Free tool · 100% in your browser

MP4 to GIF converter

Turn a screen recording into a GIF for your README, pull request, or docs. Nothing is uploaded — the conversion happens on your machine.

Drop a video here or choose a file

MP4, WebM, or MOV · first 30s · output up to 720px wide at 12fps

How it works

  1. Choose an MP4, WebM, or MOV file (screen recordings work great).
  2. Your browser decodes it frame by frame and builds the GIF locally.
  3. Download the result — no watermark, no account, no upload.

Frequently asked questions

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using the same in-browser encoding approach ZoomCap uses for its editor. Your file never leaves your machine, which also means there's no file-size-based pricing and no queue.

Why is my GIF so much bigger than the MP4?

GIF is a format from 1989: every frame stores its own 256-color palette and there's no real inter-frame compression. A GIF will usually be 5-10x the size of the equivalent MP4. That's why we cap output at 720px wide and 12fps — the sweet spot for READMEs and docs.

What's the best format for a GitHub README demo?

GIF still autoplays everywhere on GitHub, which is why it remains the default for READMEs and pull requests. Keep it under ~10MB, crop to the region that matters, and keep it short — a 10-second focused clip beats a 60-second full-screen tour.

Can I convert longer videos?

This free tool converts the first 30 seconds, which covers almost every README or PR demo. If you need longer exports with zoom effects, trimming, and MP4 output, that's exactly what ZoomCap's editor does.

Recording the demo in the first place?

If you're making GIFs of your product or terminal, the recording matters more than the conversion. ZoomCap records your Mac's screen with one terminal command, automatically zooms in where you click, and exports MP4 or GIF from the same editor — all locally. GIF still wins on GitHub; everywhere else, a real video file is the better delivery format. We compared MP4, MOV, and WebM for 2026 if you're deciding what to export before converting.