Trim a video to the part you need
Enter a start and end time in seconds or minutes:seconds. Fast mode copies the original streams, so it finishes in seconds with no quality loss but starts on the nearest keyframe. Precise mode re-encodes and cuts on the exact frame.
Free with a VideoBB account
Sign in with Google to use the trim video. Your uploads and results stay private to you and are deleted after 24 hours.
How it works
Compressed video is stored as keyframes with changes in between. Cutting without re-encoding can only start cleanly on a keyframe, which is usually every one to ten seconds. That is why fast trims can begin a moment before the time you typed.
Use fast mode for rough cuts, long recordings and anything where speed matters. Use precise mode when the first frame has to be exact, for example a clip that starts on a punchline.
Options at a glance
| Mode | Speed | Quality | Cut accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast (stream copy) | Seconds, even for hours of video | Identical to the source | Nearest keyframe before the start |
| Precise (re-encode) | Similar to converting the clip | High quality H.264 | Exact frame |
Step by step
Upload
Drop the video.
Set times
Type the start and end, like 1:05 and 2:30.
Trim
Choose fast or precise and run.
Download
Save the clip or publish it.
When trimming is the right tool
Trim a video when you want one continuous piece of it and nothing else. The tool keeps everything between two times and drops the rest. It is the quickest way to shorten a file.
Sometimes you do not need a new file at all. To point someone at one moment, a share link with a start time does the job. To remove several parts or join clips, use the browser editor; the editor overview shows how cuts work on the timeline. For a short silent loop, the video to GIF maker fits better.
Fast mode and precise mode in detail
The two modes treat your file very differently. Knowing what each one keeps makes the choice easy.
What fast mode keeps
Fast mode copies every stream without touching it. Extra audio languages and subtitle tracks stay in the clip when the container supports them. The picture and sound are the same data as the source, so nothing is lost.
What precise mode changes
Precise mode re-encodes the first video track and the first audio track. It writes H.264 at a high quality setting with stereo AAC sound, in an MP4 file. Other tracks are left out, and the job takes about as long as converting the clip.
Common reasons to trim a video
Most trims fall into a few everyday jobs.
Cutting a highlight for a Short
On VideoBB, any upload of three minutes or less becomes a Short on its own. Trim a highlight to that length and upload it. The help page on Shorts explains how they appear on the site.
Removing dead air from a recording
Meetings, streams and lectures often open with minutes of setup. Fast mode drops that part in seconds, even on a file that runs for hours.
Sending just the part that matters
A two-minute clip is far smaller than the full recording. Trimming first often means you do not need to compress the file at all.
Fixing common trim problems
These are the questions that come up most with cuts.
The clip starts early or freezes for a moment
Fast mode starts on the keyframe just before your time. Some players show a still frame until the next keyframe arrives. Run the job again with Precise cut switched on.
The tool says End must be after start
Check the order of the two times and how you typed them. 1:30 means 90 seconds, while 130 means 130 seconds.
A fast trim of a WMV, FLV or old AVI file comes back as MKV
Fast mode saves those formats as MP4 when it can. A few old codecs, such as the ones in WMV files, are not allowed inside MP4, so the clip is copied into an MKV file instead, still without re-encoding. For an MP4 that plays everywhere, tick Precise cut, which re-encodes the clip to H.264.
Privacy and how long clips are kept
Trimmed clips are private to your account. They are kept for 24 hours and then deleted, along with the upload. Each trim counts as one job: 10 a day on a free account, 100 with Premium.
Frequently asked questions
What time formats work?
Seconds (90 or 90.5), minutes:seconds (1:30) and hours:minutes:seconds (1:02:03).
Why does my fast trim start slightly early?
It starts on the keyframe just before your start time. Switch to precise mode if you need the exact frame.
Does trimming change the format?
Fast mode keeps MP4, MKV, MOV and WebM in their original container. Other formats produce MP4, or MKV when MP4 cannot hold the original codec. All precise trims produce MP4.
Does a fast trim lose quality?
No. Fast mode copies the original data, so the clip looks and sounds exactly like the source.
What if my end time is past the end of the video?
The clip simply stops where the video ends. Nothing is added to fill the gap.
Can I cut out a section in the middle?
Not in one step, because this tool keeps one range. Upload the video, then open it in the browser editor to cut the middle out and keep the rest.
Related guides
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Mute videoRemove the audio track without re-encoding the picture.
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