GIF to OGV converter
Convert GIF to OGV in seconds, free and unlimited. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark: your video never leaves your device.
Last updated
Quick answer: To convert GIF to OGV, add the GIF file to the iHateFiles GIF to OGV converter and press Convert. The conversion runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded, and it is free with no sign-up, watermark or size limit. A real video codec instead of 256 colours, usually around a tenth of the size and with far smoother motion.
Should you convert GIF to OGV?
Almost always worth it: the OGV is usually a tenth of the size of the GIF and plays more smoothly. Keep the GIF only where a video will not play, such as email.
From 256 colours to real video
A GIF stores every frame as a separate picture in 256 colours. OGV stores Theora video with Vorbis sound, which only records what changes between frames, so the file is usually a tenth of the size and plays more smoothly. There was never any sound in the GIF, so the OGV is silent.
GIF and OGV side by side
| GIF | OGV | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the file | a sequence of 256-colour frames and no sound at all | Theora video with Vorbis sound |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Carries sound | No | Yes |
| Plays on | everywhere an image plays: browsers, chat apps, email and documents | Firefox, Chrome and VLC, but not Safari or most phones |
| Here | Read and write | Read and write |
What usually goes wrong
About the GIF. Halving the width of a GIF cuts the file size by roughly three quarters. Dropping the frame rate helps almost as much. Trimming the length helps least.
About the OGV. At the same file size Theora looks clearly worse than H.264, so re-encoding an old OGV will not recover detail that was never captured.
How to convert GIF to OGV
- Add your GIF file. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- Check the settings. The output format is already set to OGV.
- Press convert and the OGV file is saved back to your device.
Questions
How do I convert GIF to OGV?
Open this page, add your GIF file, and press convert. The file is decoded and re-encoded by your own browser and saved back to your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Is this GIF to OGV converter free?
Yes, completely. There is no account, no sign-in, no watermark and no daily limit, because there is no server doing the work. Your own device does it.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. There is no upload endpoint. The conversion runs inside this browser tab, so your file never leaves your device. You can open your browser's network panel and watch: nothing carrying your file is sent.
Is there a file size limit?
No fixed limit. Because the work happens on your machine there is no server quota. The only ceiling is your own device's memory, which for video means very large files may be slow.
Will converting to OGV lose quality?
OGV is a lossy format, so some detail is discarded. The quality control on this page decides how much. The default is set high enough that most people cannot see the difference.
Can I convert several GIF files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are converted one after another, then offered as a single ZIP.