WebM to GIF Converter
Turn a WebM video into an animated GIF in seconds. Everything happens in your browser, so your video is never uploaded.
Your video never leaves this device. Conversion happens in your browser.
How to convert WebM to GIF
- Open your WebM. Choose the file or drop it on the box. It opens instantly because nothing is uploaded.
- Trim the clip. Play the preview and use Use current to set the start and end, or type the times.
- Pick size and quality. Set the width, frame rate, colors and speed. The frame count and estimated size update as you go.
- Convert and download. Watch the progress bar (you can cancel at any time), check the preview, then download the GIF.
The settings, explained
| Setting | What it does | Effect on file size |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Output width in pixels. Height follows the video’s aspect ratio. The GIF is never made wider than the source. | Large: halving the width roughly quarters the pixels per frame. |
| Frame rate | How many frames per second the GIF shows, from 5 to 30. | Proportional: 20 fps has twice as many frames as 10 fps. |
| Colors | Size of each frame’s color palette. GIF allows at most 256 colors per palette. | Moderate: fewer colors compress better but can show banding. |
| Speed | Play the clip faster or slower. At 2× the GIF lasts half as long and needs half the frames. | Faster speeds mean fewer frames. |
| Skip unchanged pixels | After the first frame, pixels that haven’t visibly changed are stored as transparent, so the previous frame shows through. | Often large for screen recordings and static backgrounds. |
| Loop forever | Writes the loop setting into the GIF. Turn it off for a GIF that plays once and stops on the last frame. | None. |
What happens to your video
Your browser opens the WebM with its built-in video decoder. The converter steps through the clip one frame at a time, draws each frame at your chosen size, reduces it to a palette of up to 256 colors and compresses it into the GIF. The encoding runs in a background worker, so the page stays responsive and you can cancel whenever you like. The finished GIF is created in memory on your device and saved straight to your downloads.
Because nothing is uploaded, there is no upload time and no server queue. The limits are your device’s memory and speed: this tool caps a GIF at 1,500 frames and 1,280 px wide, and warns you before creating one likely to be larger than 25 MB.
About WebM
WebM is an open, royalty-free media format designed for the web. Its video is compressed with the VP8 or VP9 codecs (WebM can also carry AV1) and its audio with Vorbis or Opus, inside a container based on Matroska. Some WebM files, such as certain recordings made in a browser, have no duration in their header; the converter measures those files itself, so trimming still works.
Have an MP4 instead? Use the MP4 to GIF converter. Want to record your screen and turn it into a GIF? Try video to GIF, which can record a screen or window for you. If you prefer the command line, the guide on how to convert WebM to GIF includes an FFmpeg command.
Tips for a smaller, better GIF
- Trim hard. Every second you cut removes a whole second of frames.
- For sharing in chats and docs, 320–480 px wide is usually plenty.
- Keep Skip unchanged pixels on for screen recordings, slides and anything with a still background.
- Still too big? Run the result through the GIF compressor to drop frames or colors without re-opening the video.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a WebM file to a GIF?
Choose your .webm file above, trim it to the part you want, pick a width, frame rate and number of colors, then press Convert to GIF. When it finishes, preview the GIF and press Download.
Is my video uploaded to a server?
No. The video is opened by your own browser and every frame is converted on your device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, which also means there is no upload wait and no file-size limit imposed by a server.
Why is my GIF bigger than the WebM file?
WebM stores video with modern video codecs (VP8 or VP9) built for motion. GIF stores every frame as a palette image of up to 256 colors with lossless LZW compression, so the same clip usually takes much more space. Lower the width, frame rate or colors, or turn on Skip unchanged pixels, to shrink it.
What frame rate should I use?
10–15 fps looks smooth for most clips and keeps the file manageable. Use 20–30 fps for fast motion if size doesn't matter, or 5–8 fps for slideshow-style content and the smallest files.
Does the GIF keep the sound?
No. The GIF format has no audio, so the sound track of your WebM is dropped.
Can I keep a transparent background?
Yes, if the WebM itself has transparency and your browser decodes it. Tick Keep transparency: pixels that are mostly transparent become fully transparent in the GIF. GIF supports one transparent color, so soft or semi-transparent edges become either opaque or transparent.
What if the tool says my browser can't decode the file?
The converter relies on your browser's own video decoder. If it can't play the file, try a different browser, or re-export the video as WebM (VP9) or MP4 (H.264) and try again.