Is this video trimmer free?

Yes. It needs no account, adds no watermark and does not limit how many videos you trim. Each file can be up to 1 GB.

Does trimming a video lower its quality?

Only a little, and only in the precise cut. It encodes the clip again at a high bitrate, so it is hard to tell from the original. The fast cut copies the video data as it is, so the picture does not change.

Why does my trimmed clip start a little early?

Because the tool used the fast cut. A cut that copies the video has to start on a key frame, a full picture the file stores every so often, so the clip begins at the key frame before your start. Fast is used when your browser cannot encode video or cannot play your video’s format. Chrome, Edge and Safari can encode, so they cut on the exact frame for most videos.

Can I cut several parts out of one video?

No. The tool keeps one part, from one start to one end. To keep 2 parts, trim the video twice and join the clips in an editor such as CapCut.

How do I trim an MP4 on my phone?

Open this page in Safari on an iPhone or Chrome on Android, choose the video from your camera roll and drag the handles. The trimmed MP4 saves to your downloads, and the video does not leave your phone.

Free toolsVideo trimmer

Trim video online

To trim a video, drop it below, drag the 2 handles to the part you want to keep and download it as an MP4. This video trimmer cuts the file in your browser, so there is no upload, no account and no watermark. It takes MP4, MOV and WebM files up to 1 GB.

How to trim a video

1Drop an MP4, MOV or WebM video onto the box, or choose one from your device.
2Drag the 2 handles under the preview to where the part you want starts and ends, or type the times. The preview plays only that part.
3Select Trim and export. Your browser cuts the video and shows how far it has got.
4Download the MP4, or take it straight to the studio to add captions.

Precise cut or fast cut

The trim tool cuts a video in one of 2 ways and uses the one your browser can do. It says which one above the export button.

A video file does not store every frame as a whole picture. It stores a full picture, called a key frame, every so often, often every second or two, and the frames in between only store what changed since then. A cut that copies the video as it is has to start on one of those full pictures.

Precise cut: in a browser that can encode H.264 video, which includes Chrome, Edge and Safari, your browser decodes the part you chose and encodes it again. The clip starts and ends on the exact frame you picked. It takes longer, because every frame is encoded again.
Fast cut: in a browser that cannot encode video, or cannot play the format your video is in, ReelCaption copies the video data as it is. It is quick and the picture is untouched, but the clip starts at the key frame just before your start, so it may begin a little earlier than you chose. The end stays where you set it.

Trim a clip to the free length before you caption it

Without an account, ReelCaption captions 2 clips of up to 60 seconds each. Sign in with Google and the Free plan gives you 5 minutes a month, with no card.

When another free tool says your clip is too long for that, it can send the clip here. The trim tool then shows how long the clip is and a Trim to 60 seconds button, which puts the end 60 seconds after the start. Move the start first if the part you want is not at the beginning.

Trimming first also saves minutes. ReelCaption transcribes the whole file you give it, so cutting the dead air before and after the part you post means your minutes go on that part only.

Plans and free minutes

Your video stays on your device

Many online video trimmers upload your file to their server, cut it there and send it back. You wait for the upload, and footage a client has not cleared sits on someone else’s server.

This trim tool reads the file and writes the trimmed MP4 in your browser, on your computer or phone, so there is no upload to wait for. If you then add captions in the studio, the video still stays on your device. Only the audio track, about 1 MB a minute, goes to Groq, which runs Whisper, and it is not stored.

Formats you can trim

In: MP4, MOV or WebM, up to 1 GB. That covers iPhone and Android recordings, screen recordings and most exports from an editor.
Out: an MP4 named after your file, ending in -trimmed.mp4, with the sound kept.
Size: the trimmed clip keeps the width, height and frame rate of your video. The tool does not crop or resize it.
Video format: the precise cut always gives H.264, which every platform plays. The fast cut keeps the format your video was in, so an HEVC clip from an iPhone stays HEVC.

Convert a wide video to vertical

Questions about trimming a video

Is this video trimmer free?: Yes. It needs no account, adds no watermark and does not limit how many videos you trim. Each file can be up to 1 GB.
Does trimming a video lower its quality?: Only a little, and only in the precise cut. It encodes the clip again at a high bitrate, so it is hard to tell from the original. The fast cut copies the video data as it is, so the picture does not change.
Why does my trimmed clip start a little early?: Because the tool used the fast cut. A cut that copies the video has to start on a key frame, a full picture the file stores every so often, so the clip begins at the key frame before your start. Fast is used when your browser cannot encode video or cannot play your video’s format. Chrome, Edge and Safari can encode, so they cut on the exact frame for most videos.
Can I cut several parts out of one video?: No. The tool keeps one part, from one start to one end. To keep 2 parts, trim the video twice and join the clips in an editor such as CapCut.
How do I trim an MP4 on my phone?: Open this page in Safari on an iPhone or Chrome on Android, choose the video from your camera roll and drag the handles. The trimmed MP4 saves to your downloads, and the video does not leave your phone.