MOV to GIF Converter
Convert MOV to GIF in your browser: iPhone videos, Mac screen recordings and QuickTime files all work. Free, no upload, no watermark.
How it works
- Choose a MOV file: iPhone videos and Mac screen recordings both work.
- Pick the frame rate and width.
- Create the GIF and download it.
Tips
- Trim the clip in Photos or QuickTime Player first: every extra second adds frames.
- Use 10–12 fps at 320–480 px for chat apps, and 15 fps when motion should look smooth.
- Screen recordings with text stay readable at 640–720 px; camera footage looks fine at 480 px.
What is a MOV file?
MOV is Apple's QuickTime container. iPhones save videos as .MOV, and so do Mac screen recordings made with QuickTime Player or Shift-Command-5. With the iPhone's default “High Efficiency” camera format the video inside is HEVC (H.265); “Most Compatible” records H.264. This converter decodes both, so there is no need to change the camera setting or convert to MP4 first.
Phone videos are large for a GIF: Settings › Camera › Record Video lists about 60 MB per minute for 1080p at 30 fps in High Efficiency. A GIF stores every frame as a separate image with at most 256 colors, so the way to a small GIF is a short clip, a low frame rate and a small width.
MOV to GIF: measured example
A 15-second, 1080p, 30 fps HEVC MOV (14.95 MB), converted in desktop Chrome on an Apple Silicon Mac. Phones take longer.
| Settings | GIF size | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 fps, 480 px wide (default) | 10.31 MB | 16.7 s |
| 10 fps, 320 px wide | 3.63 MB | 14.9 s |
Settings
Each GIF gets its own 256-color palette built from your clip in a first pass, then the frames are mapped onto it. That avoids the banding a generic palette causes on skin tones and skies.
| Setting | Options | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Frame rate | 8–24 fps, up to the source | 10–12 fps for reactions and chat; 15 fps for smooth motion |
| Width | 320, 480, 640 or 720 px, up to the source | 320–480 px for Slack, Discord and email; 640–720 px for screen recordings with text |
Limits and common problems
File size: up to 250 MB on a computer and 100 MB on a phone, because the whole file is loaded into the browser's memory. At about 60 MB per minute, a phone can take roughly a minute and a half of 1080p iPhone video.
HDR clips: recent iPhones record HDR (Dolby Vision) by default. GIF has no HDR and this converter does not tone-map, so HDR clips can look washed out. Turn off HDR Video in Settings › Camera › Record Video for clips you plan to turn into GIFs.
No sound: GIF is an image format, so the audio track is dropped. Use the MOV to MP3 converter if you need the audio.
Live Photos: a Live Photo is a still image plus a short video. In Photos, use Share › Save as Video to get a MOV you can convert.
FAQ
What is the MOV to GIF converter?
It turns MOV files, such as iPhone videos, Mac screen recordings and QuickTime clips, into animated GIFs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and no watermark is added.
Can I convert a MOV video to a GIF online for free?
Yes. Choose the MOV, pick the frame rate and width, click Create GIF and download it. There is no account, no watermark and no upload.
How do I convert a MOV video to a GIF on my iPhone?
Open this page in Safari or Chrome, choose the video from Photos or Files and create the GIF. Files can be up to 100 MB on a phone; trim long clips in Photos first, because phones convert more slowly than computers.
Can it convert iPhone HEVC videos?
Yes. HEVC (H.265) MOV files from the iPhone's High Efficiency setting decode in the browser; the measured example above is a 1080p HEVC MOV.
Can I convert a Mac screen recording?
Yes. Screen recordings from QuickTime Player or Shift-Command-5 are MOV files. Use 640 or 720 px so text stays legible; 10–12 fps is enough for most interface demos.
Why is my GIF so big?
GIF has no video compression between frames. Lower the frame rate, pick a smaller width and trim the clip: 10 fps at 320 px made our 15-second GIF about a third of the size of the default settings.
How big can the MOV be?
Up to 250 MB on a computer and 100 MB on a phone, because the whole file is loaded into the browser's memory.
Does the GIF loop?
Yes. The GIF loops forever, which is what chat apps and web pages expect.