For certain reason, you may need to convert MP4 to WMV format on your Mac computer. In such circumstance, you need a Mac MP4 to WMV converter to help you do this. Here is a guide on how to convert MP4 to WMV on Mac.

Part 1: MP4 vs. WMV

What is MP4?

MP4 is short for MPEG-4 Part 14. It is a container format most commonly used to store videos and audios. Also, it can be used to store subtitles, images, etc. Like most container formats, it allows multimedia streaming over the internet. MP4 is the official filename extension for MP4 files; it is the most common format for smart phones, tablets, media players, and thousands of other devices. Other extensions include .m4a, .m4p, and .m4a.

What is WMV?

WMV is short for Windows Media Video. It is a video compression format developed by Microsoft for several proprietary codecs. Its main competitors are MPEG-4 AVC, AVS, RealVideo, and MPEG-4 ASP. WMV was originally designed for internet streaming applications. Through standardization by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), WMV 9 has gained adoption for physical-delivery formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

MP4 vs. WMV

MP4 WMV
Developed by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Microsoft
Video Formats Supported MPEG-2 Part 2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.263, VC-1, Dirac, others MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-4AVC/H.264, WMV-HD, WMV9
Audio Formats Supported MPEG-2/4 (HE)-AAC, MPEG-1/2 Layers I, II, III (MP3), AC-3, Apple Lossless, ALS, SLS, Vorbis, others MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3, DTS, RealAudio, PCM, etc
Media Players Supported Almost all media players Windows Media Player, Leawo Blu-ray Player, RealPlayer, MPlayer, Media Player Classic, VLC Media Player and K-Multimedia Player
Portable Devices Supported All portable devices like Apple, Android, Microsoft devices and Sony game consoles Microsoft devices, part of Android devices, and Sony game consoles; not work on Apple devices
File Size Small Even smaller than MP4 under same video quality
Pros Better in video quality than WMV; Supported by almost all OS, players & mobile devices; Commonly used for sharing video files online Smaller in file size than MP4; Compatible well with any Windows PC; The small size makes it easy for network transmission
Cons Costs more system resources when editing MP4 videos Needs plug-ins like Flip4Mac when playing WMV files on Mac; Video transmission has a delay

Part 2: 5 Top Popular Video Converters for Mac

As mentioned above, MP4 and WMV are 2 different file formats. To convert MP4 to WMV on Mac, you need to make use of MP4 to WMV video converter tools that could work on Mac OS platform. Here, for your convenience, we have collected 5 top popular video converters for Mac users to convert video and audio files on Mac, including converting MP4 to WMV on Mac.

Leawo Video Converter for Mac

Leawo Video Converter for Mac

Leawo Video Converter for Mac is a comprehensive video converter for Mac users to complete video and audio conversions between hundreds of formats like MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, MOV, MKV, M4V, MP3, AAC, FLAC, etc. on Mac OS X 10.7 and later. It also has other features like Mac 2D to 3D converter, Mac video editor, Mac video player, Mac photo to slideshow video converter, etc.

Handbrake for Mac

Handbrake for Mac

Handbrake is a totally free media converter tool for people to convert video and audio files between various formats. It has both Windows and Mac versions. Mac computer owners could make use of Handbrake for Mac to convert MP4 to WMV, MOV to MKV, M4V to MP4, etc. on Mac without losing quality.

FFmpegx

FFmpegx

FFmpegX for Mac is another free Mac video converter that is based on the collection of UNIX tools which not only makes it flexible but powerful as well. The drag and drop interface of the software makes it easy to use for all types of users. FFmpegX supports a wide array of formats and also allows customizing files as needed with different tools. The conversion speed of the program is also very fast. There is also a subtitle converter with OCR with the feature of VOB to SRT text format.

QuickTime

QuickTime

QuickTime is the built-in video player of Mac system that multitasks and performs an array of other functions as well including video conversion. While using QuickTime there is no need of downloading any software or program as it comes bundled with the system. The process of video conversion is simple and quick using this free Mac video converter.

Onlinevideoconverter.com

Onlinevideoconverter

Onlinevideoconverter.com is a free online video converter that Mac users could use to convert MP4 to WMV files on Mac computers for totally free. Actually, this free online video converter tool could handle conversions for video, audio, image, document, etc. for free. However, it has file size limitation and requires Internet connection.

The below table is a comparison between these 5 popular video converters for Mac mentioned above. You could take look at this table and learn more about them.

 

Leawo Video Converter for Mac

Handbrake for Mac

QuickTime

FFmpegX

OnlineVideoConverter.com

Convert videos and audios

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Convert images to slideshow video

Yes

No

No

No

No

Edit output profile parameters

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Batch conversion

Yes

No

No

No

No

Apply 3D effect

Yes

No

No

No

No

Merge files into one

Yes

No

No

No

No

Play back video and audio files

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Insert subtitles

Yes

No

No

No

No

Select subtitles and audio tracks

Yes

No

No

No

No

Download and installation requirement

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

File size limitation

No

No

No

No

Yes

Cost

Free trial and paid version

Free

Free

Free

Free

Take screenshot

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Obviously, Leawo Video Converter is the most comprehensive video converter for Mac you could use.

Part 3: Best Tool to Convert MP4 to WMV Mac

To convert MP4 to WMV Mac, I choose Leawo Video Converter for Mac as it is the best MP4 to WMV converter Mac you could ever get for this mission. It is a comprehensive Mac media converter suite that could convert videos and audios on Mac between 180+ formats, including: FLV, MP4, AVI, WMV, VOB, MKV, MOV, M4V, MPEG, M2TS, etc. It works on all modern Mac OS X operating system like 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10 Yosemite, 10.9 Mavericks, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.7 Lion, and 10.6 Snow Leopard. When Apple updates its operating system, Leawo updates its video converter. By the way, Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista users can go to get the Windows version, namely

Features of Leawo Video Converter for Mac:

1. This video converter can import video and audio sources in any formats, and realize mutual conversion between them with ease. You can get movies, songs and more in formats of sorts for enjoying.
2. It is the best video converter to convert 2D video to 3D with 6 different 3D effects available: Red/Cyan, Red/Green, Red/Blue, Blue/Yellow, Interleaved, Side by Side. 3D Depth is adjustable as well.
3. The video converter could convert video and audio for Apple/Android/BlackBerry/Windows Mobile/Symbian/Palm users, and more device/player/software users.
4. This video converter supports video-folder reading for batch files loading, and batch conversion feature. You can fulfill video conversion within a few simple mouse-clicks.

Part 4: How to Convert MP4 to WMV on Mac

Download and install Leawo Video Converter for Mac on your Mac computer. After the installation completes, kick off the program and start to convert MP4 to WMV Mac.

Guide on how to convert MP4 to WMV on Mac with Leawo Video Converter for Mac:

Step 1: Import source MP4 video files

import-source-mp4-video-files

Under the "Convert" module, click the "Add Video" button or directly drag source MP4 video files that you've stored on your Mac into this MP4 to WMV converter for Mac. You could get all information on the left processing list, import multiple MP4 video files for batch MP4 to WMV conversion, edit loaded MP4 video files, add 3D effect, etc.

Step 2: Set output format

set-output-format

After importing source MP4 files, click the drop-down box before the big green "Convert" button and then select "Change" option to enter the Profile window for output format setting. To convert MP4 to WMV, you need to open "Format > Common Video" group to select WMV as output format.

detail-video-and-audio-parameters

Optional: If you're not satisfied with the video and audio parameters of preset output format like video codec, bit rate, aspect ratio, quality, frame rate, audio codec, audio quality, audio bit rate, sample rate and channel, you could reset them. After setting output format, re-open the drop-down box and then select "Edit" option to enter the Profile Settings panel. On the Profile Setting panel, you could freely set the parameters.

Step 3: Set output directory

set-output-directory

When all the format settings are finished, save the settings and return to the main interface. Click the big green "Convert" button on the main interface to set output directory on the popup sidebar. You could open "Save to" box to browse desired folder as output directory.

Step 4: Convert MP4 to WMV on Mac

convert-mp4-to-wmv-mac

At last, start converting MP4 video to WMV format on Mac by clicking the bottom "Convert" button on the sidebar. When the conversion is finished, you get WMV videos from MP4 files. Then you could freely import the WMV files to any media player or device as you like.

Note: For Windows users, please click here to learn how to convert MP4 files to WMV format on PC easily.

Actually, Leawo Video Converter for Mac is not only a media converter that could handle video and audio conversions. It could also perform as a photo converter to turn photos into slideshow video on Mac, a 2D to 3D converter to convert 2D videos to 3D movies in 6 different 3D effects, a video editor to edit videos like adding image or text watermark, etc.

Part 5: Other Free Solutions for Converting MP4 to WMV

Beside Leawo Video Converter, there are other solutions for you to convert MP4 to WMV. If you don't want to install a computer program, you can try an online MP4 to WMV converter to convert MP4 to WMV online. Most of online MP4 to WMV converters are free, which means you can convert MP4 to WMV online free.

#1: Online Video Converter:

convert-to-wmv-online

This free MP4 to WMV converter online lets you convert MP4 to WMV online for free. In addition to MP4 files, it accepts various kinds of common or HD video files as input. Besides, you can change settings to enhance the WMV conversion.

#2: Convert Files - Free online file converter

convert-files-online

You can convert your MP4 video file into a WMV video file by using this free online website. There are two ways to import your video file: choose a local file from your device or download it directly from another web source. You need to verify that your input format is a MP4 file and your output format will be a WMV file. There is an option to send the download link to your email. After you select your MP4 file and set WMV as output format, push on Convert button.

#3: Any Video Converter Free

any-video-converter-free

Any Video Converter Free is designed with no limitations and zero costs. It lets you effortlessly convert any video files to any format for FREE, including MP4 to WMV conversion.