Free online USM to MOV converter

USM files are commonly extracted from video games, while MOV is supported by Apple software, video editors, and many media players. Conversion is needed when a game video must be edited, archived, or shared outside the software that created it.

What the USM format is

USM is a proprietary CRI Middleware video container used by games for cutscenes, menus, and promotional videos. It commonly contains CRI Sofdec video plus ADX, HCA, or another game-oriented audio stream, and may include encryption or proprietary metadata.

You usually encounter .usm files inside a game installation, extracted game archive, modding project, or console package. The file extension alone does not identify the exact codecs or whether the content is encrypted; different games can package USM media differently.

What the MOV format is

MOV is a multimedia container developed by Apple and based on the QuickTime file format. It can store video, audio, subtitles, timecode, and metadata, and is widely accepted by QuickTime Player, Final Cut Pro, Adobe applications, and other editing software.

For broad compatibility, a MOV file should normally contain H.264 video and AAC audio. MOV is useful when an editor requires a QuickTime container or when you need to preserve a high-quality intermediate file, although the container does not automatically improve the source quality.

How to actually convert USM to MOV

The easiest option is to use the free converter on 101convert.com: open the USM-to-MOV conversion page, select the .usm file, start the conversion, and download the resulting .mov file. No software installation is required. This works only when the service can read the particular USM variant and any encryption is supported.

For local conversion, install a current FFmpeg build and first inspect the file:

ffprobe input.usm

If FFmpeg recognizes the video and audio streams, create an editor-compatible MOV with H.264 and AAC:

ffmpeg -i input.usm -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0? -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart output.mov

The -crf 18 setting produces high-quality H.264 video; use a larger value such as 23 for a smaller file. If FFmpeg already reports compatible streams and you only need a different container, try stream copying first:

ffmpeg -i input.usm -map 0 -c copy output.mov

If FFmpeg reports an unknown format, missing streams, or encrypted data, extract the USM with a USM-specific demuxer or the extraction tools associated with the game. Convert the extracted video and audio separately if necessary, then use FFmpeg to combine them:

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i audio.wav -map 0:v:0 -map 1:a:0 -c:v copy -c:a aac -b:a 192k output.mov

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

Re-encoding with H.264 causes generation loss; -c copy avoids that loss but works only when the streams are supported by the MOV container and the target application. Some USM files contain unusual frame rates, multiple audio tracks, alpha channels, subtitles, or game-specific encryption that a general converter cannot preserve.

Check the result with ffprobe output.mov and test it in the application that will use it. If the MOV has no audio, the original USM may use ADX or HCA audio that must be decoded before AAC encoding. Copyright-protected game footage should be converted only when you have permission to extract and use it.