Convert CAF to MOV — Free Online Converter

CAF and MOV are both Apple formats, but serve different roles. CAF (Core Audio Format) is the professional audio container for macOS Core Audio. MOV is Apple's QuickTime multimedia container, the native format for Final Cut Pro and Apple's video ecosystem. Both are deeply integrated into macOS, but MOV has broader application support.

Converting CAF to MOV wraps the audio in Apple's QuickTime container, enabling use in Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and any QuickTime-aware application. This is the standard step when professional audio must enter Apple's video production pipeline.

Final Cut Pro and other QuickTime-based tools expect MOV input. While they may accept some audio formats directly, MOV provides the best integration with timecode support, edit lists, and frame-accurate synchronization. Converting CAF to MOV is the standard preparation for video post-production.

MOV also supports broader distribution than CAF — QuickTime Player, web browsers (with H.264), and many cross-platform video tools handle MOV. CAF is limited to Core Audio applications.

FFmpeg reads the CAF container and muxes or transcodes the audio into a MOV container. AAC audio can potentially be stream-copied from CAF to MOV. PCM audio is wrapped directly in MOV without encoding. ALAC is either copied or re-encoded within MOV. The MOV container adds QuickTime-specific atoms for timecode and edit list support.