How can I convert a WMV (Windows Media Video) movie file to QuickTime MOV on OSX El Capitan?
If possible I would prefer to use an installed program rather than an online program.
Neither VLC nor Handbrake can convert WMV to MOV. A Google Search reveals some other options, but I'm dubious about installing these unknown 3rd-party applications without a recommendation from people I trust (ie StackExchange users).
Best Answer
As for recommended way that is subject to opinion.
As for doing it with installed applications, this is one way to do it. This requires 2 applications. If you really need a MOV file this is how I found to do it. (If MP4 is suitable then skip step two.)
Step One
Using Handbrake, convert the WMV file to MP4.
Step Two
Using MPEG Streamclip, convert the resulting MP4 to MOV (the process can take considerable time depending on your movie size/length) NOTE: Last update to the software was in 2012. So be aware that it may or may not work well on your system.
There are other free converters out there too that can convert MP4 to MOV. But this 2 step process is what I found to be effective.
Testing with a WMV file duration of 2m:18s:
WMV original size: 7.2 MB
MP4 converted size: 9.7 MB
MOV resulting size: 14.8 MB
EDIT: As noted by user3439894 in the comments, QuickTime Player will convert MP4 to MOV. QuickTime Player is already installed in OS X.