How to convert MP4 to GIF
Drop your MP4 files into the box above, or click Choose files. You can add several at once.
Set the width, frame rate and length. Smaller and shorter GIFs load faster.
Click Convert to GIF. Files are processed on your device; a few minutes of media usually takes seconds.
Download the GIF files one by one, or all at once as a ZIP.
Why convert MP4 to GIF?
GIFs play automatically and loop everywhere: in Slack and Teams, in GitHub READMEs and issues, in email and in docs where video embeds don't work.
A few seconds of screen recording as a GIF is often the clearest way to show a bug, a UI interaction or a how-to step.
Clips are converted on your device, so internal screen recordings stay private.
MP4 vs GIF
An MP4 uses modern video compression and can include sound. A GIF is a sequence of images limited to 256 colours per frame, with no sound, so it's much larger for the same clip.
Keep GIFs short (under 10 seconds), narrow (480 pixels or less) and at a modest frame rate. For anything longer, a muted MP4 is the better format where it's supported.
| Property | MP4 | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Typical audio codec | AAC | None: GIFs are silent |
| File size | Efficient | Large for anything longer than a few seconds |
| Best for | Sharing and uploading video anywhere | Short silent loops, reactions, UI demos |
| Support | Every phone, browser, TV and editing app | Everywhere, including chat apps and email |
Is it safe?
Yes. MP4 to GIF runs entirely in your browser. Your files are read and converted by your own device using built-in browser technology, so they are never uploaded to a server and nobody else can see them.
You can check this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab and convert a file. No upload requests are made.
Videos are processed by your browser's own media engine (WebCodecs), usually with hardware acceleration. Nothing is uploaded, which also makes the conversion start instantly, however big the file.
Files stay in this tab's memory only until you remove them or close the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my GIF so large?
GIF compression is decades old and stores every frame with limited compression. Reduce the width, frame rate or length. Halving the width roughly quarters the size.
Can I choose which part of the video to use?
The GIF is taken from the start of the video, up to the length you choose. Trim the video first if you need a clip from the middle.
Does the GIF have sound?
No. GIF is an image format and can't contain audio.
Why do colours look slightly grainy?
GIF allows only 256 colours per frame. Each frame gets its own optimised palette, which works well for screen recordings; smooth gradients and camera footage show the limit most.
Which browser works best?
Current Chrome, Edge and Safari support hardware video encoding and decoding. Firefox works for most files but can't decode HEVC. If a file can't be processed, you'll see a message saying why.