MP4 to GIF converter
Convert MP4 to GIF in seconds, free and unlimited. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark: your video never leaves your device.
Last updated
Quick answer: To convert MP4 to GIF, add the MP4 file to the iHateFiles MP4 to GIF 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. Produces a silent, looping clip that plays inline anywhere, with a colour palette built from the footage itself.
Making a GIF that is not huge
GIF is an old format: 256 colours, no sound, and files that grow very fast. A few seconds at full width can run to many megabytes, so trim first. Under about six seconds, around 480 pixels wide, at 10 to 15 frames a second is a good target.
If the place you are posting will play video, a short MP4 looks better at a fraction of the size. GIF earns its place where video will not autoplay, like email and some chat apps.
Should you convert MP4 to GIF?
Do this for a short loop that has to play where video does not, such as email or a chat client. For anything longer than a few seconds, a video file is smaller and looks better than the GIF.
GIF drops the sound and most of the colour
An MP4 holds H.264 or H.265 video with AAC sound. A GIF holds at most 256 colours per frame and no sound at all, so the palette is rebuilt from your footage and the audio is discarded. Keep it short: a GIF is often ten times the size of the MP4 it came from.
MP4 and GIF side by side
| MP4 | GIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the file | H.264 or H.265 video with AAC sound | 256-colour frames with no sound |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Carries sound | Yes | No |
| Plays on | every phone, laptop, TV, browser and messaging app | everywhere an image plays: browsers, chat apps, email and documents |
| Here | Read and write | Read and write |
What usually goes wrong
About the MP4. Two MP4 files can behave completely differently depending on the codecs inside. A file that will not play is usually an unusual codec in an ordinary container, not a broken file.
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.
How to convert MP4 to GIF
- Add your MP4 file. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- Check the settings. The output format is already set to GIF.
- Press convert and the GIF file is saved back to your device.
GIF converter: everything that converts to GIF
Questions
How do I convert MP4 to GIF?
Open this page, add your MP4 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 MP4 to GIF 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 GIF lose quality?
GIF is lossless, so this step throws nothing away. If the original was already a lossy format, the damage it did cannot be undone, but nothing further is lost.
Can I convert several MP4 files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are converted one after another, then offered as a single ZIP.