Video Trimmer & Cutter
This free video trimmer keeps only the part of a clip you want. Drag two handles, press Trim, and the start and end are cut away in seconds, because Instant mode copies the video instead of re-encoding it. MP4 and MOV files are cut to the exact frame without any quality loss. Your video never leaves your device, so there is no upload wait and no size cap.
- Runs on your device
- WebCodecs · GPU
- FFmpeg
- Works offline
Updated
Drop your video here
How to trim a video
Step 1: Drop your video on the box above, or tap it to pick one from your phone’s gallery or files.
Step 2: Drag the start and end handles on the timeline, or type exact times into Start and End. Press I and O to set them at the playhead.
Step 3: Keep Cut mode on Instant for a lossless cut, or choose Frame-accurate when an MKV or WebM must start on an exact frame.
Step 4: Press Trim and download the shortened clip. The result card shows the kept range, the new length and whether the video was copied or re-encoded.
Good to know
Settings explained
- Cut mode
- Instant is lossless and takes seconds. MP4 and MOV cut exactly; other formats start at the nearest earlier keyframe.
- Instant: No re-encode, cuts on the nearest keyframe
- Frame-accurate: Exact cut, re-encodes
Formats
How it runs
- Hardware video engine
- Video is decoded and encoded by your device’s media hardware through WebCodecs — usually several times faster than real time.
- FFmpeg (when needed)
- Older formats and a few filters use FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. It downloads once (about 31 MB) the first time it is needed and is cached for offline use.
Instant vs Frame-accurate: which cut mode to use
Use Instant unless you need an exact first frame in a format that cannot store one. Instant copies the compressed video, so a two-hour recording trims in seconds with zero quality loss. Frame-accurate decodes and re-encodes the kept part, which takes as long as an export and costs a little quality.
| Instant (default) | Frame-accurate | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the video | Copied packet by packet, never decoded | Decoded and encoded again (H.264, or VP9 for WebM) |
| Quality | Identical to the original | Very close; encoded at the Best quality setting |
| Speed | Seconds, even for long recordings | As long as encoding the kept part takes on your device |
| Start point in MP4 and MOV | Exact frame | Exact frame |
| Start point in MKV, WebM and older formats | The nearest earlier keyframe | Exact frame |
| File size | Proportional to the part you keep | Can be larger per second than a heavily compressed original |
Trimming, cutting and splitting: what is the difference?
Trimming removes footage from the start and the end of a clip and keeps one continuous part. Cutting is the everyday word for the same job, and it also covers removing a section from the middle. Splitting turns one file into several parts and throws nothing away.
This page does the first job. To get several clips out of one recording, split the video into parts at markers, every N seconds or into equal pieces. If you meant cutting the picture smaller rather than the length shorter, that is cropping: use the video cropper to keep a region of the frame.
Can you trim a video without losing quality?
Yes. Instant mode never decodes the picture: it copies the compressed frames that fall inside your range into a new file and rewrites the timestamps. The kept part is bit-for-bit the same as in the original, so trimming the same clip ten times loses nothing.
MP4 and MOV can store a hidden lead-in, so ProMedia keeps the frames needed to decode your first frame but tells the player to start exactly where you cut. MKV and WebM have no such feature, so an Instant cut there starts at the keyframe before your start point. If that matters, switch to Frame-accurate, or choose Save as → MP4 under Advanced settings to get the exact start without re-encoding.
| Your file | Instant cut starts at | Saved as (default) |
|---|---|---|
| MP4, M4V, MOV (iPhone, Android, most cameras) | Your exact frame | Same format |
| MKV (OBS recordings, downloads) | Nearest earlier keyframe | MKV |
| WebM (browser and screen recordings) | Nearest earlier keyframe | WebM |
| AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG and other older formats | Nearest earlier keyframe (FFmpeg engine) | MP4 |
Why does trimming a video sometimes increase the file size?
An Instant trim is always smaller than the original: the size follows the share of the clip you keep, plus a few hidden lead-in frames on MP4 and MOV. A 600 MB, 30-minute recording trimmed to 5 minutes comes out at roughly 100 MB.
A bigger file usually means the clip was re-encoded. Frame-accurate mode encodes at the Best quality setting, and if your original was squeezed hard (a WhatsApp video or an old download), the new encode can spend more bits per second than the source did. Phone gallery editors and desktop editors that always re-export behave the same way. Use Instant to keep the original bitrate, then run the clip through the video compressor if it still has to get smaller.
How to trim a video on iPhone, Android, Windows or Mac
The trimmer runs in the browser, so the steps above work everywhere. Each system also has a built-in option worth knowing about, with its own trade-offs.
iPhone and iPad
The Photos app can trim: open the video, tap Edit and drag the ends of the frame strip, then save it as a new clip. Use this page in Safari when the clip sits in the Files app, when you need exact typed times, or when you want to keep the original MKV or WebM format.
Android
Google Photos and Samsung Gallery have a trim tool in their video editor. On this page, tap the drop zone in Chrome and pick the clip from your gallery or downloads; the trimmed video is saved to Downloads.
Windows 11
Clipchamp, which comes with Windows 11, can trim but always re-exports the video. Drag the file from File Explorer into Chrome or Edge here for a lossless Instant cut, even on multi-gigabyte recordings.
Mac
QuickTime Player has Edit → Trim for MOV and MP4 files. It cannot open MKV recordings and does not take typed times, which is where this page helps.
Why use this online video cutter
- No upload, no size cap. The file is read straight from your disk in chunks, so long recordings work on a computer without waiting for an upload bar.
- Lossless by default. Instant mode copies the video and audio, so the clip keeps its original sharpness and bitrate.
- Precise when you need it. Play the selection, step frame by frame with the arrow keys (hold Shift for one-second jumps) and set the in and out points with I and O.
- Any format in, the same format out. MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM stay as they are; older formats such as AVI or WMV come out as MP4.
- No watermark, no sign-up. The clip you download is exactly the part you chose.
Tips & troubleshooting
Need to remove a section from the middle? Split the video with markers on both sides of the unwanted part, then join the parts you keep with Merge Videos. Expect the join to be re-encoded once.
Trim before you compress. Every second you cut gives the rest of the clip more bitrate when you shrink it for email or chat.
If an Instant MKV or WebM cut starts a second or two early, open Advanced settings and set Save as to MP4: the start becomes exact and the video is still copied, not re-encoded.
Only want the soundtrack of the clip? Trim here, then extract the audio, or cut an audio file directly with the MP3 cutter.
Making a reaction GIF? Trim the moment first, then turn it into a GIF with Video to GIF so the GIF stays small.
Long talking-head recording full of pauses? Remove silence from video finds and cuts the gaps for you.
Video Trimmer FAQ
How do I trim a video without losing quality?
Leave Cut mode on Instant. The video and audio are copied, not re-encoded, so the part you keep is identical to the original. MP4 and MOV files are cut on the exact frame; MKV and WebM start at the nearest earlier keyframe unless you save them as MP4 or use Frame-accurate mode.
Why is my trimmed video bigger than the original?
It was re-encoded. Frame-accurate mode encodes at the Best quality setting, which can use more bits per second than a heavily compressed source. An Instant cut never grows: its size follows the share of the clip you kept.
What is the difference between trimming, cutting and splitting a video?
Trimming removes the beginning and end and keeps one part. Cutting usually means the same, or removing a section from the middle. Splitting divides a video into several files and keeps everything. This page trims; the Video Splitter splits.
How do I cut the middle out of a video?
Use the Video Splitter with At markers: place one marker where the unwanted part starts and one where it ends. You get three files; join the first and third with Merge Videos.
Can I trim a video online for free without a watermark?
Yes. The video trimmer is free, needs no account and adds nothing to your clip. It runs in your browser, so there is also no upload queue and no daily limit.
Can I trim a video on my phone?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android, tap the drop zone and pick the clip. The handles work with touch, and you can type exact times. Very long 4K files are easier on a computer because phones have less memory.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no upload limit because there is no upload. Videos are read in chunks straight from disk, so multi-gigabyte files work on desktop computers; phones are limited by their memory. There are no daily caps and no watermark.