Cut and trim video in your browser
Trim a video down to the part you actually need. Drop in an MP4 or WebM file, drag the two handles to the section you want, and download the cut clip. The file stays on your device the whole time.
Drop a video here
or
MP4 · WebM · MOV · M4V · MKV · OGV
Type a time like 12.5 or 1:05. The handles can also be moved with
the arrow keys once focused.
Export settings
How to cut a video
- Drop your video onto the box above, or use Choose video. Nothing is sent anywhere - the file opens straight from your device.
- Wait a moment while the tool reads the file and builds the timeline strip.
- Drag the two handles to the section you want, or type exact times into the Start and End boxes.
- Use Preview selection to play just that section before you commit to it.
- Pick Fast Cut or Precise Cut, set the format and audio option, then press Cut & export.
- Download the finished clip.
Fast Cut and Precise Cut
Two cutting modes exist because trimming video honestly involves a trade-off, and hiding it would only produce results people do not expect.
Fast Cut
Fast Cut copies the original video and audio into a new container without decoding or re-encoding them. It is much faster and the picture is bit-for-bit the original. The catch is that compressed video can only be cut at a keyframe, so the clip may begin a little earlier than the exact point you chose. It is the right choice when you want to lift a section out quickly and the exact first frame does not matter. It is offered only when the file's streams can genuinely be copied into the format you picked.
Precise Cut
Precise Cut decodes the selection and encodes it again, so the clip starts and ends where you asked. It takes longer, uses more memory and more battery on a laptop or phone, and because it is a re-encode the output is not identical to the source. The quality presets map to real encoder bitrate targets rather than being decorative.
Why the video never leaves your device
Most online video cutters upload your file, process it on a server and send a result back. This one does not, and that is a structural choice rather than a policy promise: there is no upload endpoint behind this page. The file is opened through a local object URL, the timeline thumbnails and the export are produced by a Web Worker running in your own browser, and the finished clip is downloaded straight from your browser's memory.
That means your footage is not sitting in a queue on someone else's disk, there is no waiting for an upload on a slow connection, and the tool starts working the moment you pick a file. It also means the work is done by your device, so a long clip on an old phone will be slower than the same clip on a desktop.
What works, and what does not
MP4 and WebM are the most reliable inputs. MOV, M4V, MKV and OGV can often be read as well, but that depends on the codecs inside the file and on your browser rather than on the file extension, so the tool inspects the file and tells you what it can actually do with it.
Recent Chrome and Edge have the widest support for the browser APIs this tool relies on. Other browsers may work depending on version and on the file. Because nothing is uploaded, there is no server-side upload limit - but your device's memory is a real one, and the tool warns you when a file is large for the device you are using.
What people use it for
- Cutting a clip out of a long screen recording before sharing it.
- Removing dead air at the start and end of a phone video.
- Trimming footage down before uploading it somewhere with a length limit.
- Pulling a short section out of an interview or lecture recording.
- Cutting confidential or personal footage that you would rather not upload to a stranger's server.
Limitations worth knowing
- Fast Cut starts at the nearest keyframe, so it is not frame-accurate.
- Precise Cut re-encodes, so it is slower and not quality-free.
- Very large files can exhaust browser memory, particularly on phones and older machines.
- Some codecs cannot be decoded or encoded by some browsers at all.
- Closing the tab during an export cancels it - the work happens in your browser, not on a server.
Questions
Is my video uploaded to your server?
No. The file is opened directly from your device, the timeline and preview are built locally, and the cut clip is created in your browser and saved straight from it. The video, its frames and the exported file never reach A2Z.Tools.
What is the difference between Fast Cut and Precise Cut?
Fast Cut copies the original video and audio into a new file without re-encoding, so it is quick and keeps the original quality, but the clip can only begin at a keyframe - in practice the start may land slightly before the point you chose. Precise Cut re-encodes the selection so it starts and ends where you asked. Re-encoding takes longer and, like any re-encode, it is not quality-free.
Which browsers does the video cutter work in?
It needs a browser with module workers and, for re-encoding, the WebCodecs API. Recent Chrome and Edge are the best supported. Support in other browsers depends on the version and on the codecs inside your file, so the tool checks what your browser can actually do with the file you picked and tells you if something is not possible.
Which file formats can I cut?
MP4 and WebM are the most reliable. MOV, M4V, MKV and OGV are often readable too, but that depends on the codecs inside the file and on your browser - the extension alone does not decide it. The tool reads the file first and tells you if it cannot handle it, rather than failing at the end.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server upload limit because nothing is uploaded, but your device's memory is a real limit. The tool warns you when a file is large for the device you are on. Large files can still work; cutting a shorter section is the reliable way to keep memory use down.
Does the cut clip keep its sound?
Yes, audio is kept by default. There is a Remove audio option if you want a silent clip, and it only removes the sound when you choose it.
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