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QuickTime components missing for MOV files on Windows 11

I installed quicktime 7.7.9 for windows to my laptop running windows 11. Then I run video files with extension mov. It pop up a message asking me to find quicktime components but I can't find that page. Before, I recorded a basketball game about 5 minutes duration with my iPhone 14 Plus. Then I transfer the file to my laptop to save storage space. But I can't view that file. What can I do ?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 14 Plus, iOS 18

Posted on Nov 1, 2024 6:55 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 1, 2024 8:05 AM

QuickTime for Windows is officially unsupported since 2016, and was written for Vista and Windows 7. Later versions of Windows may not be (fully) compatible. QuickTime 7.x does not support H.265 HEVC (which your file probably has). H.265 HEVC support came later.


You do not need QuickTime to play MOV files. However, MOV files can have video using various codecs, including H.264 AVC and H.265 HEVC. Unfortunately, it seems that Microsoft didn’t include H.265 HEVC support in a default Windows install, instead offering a H.265 video extension as a separate download.

I think it was a pay download at one time, that may have changed now, not sure.

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nmzlz57r3t7 (2018. Not sure how this one is different, but it seems newer.)

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n4wgh0z6vhq (2017. Not sure how this one is different, but it seems it was released a year earlier.)

With even more modern codec AV1, we’ll soon get another round of similar adjustments.


  • Alternatively, iPhone itself also offers assistance for this, by either defaulting to record in H.264 AVC instead of H.265 HEVC. Better compatibility but slightly bigger files (and no HDR). Settings﹥Camera﹥Formats﹥High Efficiency | Most Compatible
  • iPhone itself also offers a setting to transcode H.265 HEVC into H.264 AVC during transfer, so that already recorded files can become more compatible on your computer. Settings﹥Apps﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Automatic (transcode if needed) | Keep Originals (don’t change the file, keep the format as-is)

Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support


Lastly, for playback only, consider other media players, e.g. VLC, which offers different decoding capabilities than Microsoft’s own Media Player.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 1, 2024 8:05 AM in response to TCAppleNOV1202

QuickTime for Windows is officially unsupported since 2016, and was written for Vista and Windows 7. Later versions of Windows may not be (fully) compatible. QuickTime 7.x does not support H.265 HEVC (which your file probably has). H.265 HEVC support came later.


You do not need QuickTime to play MOV files. However, MOV files can have video using various codecs, including H.264 AVC and H.265 HEVC. Unfortunately, it seems that Microsoft didn’t include H.265 HEVC support in a default Windows install, instead offering a H.265 video extension as a separate download.

I think it was a pay download at one time, that may have changed now, not sure.

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nmzlz57r3t7 (2018. Not sure how this one is different, but it seems newer.)

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n4wgh0z6vhq (2017. Not sure how this one is different, but it seems it was released a year earlier.)

With even more modern codec AV1, we’ll soon get another round of similar adjustments.


  • Alternatively, iPhone itself also offers assistance for this, by either defaulting to record in H.264 AVC instead of H.265 HEVC. Better compatibility but slightly bigger files (and no HDR). Settings﹥Camera﹥Formats﹥High Efficiency | Most Compatible
  • iPhone itself also offers a setting to transcode H.265 HEVC into H.264 AVC during transfer, so that already recorded files can become more compatible on your computer. Settings﹥Apps﹥Photos﹥Transfer to Mac or PC﹥Automatic (transcode if needed) | Keep Originals (don’t change the file, keep the format as-is)

Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support


Lastly, for playback only, consider other media players, e.g. VLC, which offers different decoding capabilities than Microsoft’s own Media Player.

QuickTime components missing for MOV files on Windows 11

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