Convert MOV to GIF

Why MOV files need converting

iPhones, QuickTime and the Mac screenshot tool (Shift + Command + 5) save video as MOV. Most chat apps, forums, wikis and issue trackers will not play a MOV inline, but they all show a GIF. Converting a short part of the MOV to GIF is the usual way to share a screen recording, a bug report or a reaction clip.

The conversion runs in your browser. The file is not uploaded to a server.

How to convert MOV to GIF

1. Drop the MOV file in the area above. GIF is already selected as the output format.
2. Drag across the thumbnail strip to choose the part to keep. The first 4 seconds are selected when the file opens.
3. Press Space to loop the selection and check where it starts and ends.
4. Choose the width, frame rate and playback speed. Use Crop if you only need part of the frame.
5. Click Make GIF and save the file.

Recommended settings

• Screen recordings: crop to the window or area that matters, then use a width of 480 to 640 px and 10 to 12 fps. Text stays readable and the file stays small.
• iPhone camera clips: 480 px wide and 15 fps is a good balance. A 4K MOV does not need to stay 4K as a GIF.
• Long clips: set playback speed to 1.5× or 2× to fit more action into fewer frames.

GIF size grows with width times the number of frames. Keep clips under about 5 seconds if the GIF has to fit a chat or forum upload limit. GIF has no sound, so the audio track is dropped.

If the MOV does not preview

Many iPhone videos are recorded in HEVC (H.265). Safari plays them, but some versions of Chrome and Edge on Windows cannot. If there is no preview, you can still convert the file: type the start and end times instead of dragging. To avoid this in the future, set the iPhone to Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible, which records H.264.