Set movie and image formats for Numbers spreadsheets on Mac
Numbers keeps movies in their original format regardless of whether or not the format can be viewed on older computers and devices. You can change the optimization settings if you want to make sure videos and images using newer formats—for example, High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC) or Apple ProRes—can be viewed on any computer or device.
Optimize video and image formats
Numbers can convert HEVC and ProRes videos you add to your spreadsheet into H.264, the standard video compression that can be played on most Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices.
Choose Numbers > Settings (from the Numbers menu at the top of your screen), then click General at the top of the settings window.
In the Adding Media section, choose a combination of options for the results you want:
Keep all movies and images in their original format: Deselect both the “Optimize movies and images for iPhone and iPad” checkbox and the “Optimize movies for older devices” checkbox. Movies and images may not display on all devices, or on all versions of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
Convert HEVC, ProRes, and movies in unsupported formats to H.264 and images in unsupported formats to a compatible format: Select both the “Optimize movies and images for iPhone and iPad” checkbox and the “Optimize movies for older devices” checkbox. HEVC, ProRes, and movies in unsupported formats are converted to H.264 and images in unsupported formats are converted to a compatible format (for example, JPEG), and can be displayed on all devices and versions of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
Convert HEVC and ProRes movies to H.264, but keep other movies and images in their original format: Deselect the “Optimize movies and images for iPhone and iPad” checkbox, then select the “Optimize movies for older devices” checkbox. Movies in H.264 format play on all devices and versions of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, but movies and images in unsupported formats may not display on all devices.
Keep HEVC and H.264 movies in their original format, but convert ProRes, movies, and images in unsupported formats: Select the “Optimize movies and images for iPhone and iPad” checkbox, then deselect the “Optimize movies for older devices” checkbox. Movies in ProRes or other unsupported formats are converted to HEVC. If your computer or device does not support HEVC, the movie is converted to H.264. Images in unsupported formats are converted to a compatible format (for example, JPEG).
These settings apply only to movies and images you add from now on and not to any existing movies and images in your spreadsheets.
Note: macOS versions earlier than macOS 10.15 don’t support transparency in HEVC and ProRes movies, so if your HEVC or ProRes movie has transparency (for example, in the background), whatever is encoded in the movie (for example, black) is shown instead.