Why converting a file on a Mac takes so many steps
macOS can convert plenty of formats, but the tools are scattered. Finder's Quick Actions cover some image conversions, Preview can export what it opens, and anything involving Word files, Markdown, audio or app icons usually means opening a separate app, or uploading the file to a converter website you know nothing about.
PowerClick puts one Convert submenu in Finder's right-click menu for all of them. It looks at what you selected and lists only the formats that file can become, and only the ones your Mac can actually write, so there is never an option that fails when you click it.
How to convert a file from the right-click menu
- Install PowerClick from the Mac App Store and enable its Finder extension in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Finder Extensions.
- Select one file, or fifty files of the same kind, in Finder or on the Desktop.
- Right-click, open the PowerClick submenu and choose Convert.
- Pick the format you want. The converted file is saved next to the original.
Large batches run in the background. The menu bar shows the progress, and you can cancel at any time. A cancelled job leaves no half-written file behind.
The conversions people search for most
HEIC to JPG
iPhone photos arrive as HEIC, which plenty of websites, forms and Windows PCs still refuse. Right-click the photos, choose Convert, then JPEG. Metadata and orientation are kept, so the pictures still face the right way.
MOV to MP4
Screen recordings and iPhone videos are saved as MOV. Convert turns MOV, M4V and AVI files into MP4, encoded as H.264 for the widest compatibility or HEVC for smaller files, and can scale them down to 1080p or 720p on the way.
Video to GIF
For a short screen capture in a bug report or a chat, choose GIF and PowerClick writes an animated GIF next to the video. You can also keep just the audio track as an M4A file.
DOCX to PDF
Word, RTF, OpenDocument, HTML and plain text documents convert into each other or into PDF, without opening a word processor.
Markdown to PDF
A README or a set of notes written in Markdown converts to PDF, HTML or Word, so you can send it to someone who has never heard of Markdown.
Image to ICNS
Making an app or folder icon? Convert any image to ICNS for macOS or ICO for Windows, with every icon size built in.
Every format Convert supports
| Files | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | HEIC, PNG, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, GIF, BMP, PSD, camera RAW | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WebP |
| App icons | Any image | ICO, ICNS |
| Video | MOV, MP4, M4V, AVI | MP4 (H.264 or HEVC, 1080p or 720p), animated GIF, audio only |
| Audio | MP3, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG, Opus, M4A | AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Opus |
| Documents | Word, RTF, OpenDocument, HTML, text | Each other, or PDF |
| Markdown | .md | PDF, HTML, Word |
| One image per page, or plain text |
A few honest limits: MP3 is not offered as an output, because macOS has no MP3 encoder, and MKV and WebM videos cannot be opened. Opus audio is saved in a .caf file, the only container macOS can write Opus into.
When Convert does not appear
The Convert item only shows when there is something useful to offer. If you selected files with nothing in common, such as a video and a Word document, there is no single format they can all become, so the item is hidden. Select files of one kind and right-click again. More fixes are on the Support page.
Too big to send? Compress instead
Sometimes the format is fine and the file is simply too large. Right-click a video, photo or PDF and choose Compress for, then Discord (10 MB), Email (25 MB) or Half Size. PowerClick works out the bitrate and resolution for you and tells you the size before and after.
Your files never leave your Mac
Online converters ask you to upload your photos, contracts and recordings to someone else's server. PowerClick converts everything on your Mac, with Apple's frameworks and two open-source libraries built into the app. The app is sandboxed and has no network access at all, so nothing can be uploaded. The details are in the privacy policy.