Why can't a website convert my Live Photo directly?

When you pick a Live Photo through a browser, your phone only hands over the still image. The motion stays locked inside the Photos app and isn't available to web pages. That's an iOS limitation no website can work around. The fix is the two-tap Save as Video step above: it turns the motion into a normal video, which any tool or app can then use.

How do I get the video out of a Live Photo on iPhone or Mac?

On iPhone, open the Live Photo in Photos, tap the ••• (More) button, and choose Save as Video. It lands in your camera roll as a normal clip. On a Mac, open the Live Photo in Photos and choose File, Export, Export Unmodified Original to get the .MOV alongside the still image. Either one is a real video you can share or convert.

Does Save as Video keep the sound from my Live Photo?

Yes. If your Live Photo recorded audio, it's carried into the saved video. The only format that drops sound is GIF.

How do I open or play a Live Photo on Android?

Android can't open Apple's Live Photo format directly, since a Live Photo and an Android Motion Photo are built differently. The fix is simple: first Save as Video on your iPhone, then share that MP4. It plays on Android phones, in Google Photos, WhatsApp, or any social app, with no special viewer needed. To go further, like a GIF for chats or a still frame, use the tools below.

How to Turn a Live Photo into a Video

A web page can't pull the motion out of a Live Photo, but your iPhone can, in two taps. Here's how to save any Live Photo as a real video on iPhone or Mac, and what you can do with it next.

Live Photo to Video

Get a real video out of your Live Photo

A Live Photo is really two files: a still image and a short video clip, and the moving part stays locked inside the Photos app. A web page can't reach in and pull it out, because when you pick a Live Photo through a browser, iOS only hands over the still image. The good news is that your iPhone exports the video itself in two taps. Open the Live Photo in Photos, tap ••• (More), and choose Save as Video. That drops a normal video into your camera roll, with no app, no account, and nothing uploaded.

Prefer your Mac? Open the Live Photo in Photos and choose File, then Export, then Export Unmodified Original to get its .MOV alongside the still. Once you have that video, you can post it anywhere. And if you need a different format or output, the tools below take it from there: turn it into a looping GIF, grab a single still frame, or build it back into a Live Photo.

How it works

Save a Live Photo as a video in two steps

Use the method for the device you have. Both give you a normal video file.

On iPhone: Save as Video

Open Photos, tap your Live Photo, then ••• (More) and choose Save as Video. iOS saves a normal video to your camera roll. This is the step a website can't do for you, because the motion isn't exposed to the browser.

On Mac: Export the original

Open the Live Photo in Photos, then choose File, Export, Export Unmodified Original. You'll get the Live Photo's .MOV video alongside the still image.

Share it, or do more

Post the video anywhere it's supported. Need another format? Use the tools below to make a GIF, grab a still frame, or turn the video back into a Live Photo.

Live Photo to Video, FAQ

Now do more with your video

Already saved your Live Photo as a video? Take it further. These tools run right in your browser.

Convert it to a GIF Grab a still frame Turn a video into a Live Photo