MP4 to GIF converter
Convert MP4 to GIF in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
Fit Meter
Lower is smaller and choppier. 10 to 15 looks smooth for most clips.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Need it the other way round? Convert GIF to MP4Other ways to convert MP4
Read more about the MP4 format and the GIF format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert MP4 to GIF?
You want a short, silent loop that auto-plays in chats, docs, tickets and README files where video won’t embed.
For a few seconds of silent motion that has to play inline everywhere, including emails and chats that block video, yes. For anything longer, or with sound, keep it as a video: GIF is many times larger and limited to 256 colors per frame.
MP4 is the video container that plays on everything, usually holding H.264 video and AAC audio; GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations. GIFs get large fast. Keep clips under ~10 seconds and around 480 px wide to stay under chat limits like Discord’s 20 MB.
| Property | MP4 | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio | — |
| Support | Opens everywhere | Opens everywhere |
| Plays on | Every phone, browser, TV, editor, chat app and upload form | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer |
| Best for | Sharing video anywhere | Short, silent loops and reaction images |
| Introduced | 2003 | 1987 |
How to convert MP4 to GIF
- 01
Add your MP4
Drop your MP4 video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to GIF. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the GIF
Press convert and save the GIF. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when MP4 becomes GIF
Pick a short part
GIF stores every frame as a separate picture, so size grows with each second. Choose start and end points, a frame rate of 10 to 15 and a width around 480 pixels to keep the file sensible.
Sound and color
GIF has no audio, so the MP4 soundtrack is dropped. Colors are reduced to a 256-color palette built from the clip itself, with dithering to smooth gradients.
Expect a much larger file
GIF is far bigger for the same content. Choose it because something needs GIF, not to send or store the file. MP4: 1080p phone video runs roughly 60–130 MB a minute. GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of MP4 and GIF, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Making a GIF from a clip of your own video shouldn’t mean uploading the whole video first. The frames are picked and encoded on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- 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.
- 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.
- Converting uses the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
How long can the GIF be?
There’s no hard limit, but every second adds several megabytes. Keep it under about 10 seconds at 480 pixels wide for a file that loads quickly in chats and emails.
Will a GIF play on my phone?
GIF opens everywhere: every browser, chat app, phone and computer. Open it in any browser to see it animate; most photo viewers show only the first frame.