The short answer
Open the video in the trimmer below. Drag the two handles under the preview, or play the video and click Current frame next to Start and End to mark the exact moments. Click Play selection to check the part you chose, keep Cut on Fast (no quality loss) and click Cut video. A preview of the result appears with its length and size, and Download saves it.
The trimmed file keeps the format of the original: an MP4 stays MP4, a MOV stays MOV. Nothing is uploaded and no watermark is added.
Try it here: Video Trimmer
Open the full tool pageFast trim and exact trim: what the difference is
Video is not stored as a series of complete pictures. Every so often there is a key frame, a full image, and the frames in between only store what changed since the previous one. A player cannot show a frame in the middle of such a group without starting from the key frame before it.
A fast trim copies the compressed video as it is, which is why it takes seconds even for an hour long recording and keeps every pixel of the original. The catch is that it can only start at a key frame, so the clip may begin slightly before the point you chose. Phone videos usually have a key frame every second or two, so the difference is small; some screen recordings and downloaded streams have key frames several seconds apart.
An exact trim decodes the selection and encodes it again, so the clip starts precisely at the frame you picked. It takes longer, roughly proportional to the length of the clip, and the quality is very slightly lower because the video is compressed a second time, though at normal viewing it is hard to tell.
| Feature | Fast (no quality loss) | Exact (re-encode) |
|---|---|---|
| Start point | Nearest key frame, can be up to a few seconds early | Exactly the chosen frame |
| Speed | Seconds, even for long videos | Depends on clip length and device |
| Quality | Identical to the original | Very close to the original |
| Best for | Removing dead time at the start and end | Clips that must start on a beat or a word |
Setting precise start and end points
The handles are quick for rough cuts. For precision, pause the preview where you want the clip to begin and click Current frame under Start, then do the same for End. You can also type times into the Start and End boxes, for example 1:05.5 for one minute and 5.5 seconds, or simply 65.5.
Leave a little room around speech. Cutting exactly on the first syllable often sounds abrupt; starting a few tenths of a second earlier and ending half a second after the last word gives a cleaner clip. Use Play selection after every change; it plays only the chosen range and stops at the end point.
- Drag the handles for a rough selection
- Pause and click Current frame for exact points
- Type times as minutes:seconds.tenths or as seconds
- Check with Play selection before cutting
Cutting a clip for social media
Short clips do best on social platforms: the first second decides whether people keep watching, so start right at the action instead of on a slow lead in. For a funny moment or a highlight, 10 to 30 seconds is usually enough; for a short explanation or a tutorial step, up to a minute. Platform limits change often, so check the current maximum length in the app before you cut.
Use Exact when the clip has to start on a specific word or beat, otherwise Fast is fine. Trimming does not change the shape of the picture, so a horizontal video stays horizontal; cropping to vertical needs an editing app. If the clip is still too large to send, run it through a video compressor afterwards.
| Use | Typical length | Cut mode |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction or highlight | 5 to 30 seconds | Fast, or Exact if it must start on a beat |
| Story or status update | Under 60 seconds | Fast |
| Short tutorial step | 30 to 90 seconds | Exact for a clean first word |
| Removing dead time from a recording | Any length | Fast |
Trimming on a phone or computer without extra apps
Phones and computers have basic trimming built in, which is handy for quick jobs. On an iPhone, open the video in Photos, tap Edit, drag the ends of the timeline and tap Done, then choose to save the video or save it as a new clip. In Google Photos on Android, tap Edit, drag the handles and choose Save copy. On a Mac, QuickTime Player has Edit > Trim. On Windows, the Photos app and Clipchamp offer trimming.
The browser trimmer is useful when you want the choice between lossless and exact cutting, need to type precise times, want to remove the audio track, or work with WebM and MKV files that built in apps may not open.
Common problems and fixes
- The clip starts a bit before my start point: that is the key frame effect of Fast mode. Switch Cut to Exact (re-encode).
- The selection is too short: the clip must be at least a tenth of a second long. Move the End handle further.
- Your browser cannot read the video inside this file: try Chrome or Edge; some codecs, such as HEVC, are not supported in every browser.
- The trimmed video has no sound: check that Remove audio is not ticked.
- Exact mode is slow: re-encoding a long selection takes time. Trim the rough part with Fast first, then use Exact on the shorter clip.