Zamzar Not Working: Why It Fails and How to Convert Without Waiting for an Email

If Zamzar won't let you convert any more files, asks for your email to send you the result, or just takes forever, those are known limits of its free plan — not something you did wrong. Here's why it happens, and an alternative that converts instantly in your own browser: PullVid's converter.

1. Free-tier size and conversion-count limits

Zamzar's free plan caps both each file's size and the number of conversions you can do without paying. Once you go over either limit, the site offers you a paid plan to keep converting files that same day.

2. It asks for your email to send the result

Zamzar has traditionally worked by emailing you the converted file instead of letting you download it right away. That means handing your email address to a third party and waiting for the message to arrive — sometimes with a delay, or straight into your spam folder — just for a quick, simple conversion.

3. Conversion drags or fails with large files

Since the file gets uploaded to their server before conversion starts, the heavier it is or the slower your upload connection, the longer it takes even to begin processing; during busy periods, it can also end up queued behind other conversions.

The alternative: instant, no email, no upload

Our converter runs ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly and converts the file directly in your browser: no need to hand over your email, no waiting for anything to arrive by mail, and no uploading the file to any server. As soon as the progress bar reaches 100%, you download the result right there, with the same button. The only real limit is your own device's memory — not a quota on free conversions.

• Convert MP4 to MP3: extract the audio without uploading the video or handing over your email.
• Convert MKV to MP4: instant remux or automatic re-encoding depending on the codec.
• Convert MOV to MP4: for videos recorded on an iPhone.

Check out the rest of our conversions in the converter hub. And if what you're specifically after is turning a video from another container into MP4, see how to convert an MKV to MP4.