Trim Video
Cut a video down to the part that matters. The default copies the video rather than re-encoding it, so the cut is instant and the picture is untouched — and when you need the cut exactly on a frame, one switch does that instead.
- Never stored
- No queue, no waiting
- No signup, no watermark
How it works
Add your video
Drop the file. A strip of frames appears so you can see where you are.
Trim the ends, or split out a piece
Drag the brackets at each end, or type the times; the preview shows the frame under each one as you move it. To take a piece out of the middle, press Split where it starts and where it ends, tap the piece and delete it. The preview then plays straight past it.
Download
The trimmed file, in the same format it came in.
Key frames, and why a cut lands where it does
Video is not stored as a sequence of complete pictures. Only some frames are whole — key frames — and the rest describe how the picture changed since the last one, which is the entire reason a film fits on a phone. It also means a video cannot simply be cut anywhere: start halfway through a run of difference frames and there is nothing to apply them to, so the first seconds would be a scrambled mess.
The default cut copies the encoded video into a new file without decoding it, which is why it takes seconds on a two-hour film and why the picture is bit for bit identical — no second generation of compression, no quality loss at all. The price is that the start must land on a key frame, and in most files those are one to ten seconds apart. You are told the exact time it used rather than left to notice.
The exact cut re-encodes, and only where it has to. When the timing genuinely matters — a sentence, a music cue, a goal — the opening section is decoded and encoded again so the cut lands precisely on the frame you picked. That costs a little quality and some time, and it is the honest trade. End points are not the same problem: a video can stop at any frame, so the end of a cut is always exact.
A copied cut keeps the file in its own format, so an MKV stays an MKV and a MOV stays a MOV; an exact cut always writes an MP4, because that is what the re-encoding produces. Sound is cut on the same clock as the picture so the two stay in sync, and only the main video and sound track come across — a second language track or embedded subtitles are left behind.
When you want something else
ffmpeg does the same copy cut and is the right tool for a long file or a batch: ffmpeg -ss 00:01:30 -to 00:04:00 -i in.mp4 -c copy out.mp4. Putting -ss before -i makes it seek rather than decode, which is the difference between seconds and minutes. Dropping -c copy gives a frame-accurate cut at the cost of re-encoding, exactly as here.
For real editing — several clips, transitions, a soundtrack, titles — this is the wrong shape of tool and no browser page will be the right one. Shotcut, Kdenlive and DaVinci Resolve are all free, and any of them beats trimming clips one at a time and joining them afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What does "without re-encoding" mean?
The encoded video is copied into a new file rather than decoded and encoded again: the picture is bit for bit what it was, and a cut out of a two-hour film takes seconds instead of an hour.
Why did my cut start slightly early?
A copied cut can only begin on a key frame — a frame that does not depend on the ones before it — and those are a couple of seconds apart in most files. You are told the exact time it used. Switch on "Exact cut" and the start is re-encoded so it lands precisely where you asked.
When should I use the exact cut?
When the timing matters: a music cue, a sentence, a goal. It re-encodes the video, so it takes longer and loses a little quality — the honest trade for a frame-accurate start.
Is my video stored anywhere?
No. The file is never stored, and neither is the trimmed copy.
Can I cut a piece out of the middle?
Yes. Put the playhead where the piece starts and press Split, again where it ends, then tap the piece and press Delete. It turns grey with a Restore button on it, playback skips it, and the pieces either side are joined into one video. Do it as many times as you like; every step can be undone.
How do I cut precisely on a long video?
Zoom the timeline — the buttons under it, a pinch, or Ctrl and the mouse wheel — and closer frames are drawn for the stretch you are looking at. The brackets and the playhead snap to split lines and to each other, and the arrow keys nudge a bracket a tenth of a second at a time.
Will the sound stay in sync?
Yes. Sound is cut on the same clock as the picture, and the exact cut trims the sound to the frame as well.
Good to know: A copied cut keeps the file's own format (an MKV stays an MKV); an exact cut always writes an MP4. Only the main video and sound track are carried over.
Put this tool on your website
Free for any blog, class page or help article. Paste one snippet and your visitors can use it right on your page.