Trim Video
- Free
- No upload
- No watermark
Quick answer
To trim a video, set a start and an end point and keep only the clip between them — everything before and after is discarded. This tool does it in your browser with ffmpeg.wasm and re-encodes the kept range, so the cut lands on the exact frame you chose and the clip plays cleanly from its first frame. Nothing is uploaded. A one-time ~10 MB engine loads on first use; short clips work best.
Step by step
How to trim video
- 01
Load your video
Drop an MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV or AVI in. The first use downloads and caches the ~10 MB engine; later uses start immediately.
- 02
Set start and end
Scrub to where the clip should begin and end, and set the in and out points. Play across them to check you have the right moment.
- 03
Export the clip
Export and download just that segment. The kept range is re-encoded so it starts exactly where you set it; a short clip finishes quickly.
In depth
What does trimming keep?
Trimming is a keep operation: you define one region and everything outside it is thrown away. That is the opposite of cutting a chunk out of the middle and rejoining the sides. For topping and tailing — dropping the fumbling at the start and the walk-off at the end — trimming is exactly the tool. Because only the kept range is encoded, the time it takes follows the length of the clip you keep, not the length of the source.
Why does trimming re-encode instead of copying?
A stream copy (ffmpeg’s -c copy) lifts the already-encoded frames out of the source untouched, which is near-instant and lossless, but it can only begin on a keyframe, a self-contained frame the codec places every few seconds. The cut lands early or late, and a clip that starts between keyframes can open on a frozen or stuttering picture. This tool re-encodes the kept range instead: a little slower and a sliver of quality, but the clip begins on the exact frame you set and plays smoothly from its first frame.
| Stream copy (-c copy) | Re-encode (what this tool does) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Near-instant | Slow (single-threaded here) |
| Quality | Identical to source | Slight loss |
| Cut precision | Snaps to a keyframe | Exact frame |
| Best for | Quick, lossless clips | A cut on an exact frame |
That is why this tool always re-encodes: the cut lands on the exact frame you set, and the price is a slower, single-threaded pass over the kept range.
How big a video can you trim in the browser?
Trimming re-encodes the kept range, so treat it like the other editors: the work follows the length of the clip you keep, and the whole file is loaded into the tab’s memory, so a multi-gigabyte source can run the browser out of room. Keep the source to a few minutes where you can.
Is my video uploaded to trim it?
No. The trim is performed by ffmpeg.wasm inside your tab — your file is read into memory, sliced and returned as a download, never sent anywhere. Confirm it in DevTools → Network: trimming a file makes no upload request, and it works offline once the page has loaded. Ideal for unreleased and confidential footage.
Related video and audio tools
Need to keep several pieces? Trim each and then merge the clips. Want a square or vertical frame from your clip? Crop the video. Turning the trimmed moment into a loop? Make a GIF. And if you only want the sound from your selection, extract the audio as MP3 after trimming.
Your files never leave your device
Processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded. You can verify it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, watch the Network tab, and use the tool — no upload request is ever made.
- No file is ever uploaded to a server
- Works offline after the first visit
- No account, no watermark, no limits
A little more clarity
Frequently asked questions
01Does trimming a video reduce its quality?
Very slightly. The kept range is re-encoded at a good-quality setting (H.264 for MP4, MOV and MKV; VP8 for WebM) so the cut can land on the exact frame. At normal viewing the difference is not visible.
02Why does my clip start slightly before where I set it?
It should not: the kept range is re-encoded, so the clip begins on the frame at the time you set. A copy-only trim snaps to the nearest keyframe, which is why other tools can start a moment early or late. If the start looks off, check the start time you entered.
03Is trimming faster than compressing?
Usually, yes. Only the kept range is encoded, so a short clip from a long recording takes far less time than compressing the whole file. Both re-encode, so the time follows the length of what is processed.
04What format does the trimmed clip come out as?
MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM keep their container, with H.264 and AAC inside (VP8 and Vorbis for WebM). An AVI comes out as an MP4, because AVI cannot reliably hold H.264 video with AAC audio.
05Can I trim out the middle of a video?
Trimming keeps one continuous region and drops the ends. To remove a middle section and rejoin the two sides, trim the two keeper pieces separately and merge them.
06Can I trim a long recording?
Yes. A short clip from a long recording is quick; a long kept range takes a while because it is re-encoded on one thread. The limit is memory: the whole file loads into the tab, so extremely large sources can run out of room.
07Is the trim done privately?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser via ffmpeg.wasm. Nothing is uploaded — you can verify there is no network request in your developer tools.
Guides
Further reading
- Guide4 min readHow to trim a video online for freeTrimming a video should be the simplest edit there is: pick a start, pick an end, done. Here is how to do it free in your browser, and how to keep the cut fast and lossless.Read the guide
- Guide5 min readHow to make a GIF from a videoA GIF is a wonderful way to share a two-second reaction and a terrible way to share anything longer. Here is how to make one that loops cleanly without ballooning into a file bigger than the video it came from.Read the guide
- Guide5 min readHow to add subtitles to a video: soft track or burned inThere are two ways to put subtitles on a video, and picking the wrong one is why captions vanish on Instagram or cannot be switched off in VLC. Here is how to choose, prepare your subtitle file and export either kind in your browser.Read the guide
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