Guide
MOV to GIF: screen recordings as a GIF, in your browser
Drop a MOV or a Mac screen recording above, pick the part you want and get a looping GIF. Nothing is uploaded.
In short
- This tool turns part of a MOV into a looping GIF for a doc or chat.
- It starts at 10 frames a second, 640 pixels wide and 10 seconds long.
- It suits how-to steps, bug reports, documentation and chat messages.
- Your file is not uploaded. The whole thing runs inside this browser tab.
MOV to GIF
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a MOV or a screen recording here
or
Length
Frames a second
Width
0:00.0 to 0:10.0: 10.0 s × 10 fps = 100 frames at up to 640 px wide. Weight follows frames × pixels.
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded the result.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · Video stitcher · Video to GIF · Video speed changer · Mute video · Rotate video · all tools
The settings and what they change
Every setting trades file size against smoothness or sharpness.
- A GIF stores every frame as a whole picture, so 10 frames a second for 10 seconds is 100 pictures.
- 10 frames a second is enough for a screen recording of clicks and typing.
- Pick 15 or 24 frames a second when something moves fast, and keep the GIF short.
GIF settings
| Setting | Options | Starts at | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frames a second | 10, 15, 24 | 10 | Smoothness and size |
| Width | 320, 480, 640 px | 640 px | Sharpness and size |
| Length | 3, 5, 10, 15 s | 10 s | Size, directly |
| Colours | 256 | 256 | A GIF holds no more |
Setting: Frames a second
- Options
- 10, 15, 24
- Starts at
- 10
- What it changes
- Smoothness and size
Setting: Width
- Options
- 320, 480, 640 px
- Starts at
- 640 px
- What it changes
- Sharpness and size
Setting: Length
- Options
- 3, 5, 10, 15 s
- Starts at
- 10 s
- What it changes
- Size, directly
Setting: Colours
- Options
- 256
- Starts at
- 256
- What it changes
- A GIF holds no more
Why a GIF looks different from the video
A GIF is an old image format, so it has hard limits.
- A GIF holds 256 colours at most, so smooth gradients can show bands.
- A GIF has no sound at all.
- The GIF is never made wider than your clip, because blowing it up only adds weight.
- The tool runs twice, first picking the best 256 colours and then drawing every frame with them.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to turn a MOV into a GIF
Five steps, all in this tab.
MOV to GIF
Drop the MOV
A screen recording or a clip
Set Start at
Where the GIF begins
Pick length, frames and width
Or keep the defaults
Press Make GIF
The tool runs twice
Download the GIF
It loops forever
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
- A GIF can be 15 seconds at most, because longer ones get too heavy to share.
Questions people ask
- How do I turn a Mac screen recording into a GIF?
- Record with Shift-Command-5, drop the MOV here, set where it should start and press Make GIF. It downloads as a looping GIF.
- Why is my GIF so big?
- A GIF stores every frame as a full picture. Pick 10 frames a second, 480 pixels wide, or a shorter length. Each one cuts the size.
- Does the GIF loop?
- Yes, forever, the way people expect a GIF to.
- Can I make a GIF from an MP4?
- Yes. This box also takes MP4. For other formats, use the free video to GIF converter.
- Is my MOV uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your MOV never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Want a finished video with captions, not a silent GIF? Cutroom edits your clip for you. Your first video is free.