the MOV file may be not compatible with your media player or video editor software. By downloading required MOV codecs, e.g. MOV codec for Windows Media Player, or HEVC codec for Adobe Premiere Pro can you solve the MOV no video in some cases. But the once-for-all solution is to convert MOV to a more compatible format, like MOV to MP4.

To convert MOV to MOV with required codecs or convert MOV to MP4, you need a powerful video converter to help you. Winxvideo AI is as of now the best choice to re-encode MOV file to be more acceptable so as to fix diverse MOV file not playing issue including MOV file no video, MOV no sound, MOV file out of sync, MOV black screen, MOV video not importing, and so on.

Below steps are about how to re-encode a MOV video to fix the no video error.

Step 1. Download Winxvideo AI, install and launch it on your computer.

Step 2. On the main UI, click on the "Video Converter" button to navigate to the video conversion window.

Step 3. Click + Video button to add the MOV video that you want to re-encode with required codecs.

Step 4. Pop up the Output Profile window by clicking on the Target Format option at the bottom, choose an output format. Here, we suggest you to go to Mac General Video and choose MP4 Video (H264) or MOV Video (H264) as the best output. Of course, you can choose other output format based on your need.

Step 5. Choose a destination folder to save the converted MOV file by clicking on the Browse button.

Step 6. Hit RUN button and your MOV video will be converted to a more compatible format.

Method 3. Update Your Media Player or Video Editor Software

As the newer codec like HEVC, AV1 or ProRes is out, your media player (QuickTime, VLC, Windows Media Player) or video editor (Premiere Pro, Movie Maker, Hitfilm Express) may be outdated to support the newer codecs for MOV files playback with video. Sometimes, updating your media player or video editor to the newest version can install the required MOV codec for MOV playback. But, please note, upgraded OS or software may also discard the support for the old dated codecs inside MOV video thus causing MOV no video error.

Method 4. Reset Your Media Player or Video Editor Software

Here, we take 2 typical examples including VLC (media player) and Premiere Pro (video editor) to show you how to reset your media player or video editor software to let play MOV files with videos and sound.

Note: The solutions may work. If you have tried them all to your problem but failed to fix MOV file plays audio but no video, the codec error should be proved to be the key reason in high possibility. If it is true, you should turn to a video converter to convert your MOV video with necessary codecs.

Example 1. Fix VLC MOV No Video

1. After download VLC from the official website, make sure the necessary component of VLC has been checked during installation. As some codecs or components are necessary for MOV playback with images.

2. Make sure you haven’t disabled the video in your player.

• Windows: Click on Tools on VLC > Preferences > Video and check the "Enable video".
• Mac: Click on VLC on the top left corner of Mac > Preferences > Video > check "Enable video".

3. Reset the Preferences.

• Windows: Tools > Preferences > Video and choose Reset Preferences.
• Mac: Click on VLC on the top left corner of Mac > Preferences > Video and choose Reset All.

4. Change the video output mode.

• Windows: Tools > Preferences > Video > choose the video Output mode from the drop down menu. Often the case that Direct3D11 video output works, and you can also try other options until the VLC no video Windows 10 problem gets resolved.
• Mac: Click on VLC on the top left corner of Mac > Preferences > Show All > Click on Video on the left bar > Output modules > choose the output mode from the drop down menu.

5. Disable hardware decoding function on Windows 10

• Launch VLC > Tools > Preferences > Show All Settings > Input/Codecs > Video Codecs > FFmpeg > Uncheck "Hardware decoding".

Example 2. Fix Premiere Pro MOV No Video

1. Update your software and check PC system requirements.

Higher version of software can support newer and higher resolution videos, and higher version of software needs higher configurations of PC.

2. Check video track during video editing.

The experienced users know the basic knowledge. Only add the MOV video to the video track section and make it viewable can make the MOV file perform with image.

In conclusion:

There are various reasons, big or small, causing MOV file no video only audio issue. Among them, missing required codec or incompatible codec is the main factor that leads to over 90% of MOV file not playing issues. So, the easiest and best way is to re-encode MOV to a more compatible format with a video converter like Winxvideo AI.