Convert MOV to GIF, from iPhone clips to Mac screen recordings
Drop a MOV from your iPhone or Mac, choose the seconds you want and get a looping GIF. Vidmini decodes the video in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
How it works
- 1
Choose or drop your MOV file: an iPhone video, a QuickTime recording or a Mac screen recording.
- 2
Find the start in the preview, then set the length (2 to 15 seconds), the width and the frame rate.
- 3
Click MOV to GIF and download the GIF. It loops forever and carries no watermark.
Where MOV files come from
MOV is Apple's QuickTime format. You get one when you AirDrop a video from an iPhone to a Mac, export a clip from the Photos app, record with QuickTime Player or capture your screen on macOS with Shift-Command-5. Those recordings are perfect GIF material: a bug report, a quick how-to, a funny moment from your camera roll.
The catch is that many GIF makers and some websites choke on MOV files, and uploading a large screen recording takes time. This MOV to GIF tool reads the file directly in your browser on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android, with nothing to install.
iPhone videos and HEVC
Since iOS 11, iPhones record in HEVC (H.265) by default under the "High Efficiency" camera setting. HEVC gives small files but needs a decoder that supports it. Vidmini uses the browser's WebCodecs API, which relies on your device's hardware decoder: Safari on Mac and iPhone handles HEVC, and so do Chrome and Edge on most recent computers. If your browser can't decode the MOV, try Safari or Chrome, or switch the iPhone camera to "Most Compatible" (H.264) for future recordings.
Recent iPhones also film in HDR (Dolby Vision). The GIF is built from standard colors, so HDR clips may look slightly faded, because tone-mapping is not available yet.
iPhone videos are often vertical and 4K. You don't need to shrink them first: pick a GIF width of 320 to 800 px and Vidmini scales the frames down for you.
Screen recordings: readable text in a small GIF
A Mac screen recording has sharp text, flat backgrounds and little motion, which suits the GIF format well. To keep text legible, use 640 or 800 px width; to keep the file small, drop the frame rate to 10 or 12 fps, which is enough for cursor movement and clicks. If only one window matters, crop the recording first with the Crop Video tool, then convert the cropped file.
Every frame gets its own 256-color palette, so interface colors stay accurate. The sound of the recording is dropped, because GIF has no audio, and the result loops forever, which makes it easy to watch a step several times.
No upload, even for large recordings
A few minutes of 4K iPhone video can weigh gigabytes. There is no size limit set by us: the MOV is read and processed on your device, and desktop browsers handle multi-gigabyte files. Nothing is uploaded, no account is needed and the page works offline once loaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a MOV to a GIF on a Mac?
Open this page in Safari, Chrome or Edge, drop the MOV file, pick the start in the preview, choose a length, width and frame rate, then click MOV to GIF. The GIF downloads to your Downloads folder. Nothing to install.
Can I make a GIF from an iPhone video directly on the iPhone?
Yes. Open the page in Safari, tap to choose a video from your library or Files, and convert it. Very long 4K videos may be limited by the phone's free memory, so picking a short clip helps.
My iPhone MOV won't open. What can I do?
Your browser probably can't decode HEVC on this device. Try Safari on a Mac or iPhone, or the latest Chrome or Edge on a recent computer. You can also convert the MOV to MP4 with our MOV to MP4 tool on a device that supports HEVC.
What width should I use for a screen recording GIF?
640 or 800 px keeps interface text readable. Combine it with 10 or 12 fps and a short length to keep the file reasonable.
Why are the colors of my iPhone GIF a bit pale?
Recent iPhones record in HDR, and Vidmini does not tone-map HDR to standard colors yet. The GIF's 256-color palette per frame can also soften subtle gradients.
Is the audio kept?
No. GIF is an image format without sound, so the audio of the MOV is left out.