Trim video
Cut out exactly the part of the video you need. Set a start and end time. Download the clip.
Drop your video here
or click to browse: MP4, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV
Related tools
What this tool does
Trimming is the fastest way to turn a long recording into just the part you need. Cut dead air off the start of a screen recording, pull one moment out of a long clip for social media, or shorten a video before sending it. Pick a start point and an end point, and only that section is kept. Nothing is re-uploaded, nothing is stored, and the result is ready in seconds.
Why use it
Most raw video has a few seconds of dead air at the start or end: the moment before you hit stop, the countdown before you started, the transition out of an interview. Trimming those seconds before sharing saves recipients time and makes you look more intentional about what you are presenting.
For content posted online, trimming is also an engagement decision. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts reward high audience retention. Videos that open immediately on something interesting consistently outperform ones that start with setup. Even cutting the first three seconds of hesitation can move retention numbers.
How it works under the hood
The tool passes your start and end timestamps using -ss (start) and -to (end) placed before the input flag (-i), which enables fast seek directly to the target position without decoding the entire preceding video. The output is re-encoded using libx264 at the ultrafast preset with AAC audio at 128 Kbps, producing a standard MP4 with +faststart set for browser streaming.
Re-encoding is necessary here rather than stream-copying (-c copy) because stream-copying preserves keyframe boundaries, which can result in incorrect start times when the cut point falls between keyframes. Re-encoding ensures the output begins cleanly at exactly the timestamp you specified.
Tips and best practices
For precise cuts on fast-moving content, scrub to one frame before the moment you want to keep rather than landing exactly on it. H.264 encodes in groups of pictures (GOPs) and the re-encode will use the nearest keyframe as its anchor. Being one or two frames early avoids a flash of the preceding content in some players.
If you are trimming to meet a platform file size limit, use this tool first to trim the clip, then run it through the compress tool afterward. Compressing a trimmed clip is always faster and produces a better result than compressing the full original.
Browser tool vs alternatives
Editing apps handle trimming well but are built for multi-track timelines, not single-clip quick cuts. Even opening a 500 MB video in DaVinci Resolve just to chop 10 seconds off the start means waiting for the app to load, importing, scrubbing, exporting, and waiting for a render. Mobile apps trim video but often add a watermark or impose resolution caps on free tiers. This tool loads the clip in browser memory and trims it with a single FFmpeg pass, no project files required.
Read the guide
How to Trim a Video Without Re-Encoding
What to do next
Frequently Asked Questions
Does trimming reduce video quality?
No. Trimming only removes time from the start or end, the remaining footage keeps its original quality and resolution.
What's the difference between trimming and cutting?
Trimming removes footage from the outside edges of a clip. This tool lets you pick any start and end point, so it works as both in one step, you keep only the section in between.
Is there a limit on video length?
There's no fixed length limit, but the 500MB file size limit and your device's memory will determine how large a file you can process.
Can I pull more than one clip from the same video?
Yes, just run the tool again on the original file to grab a different section.
Does the audio stay in sync after trimming?
Yes, audio and video are trimmed together and stay in sync.
What formats are supported?
MP4, MOV, AVI, WEBM, and MKV.
Will trimming add a watermark?
No, never.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, it works in any modern mobile browser.
Last updated: 2026-09-05