HOW TO – Export a Web-Ready Video (m4v) Out of QuickTime X

NOTE: The instructions below were originally a part of this post: How to Make a Screencast with QuickTime X for Mac I decided to post them separately because the process of exporting a web-ready video out of QuickTime X applies to any video QuickTime can open, not just one you recorded into QuickTime.

File Menu -> Save for Web

With a video open in QuickTime, go to the File menu and select Save for web.

Quicktime file saveforweb

File Name & Destination

Give the file an appropriate name (something more helpful than ScreenRecording!), specify a location, choose “Computer,” and click Save.

Quicktime web export options

Finding the m4v Version

The version you create this way will appear in a folder in the location you specified. Open the folder and locate the file that ends in .m4v

Quicktime web export folder

The .m4v file is the compressed video file you should upload to YouTube or Vimeo. You can trash the other files as they’re of no use for our purposes.

TIP: If your folder shows you only icons, then switch to “list view” by clicking on the list view icon as shown below.

Mac finder window viewoptions