Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. Your file never leaves your device. Conversion runs entirely in your browser using FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so there is no server to upload to.

Which video formats can I convert?

MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4V and AVI all work in most browsers. Anything your build of FFmpeg can decode will work, since the same FFmpeg code runs inside the page.

What's the maximum file size?

There is no hard limit, but everything happens in your browser's memory. A few hundred MB is usually fine on desktop; mobile browsers have tighter memory caps. Trimming to only the clip you need is the easiest way to stay fast.

Why is the GIF so large compared to the video?

GIF is an old, lossless, 256-color-per-frame format with no real inter-frame compression. A 5-second 1080p clip that is 2 MB as MP4 can easily be 20 MB as GIF. To shrink it, lower the FPS, reduce the width, and trim tighter.

What FPS and width should I pick?

15 FPS and 480 px wide is a good default for social and chat apps. Drop to 10 FPS if the motion is slow or you want a smaller file. Go up to 24-30 FPS only if the motion genuinely needs it.

Does it work offline or on mobile?

After the first load the page and FFmpeg core are cached, so conversion works without a network connection. It runs on mobile browsers, but memory is more limited, so keep clips short and widths modest.

Why does my browser need to be up to date?

Multi-threaded WebAssembly needs cross-origin isolation (COOP/COEP headers) and SharedArrayBuffer. Older browsers fall back to a slower single-threaded mode. A current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari 16+ gets the fast path.

Is it really free? Any watermark?

Yes, free. No sign-up, no watermark, no usage limit. There is no server to pay for because nothing is uploaded.

About localgif.app

A free tool that converts video files to animated GIFs inside your browser. No upload, no server, no sign-up.

What it is

localgif.app runs FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly directly inside the page. You pick a video file (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4V, or AVI), trim it to the clip you want, choose FPS and width, and the browser builds the GIF and hands it back as a download.

There is no backend. The file never leaves your machine. After the page and the FFmpeg core finish loading, conversion works without a network connection.

Why in-browser

Most video-to-GIF tools ask you to upload your clip to a server you know nothing about. For anything sensitive (internal screen recordings, private moments, early product demos) that's a lot of trust for a free tool.

localgif.app never uploads your file. FFmpeg runs as WebAssembly inside the page, reads the file through the browser's file API, and writes the GIF straight back to you. You can disconnect your network after the page loads and it still works.

To get the fast multi-threaded build of FFmpeg we set the Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy and Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy headers so the browser grants us cross-origin isolation. Older browsers or misconfigured setups fall back to a slower single-threaded mode automatically.

Who it is for

Anyone who needs a quick GIF from a video clip and does not want to upload it to a random server. Common uses: bug report screen recordings, product demo GIFs for GitHub READMEs, Slack and Discord clips, and reaction GIFs from phone recordings.

If your destination accepts video (MP4, WebM) instead of GIF, keep it as video. GIF is an old format with no real inter-frame compression, so the file will be larger. Use GIF when you need something that autoplays everywhere and embeds as an image.

Open the converter →