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GIF to MP4 converter

Convert GIF to MP4 in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want MP4
Quality
Advanced 1

Video has no transparency, so see-through parts of the GIF are filled with this color.

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert MP4 to GIF

Other ways to convert GIF

Convert other formats to MP4

Read more about the GIF format and the MP4 format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert GIF to MP4?

Almost always. The same animation as MP4 is typically a tenth of the size of the GIF, plays smoothly, and keeps full color. Choose it wherever video is accepted.

GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations; MP4 is the video container that plays on everything, usually holding H.264 video and AAC audio. Use MP4 whenever a video has to be sent, uploaded or played somewhere you don’t control.

GIF and MP4 compared
Property GIF MP4
Usually contains H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio
Support Opens everywhere Opens everywhere
Plays on Every browser, chat app, phone and computer Every phone, browser, TV, editor, chat app and upload form
Best for Short, silent loops and reaction images Sharing video anywhere
Introduced 1987 2003

How to convert GIF to MP4

  1. 01

    Add your GIF

    Drop your GIF video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to MP4. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the MP4

    Press convert and save the MP4. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when GIF becomes MP4

Much smaller, same motion

GIF compresses each frame on its own; MP4 stores only what changes between frames. A 10 MB GIF often becomes a 1 MB video with no visible difference.

No sound to carry

GIFs are silent, so the MP4 has a picture track only. Loops don’t repeat inside a video file; most players and sites loop short clips themselves.

Expect a much smaller file

GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. MP4: 1080p phone video runs roughly 60–130 MB a minute. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of GIF and MP4, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Your browser can already decode GIF frames and encode video with your device’s hardware. Uploading the GIF would only add a wait, so it stays on your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
  • About the MP4. An MP4 that won’t play is rarely broken; it usually holds a newer codec such as HEVC or AV1 that the player doesn’t support.
  • Browsers with WebCodecs convert to MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV instantly. Other formats, and older browsers, use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Will the MP4 loop like the GIF?

Video files don’t store a loop setting. Websites, chat apps and players loop short clips themselves, and video players have a repeat option.

Will a MP4 play on my phone?

MP4 opens everywhere: every phone, browser, TV, editor, chat app and upload form. Every device plays MP4: double-click it, or drag it into a browser tab.

Read more about this

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