How to export an iMovie project as MP4
Last updated 2026-10-20
In iMovie on Mac, open the project, click the Share button and choose Export File. For MP4, Apple's steps set Quality to Medium or Low and Resolution to 720 or 540, then Next and Save. Apple gives these steps for apps and websites that do not support MOV files. Woven exports only H.264 MP4, at 1080p or 1440p.
Save an iMovie project as MP4 on a Mac
Apple's iMovie help page has two routes on a Mac: Save the video as a file, and separate steps to export your video as an MP4 file. Apple says the MP4 steps are for devices, apps or websites that do not support MOV files.
Here are Apple's MP4 steps. Open the project, click the Share button and choose Export File. In the export window, set the Quality pop-up menu to Medium or Low and the Resolution pop-up menu to 720 or 540. The Compress pop-up menu adjusts how long iMovie takes to convert the file. Click Next, pick a location and click Save.
If the project started on an iPhone or iPad, Apple says to import it into iMovie on your Mac first. Apple's pages also word this dialog two ways: one says Export File, and the Mac guide says File › Share › File and adds a Format pop-up menu. Both show Resolution, Quality and Compress, so use whichever your copy of iMovie shows.
iMovie export settings, as Apple names them
These are the menus in iMovie's export window and what Apple's pages say about each.
4K and 60 fps both depend on your first clip. Apple says the first clip added to a Mac project must be a 4K or 60 fps clip, because that clip sets the project's format. Apple's MP4 steps name only 720 and 540 for Resolution, so check your own menu for other sizes.
| Setting | What Apple says |
|---|---|
| Format | Export video and audio, or audio only |
| Resolution | Default follows your media; lower gives smaller files that upload faster |
| Resolution: 4K | 3840 x 2160 at 30 fps |
| Resolution: 1080p 60 | 1920 x 1080 at 60 fps |
| Quality | A preset, or Custom with a target bit rate slider |
| Compress | Adjusts how long the conversion takes |
| Allow export segmentation | Speeds up projects of about 3 minutes or longer; needs macOS Sonoma or later and an M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 Max, M2 Ultra or M3 Max Mac |
File size, email limits and vertical video
Apple does not publish a fixed size for an iMovie export. Lower resolution and lower quality make a smaller file that uploads faster. Higher settings suit viewing on a Mac or an HD TV through Apple TV.
To see the cost before you save, set Quality to Custom and drag the slider. The estimated file size appears below the preview thumbnail and updates as you drag. For email, iMovie warns when a video passes the recommended limit, usually 10 MB. Lower the resolution until the warning goes.
Apple's export pages do not mention vertical video or aspect ratio. They cover resolution only, so they cannot tell you how to get a 9:16 file. If a Reel or Short is the goal, choose the canvas shape first. The Woven section below shows how, and the YouTube video resolution guide covers what to upload there.
After you click Save
A progress indicator appears on the right of the toolbar, and clicking it shows details. When the export finishes, the file opens in QuickTime Player and a Share Successful notification appears. Play it through there before you upload.
Export an MP4 from Woven
Woven has one export format: an MP4 with H.264 video (High profile) in Rec. 709 color. The Export button's menu lists two sizes, 1080p and 1440p. That number is the short side, so a vertical 1080x1920 canvas exports at 1080 by 1920. Average bitrate is 24 Mbps for 9:16 and 16:9 at 1080p and for every 1440p export, and 12 Mbps for a 1080x1080 square. There is no 4K export, and an export started from chat always renders at 1080p.
Ask in chat
- Export this at 1080p.
- Make the canvas vertical and export it.
- Switch the canvas to square, then export.
Or do it by hand
- 1Import. Bring in your clips with Add, then Video. Woven takes MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM files, and a drag from Finder works too.
- 2Pick the canvas. The toolbar's Format menu sets the shape: Vertical 1080x1920, Square 1080x1080, Horizontal 1920x1080, or Custom… for any other size.
- 3Trim. Drag either end of a clip inward to drop what you do not need. ⌘B splits a clip where the playhead sits.
- 4Export. The Export button holds two sizes; pick 1080p or 1440p. The export moves through Preparing, audio mixing, rendering and finalizing, with a percentage, then shows Done.
- 5Find the file. Woven saves it in the workspace's exports folder, named with the reel name, date and time. It adds a suffix rather than overwrite an older file.
Common questions
Open the project, click Share, choose Export File, set Quality to Medium or Low and Resolution to 720 or 540, then click Next and Save. Those are the settings in Apple's MP4 steps.
Apple's help page gives separate Export File steps for MP4 and says they are for devices, apps or websites that do not support MOV files. Use them when an upload or app will not take your file.
Choose 4K in the Resolution pop-up menu of the Share window. Apple says iMovie shares 4K projects at 3840 x 2160 and 30 fps, and the first clip in the project must be a 4K clip.
Lower the Resolution or the Quality. With Quality set to Custom, iMovie shows an estimated file size under the preview thumbnail as you drag the slider.
Yes. In File › Share › File, the Format pop-up menu lets you export video and audio, or audio only.
Apple gives no time. The Compress pop-up menu adjusts it, and Allow export segmentation can speed up projects of about 3 minutes or longer on supported Macs.
Sources
- Share or export your iMovie video - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Export a movie, trailer, or clip as a file in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Use 4K and 60 frames per second video in iMovie - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
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