The 6 best file converters for Mac (2026)
Six ways to convert images, video, audio and documents on a Mac, from drag-and-drop apps to the command line, and which ones work offline.
The best file converters for Mac in 2026 are Permute (best all-round media converter), HandBrake (best free video converter), Transmute (best offline, drag-and-drop converter for everyday images, video, audio and documents), XnConvert (best free batch image converter), FFmpeg (best for power users and scripts) and CloudConvert (best for rare formats, if you’re happy to upload files). If you only convert the odd image or video, macOS’s built-in Preview, Finder Quick Actions and QuickTime Player are enough.
Disclosure: We make Transmute, one of the apps on this list. We’ve tried to place it where it genuinely fits and to describe every app fairly, using each developer’s own site. Prices and features checked 28 October 2026.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Price model | Runs locally? | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permute | Video, audio and images in one app | One-time purchase (also on Setapp) | Yes | Permute 4: macOS 26, Apple silicon |
| HandBrake | Compressing and converting video | Free and open source | Yes | macOS 14+ |
| Transmute | Everyday images, video, audio, documents and zips, offline | One-time purchase | Yes | macOS 14+ |
| XnConvert | Batch image conversion and edits | Free for private use; paid business license | Yes | Universal (Intel and Apple silicon) |
| FFmpeg | Any audio or video format, from Terminal | Free and open source | Yes | Terminal; install via Homebrew or a static build |
| CloudConvert | Unusual formats, from any browser | Free daily credits; packages or subscription | No, files are uploaded | A web browser |
Prices and features checked 28 October 2026 on each developer’s website. Check the official site before you buy.
1. Permute: best all-round media converter
Permute, from Charlie Monroe Software, is a long-running Mac media converter. You drop files in, pick a preset and convert, and it handles more than 100 formats across video, audio and images, plus PDFs and text.
Standout features
- Trim, crop, resize, rotate and flip, add subtitles or swap audio tracks.
- Combine, split and extract tracks; export PDF pages as images.
- On-device audio transcription to text or SRT, text-to-speech narration and OCR.
- Presets, metadata editing and automation for repeated jobs.
Limits
- The current version requires macOS 26 and an Apple silicon Mac; older Macs need Permute 3.
- The Mac App Store edition differs in some features from the direct version, according to the developer.
Who it’s for: anyone who converts media regularly and wants a polished app with more editing options than a simple converter.
2. HandBrake: best free video converter
HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoder built by volunteers, available for Mac, Windows and Linux. It takes video in almost any common format and re-encodes it for modern devices.
Standout features
- Outputs MP4, MKV and WebM using AV1, H.265, H.264, VP9 and other encoders, with optional hardware-accelerated encoding.
- Built-in device presets plus advanced settings for fine-tuning.
- Batch scanning and a queue for many files.
- Subtitles (including SRT and SSA), chapter markers and filters such as deinterlacing, denoise, cropping and scaling.
- Reads DVD and Blu-ray sources that aren’t copy-protected.
Limits
- It converts video only, not images or documents.
- The number of settings can be a lot if you just want MOV to MP4.
Who it’s for: anyone who needs to compress or re-encode video and doesn’t want to pay or learn the command line.
3. Transmute: best offline drag-and-drop converter for everyday files
Transmute is our converter for the small jobs you do every week. Start dragging any file and a slim Drop Dock slides in from the edge of the screen with only the conversions that fit: HEIC to JPG, MOV to MP4, a video to GIF, a Word file to PDF. Drop on a tile and the result appears next to the original with “(converted)” in its name. A main window handles batches.
Standout features
- Images: reads JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WebP and AVIF; writes JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, GIF and BMP. Resize, strip location and camera data, combine into a PDF, or shrink to a target file size.
- Video: MOV ↔ MP4 (rewrapped without re-encoding when possible), 720p and 1080p compression, HEVC, animated GIFs and soundtrack extraction.
- Audio: M4A (AAC), WAV, AIFF or CAF from any audio your Mac can play, or straight from a video.
- Documents: DOCX, RTF, HTML, TXT and ODT to each other or to PDF; PDF pages to PNG or JPG. Zip and unzip too.
- Originals are never overwritten, and a queue shows before-and-after sizes.
What it doesn’t do
- It can’t write WebP, AVIF or MP3, because macOS doesn’t include those encoders.
- It relies on macOS’s own media support, so formats your Mac can’t open, such as MKV or WebM, need HandBrake or FFmpeg.
- No PDF merging, splitting or editing.
- No fine codec controls such as bitrate or audio channel mapping, and no command-line interface.
Who it’s for: people who are tired of converter websites and want common conversions to take one drag, with nothing leaving the Mac.
4. XnConvert: best free batch image converter
XnConvert, from the makers of XnView, is a cross-platform batch image processor. You add a folder of images, stack up actions, choose an output format and run it.
Standout features
- Reads more than 500 image formats and writes about 70.
- More than 80 actions, including resize, crop, color adjustments and filters, chained in one batch.
- Rotates, converts and compresses images in bulk.
Limits
- Images only: no video, audio or documents.
- Commercial use requires a paid license.
Who it’s for: photographers, web developers and anyone who regularly processes large folders of images.
5. FFmpeg: best for power users and scripts
FFmpeg is the open-source engine inside many video apps. It has no window; you run it in Terminal, which makes it the most capable and the least friendly option here.
Standout features
- Reads and writes almost every audio and video format, including MKV, WebM and MP3.
- Every encoder setting is available, and commands drop straight into scripts.
- Rewraps without re-encoding when the codecs already fit.
# Re-encode a video as H.264 MP4
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4
# Change the container without re-encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mov
# Make an MP3
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3Limits
- No graphical interface; you need to learn its options.
- It handles media, not office documents.
Who it’s for: developers and anyone who batch-processes media in scripts.
6. CloudConvert: best for rare formats, online
CloudConvert is a web-based converter. You upload a file, pick an output format and download the result, so there’s nothing to install.
Standout features
- Handles 212 formats across 11 categories, according to its site, including office documents and e-books.
- An API for building conversions into your own apps and workflows.
- Says it doesn’t sell or mine customer file data, and removes files after processing under its retention policy.
Limits
- Your files leave your Mac, which matters for contracts, IDs and other private documents.
- Needs an internet connection, and large videos take time to upload.
- The free tier is limited to 10 credits a day, and some conversions cost more than one credit.
Who it’s for: occasional conversions of formats your Mac apps can’t open, on files that aren’t sensitive.
The built-in option: Preview, Finder, QuickTime and Terminal
macOS converts more than most people realize:
- Preview: open an image or PDF and choose File › Export…, then pick a format such as JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF or PDF from the Format menu.
- Finder Quick Actions: select one or more images, Control-click and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image to save them as JPEG, PNG or HEIF at a chosen size.
- QuickTime Player: File › Export As saves a video at 4K, 1080p, 720p or 480p, or as audio only.
- Shortcuts: the Convert Image and Encode Media actions turn a conversion you repeat into a one-click shortcut or Quick Action.
Terminal has three converters built in. sips handles images, textutil handles text documents (txt, rtf, rtfd, html, doc, docx, odt, wordml and webarchive) and afconvert handles audio:
# HEIC to JPEG
sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg
# Fit an image within 1200 pixels on its longest side
sips -Z 1200 photo.jpg --out photo-small.jpg
# Word document to plain text, or to HTML
textutil -convert txt report.docx
textutil -convert html report.docx
# WAV to AAC in an .m4a file
afconvert -f m4af -d aac recording.wav recording.m4aThe catch is that each tool covers one corner and you have to know where it lives. None of them write WebP or MP3, and there’s no single place to drop any file and get a result. For that, use one of the apps above.
How we picked
- Coverage: which kinds of files each tool converts, and how well.
- Privacy: whether conversion happens on your Mac or files are uploaded.
- Price model: free, one-time or subscription, from each developer’s own site.
- Maintained for current macOS, with the minimum version taken from the developer.
- Range: one strong option for each kind of user, from drag-and-drop to Terminal.
We make Transmute. We placed it third: Permute converts more formats with more editing, and HandBrake is the free choice for serious video work. Transmute’s case is speed and breadth for everyday files, offline, for a one-time price.
FAQ
What is the best file converter app for Mac?
It depends on what you convert. Permute is the best all-round media converter, HandBrake is the best free video converter, and Transmute is the best offline drag-and-drop converter for everyday images, video, audio, documents and zip files. Power users should learn FFmpeg.
How do I convert files on a Mac without uploading them?
Use a converter that runs on your Mac: Preview, Finder’s Convert Image Quick Action, QuickTime Player, or Terminal tools like sips, textutil and afconvert are built in. Permute, HandBrake, Transmute, XnConvert and FFmpeg also work offline. Online services such as CloudConvert upload your files to their servers.
Is there a free file converter for Mac?
Yes. HandBrake and FFmpeg are free and open source, XnConvert is free for private and educational use, and CloudConvert gives 10 free conversion credits a day. macOS also includes Preview, QuickTime Player, Finder Quick Actions and the sips, textutil and afconvert commands.
How do I convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac?
Select the photos in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image, then pick JPEG. You can also open a photo in Preview and use File › Export…, or run sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg in Terminal.
How do I convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac?
HandBrake, Permute and Transmute all convert MOV to MP4. Transmute rewraps the video without re-encoding when the codecs already fit, which is fast and keeps the original quality. In Terminal, ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4 re-encodes it.
Can a Mac convert Word documents to PDF without Microsoft Word?
Yes. Open the document in Pages or TextEdit and export or print to PDF, or use Transmute’s Documents recipes, which lay out DOCX, RTF, HTML, TXT and ODT files as PDF pages. Complex Word layouts may look simpler than in Word.
Key takeaways
- Permute is the best all-round media converter, but the current version needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon.
- HandBrake is the free standard for compressing and re-encoding video.
- Transmute covers everyday images, video, audio, documents and zips in one offline, drag-and-drop app.
- XnConvert is best for big batches of images; FFmpeg for anything scriptable.
- CloudConvert handles rare formats but uploads your files, so avoid it for private documents.
- Preview, Finder’s Convert Image, QuickTime and
sipsalready cover simple jobs.