Video Trim

Trim Video, Locally & Privately.

A fast, free, and secure way to cut video files. No uploads to servers. All processing runs locally in your browser.

Video Trim cuts video directly in your browser. Choose a file, set where the clip should start and end, and export. Your video is never uploaded, because the trimming happens on your own device.

Nothing leaves your computer

Most free video cutters online work by sending your file to a server. You wait for the upload, wait in a queue, then download the result. For a short clip that is slow; for anything private it is worse. A video might be a family recording, a medical appointment, unreleased work, or footage covered by an agreement you signed. Uploading it means trusting a company’s retention policy, staff access controls and security practices, none of which you can inspect.

This tool takes a different approach. It runs FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, which means the video engine used by most desktop editing software runs inside your browser tab, using your own processor and memory. The file is read from your disk, processed locally, and handed back to you.

You can check this claim rather than take it on trust. Open your browser’s developer tools, switch to the Network tab, and trim something. You will see the page load and then nothing further. You can also disconnect from the internet once the page has loaded and keep working.

How to trim a video

Drag your file onto the page or select it from your device. The video loads immediately, with no upload wait.

Set your start and end points on the timeline. You can play the section back before committing, which makes it straightforward to remove silence at the beginning of a recording, cut out a mistake in the middle, or pull one good moment out of a long take.

Export, and the trimmed file is saved to your device.

Speed and file size

Because there is no upload or download, the slowest part of a typical online trim disappears entirely. A large file that would take several minutes to transfer both ways is ready to edit the moment you select it.

There is no file size limit imposed by us, since we are not paying to process your video. The practical ceiling is your device’s available memory, which on a modern laptop handles large 4K files comfortably. Very long recordings can exhaust that, and phones have lower limits than computers.

The honest trade-off is that your device does the work. On older hardware a long export takes longer than a well-provisioned server would need. For ordinary trimming, the time saved on transfer more than covers it.

Formats

The tool handles the formats you are likely to have: MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV, with H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1 video inside them. That covers phone recordings, screen captures, camera footage and files downloaded from most sources.

If you are unsure which format to export for a particular destination, our guides to containers and codecs explain the differences.

No account, no watermark

There is no sign-up, no trial, no watermark on your exports, and no paid tier holding back the useful settings. You can use it as often as you like.

The site is supported by advertising, which is what keeps it free without an account or subscription. Ads are served on the page around the tool. They never have access to your video, because your video never leaves your device.

What it is for

Trimming, and doing that one job well. Cutting a highlight from a long recording, shortening a clip for a social post, removing dead air from a screen capture, or getting a file under a size limit before sending it.

It is not a full editing suite, and does not try to be. If you need multi-track timelines, colour grading or effects, use dedicated software. If you need to cut a video and get on with your day, this will be faster than anything that requires an upload.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this video trim tool completely free?

Yes. There is no account, no trial, no watermark on your exports and no paid tier holding back features. The site is funded by advertising, which is what keeps it free.

Are my videos uploaded to a server?

No. The tool runs FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so all processing happens on your own device inside the browser. You can confirm it: open your browser's developer tools, watch the Network tab while you trim, and you will see no upload. The tool also keeps working if you disconnect from the internet after the page loads.

What video formats are supported?

MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV containers, with H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1 video inside them. Some formats depend on what your specific browser can decode, so an unusual file may not open in every browser.

Can I use this on my phone?

Yes. It works in mobile browsers on iPhone and Android. Phones have less available memory than computers, so very long or very large recordings may fail where a laptop would manage. Keep the tab in the foreground while it exports, since mobile browsers suspend background tabs.

Is there a file size limit?

We impose none, because we are not paying to process your video. The practical limit is your device's available memory, which on a modern laptop handles large 4K files comfortably. Very long recordings can exhaust it.

Does trimming reduce the quality?

It depends on the method. A lossless trim copies the compressed video across without re-encoding, so there is no quality loss at all, but cuts snap to the nearest keyframe and may land a fraction of a second early. Re-encoding gives a frame-accurate cut but recompresses the video, which costs a little detail. For most trimming the lossless route is the better trade.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in your browser. There is nothing to download and no extension to add.

How long does trimming take?

Usually seconds. Because there is no upload or download, the slowest part of a typical online trim disappears. A lossless trim is close to instant even on large files; re-encoding takes longer and depends on your device's processor.

What is the best desktop video trimmer?

For simple cuts, the editors already on your machine are hard to beat: Photos on Windows, QuickTime on macOS. For more control, DaVinci Resolve is free and capable, and FFmpeg on the command line is the most precise option if you are comfortable with it. A browser tool is worth using when you want to avoid installing anything, or when the file is already to hand and the edit is small.

How do I trim a video in VLC?

VLC can record a section rather than trim one. Enable View then Advanced Controls, play the video, press record at your start point and press it again at the end. The clip is saved to your Videos folder. It is workable but imprecise, and re-encodes the output, which is why a dedicated trimmer usually gives a better result.

How do I trim a video on iPhone or Android?

Both have built-in trimmers: the Photos app on iOS and Google Photos on Android, which are ideal for shortening a clip that lives in your camera roll. Use a browser tool instead when the file is not in your photo library, when you need a genuinely separate shorter file rather than a non-destructive edit, or when you want control over the output.

How do I trim a YouTube video?

If it is your own upload, YouTube Studio has an editor that trims the published video without changing its URL or view count. For someone else's video you would need to download it first, which is generally against YouTube's terms unless the creator has offered a download or the licence allows it.