Video Trimmer

How Video Trimmer works

Type the time where the part you want begins and where it ends, as seconds or minutes and seconds such as 1:30. Leave the end blank to keep everything after the start. The trimmed video keeps its original format.

Fast mode copies the video and sound streams without re-encoding them, so it takes seconds even for long files and loses no quality. The catch is that video can only be cut cleanly at a keyframe, so the clip may start up to a few seconds before the time you typed. Exact mode re-encodes with H.264 at high quality, which cuts on the precise frame but takes about as long as re-encoding the kept part.

Both modes run ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly inside this tab. The converter engine, about 32 MB, downloads the first time and your browser keeps it, so the video itself never leaves your device.

The trimmed file is named after the original with -trimmed added, so nothing is overwritten. Trimming is also the quickest way to make a video smaller without touching its quality, because cutting off a minute at each end removes that data entirely. If the result is still too big for an upload limit, run it through the video compressor afterwards.

Video Trimmer options explained

When to use it

Trimming is the everyday fix for recordings that start with fumbling for the record button or end with walking over to stop it, for cutting a clip down to a platform limit, or for pulling a highlight out of a long screen recording.

Use fast mode first; it is instant and lossless, and the few frames of extra lead-in rarely matter. Switch to exact only when the clip must start on a precise frame, such as a beat in music.

About these video tools

The video tools use ffmpeg, the program behind most video software, compiled to WebAssembly so it runs in your browser. The engine is downloaded once, about 32 MB, and cached, so later visits start straight away. Some operations only copy streams, which is fast and lossless; others must re-encode every frame, which is slower because it runs on your own processor rather than a server farm. Each tool says which it does. Keep the tab in front while it works, because browsers slow down background tabs. For very long 4K recordings, a desktop editor will be quicker, but for the everyday clips people trim, mute and rotate, the browser is enough and the video stays private.

Video Trimmer troubleshooting

"is not a time"

Times must be seconds or minutes and seconds with a colon, such as 90 or 1:30. Hours work too, as 1:02:03.

The end must be after the start

The end time is earlier than or equal to the start time. Check the two boxes, or leave the end empty to keep everything after the start.

The first second freezes or starts early

That is the keyframe effect of fast mode. Trim again with Exact selected to cut on the precise frame.

How to use Video Trimmer, step by step

1. Press "Choose a video" or drag files onto the box.
2. Set the options if you need to; the defaults suit most uses.
3. Press "Trim video". The work happens on your device.
4. Save the result with its download button.

Is it safe to do this online?

With most online tools, "online" means your file is uploaded to a company's server, processed there and kept for a while before it is deleted. Here it is not. The page downloads the tool's code to your browser, and your file is read and processed inside the tab on your own device. It is never sent to TapToConvert or anyone else.

You can check this yourself: once the page and its engine have loaded, turn off Wi-Fi and the tool still works. That also means there is no queue, no daily limit and no file size cap set by a server; the only limit is the memory your browser gives a single tab.