Turn MOV videos into GIFs
This MOV to GIF converter makes animated GIFs from Apple’s QuickTime movie files — the .mov videos your iPhone or iPad records, the clips exported from Live Photos, and screen recordings made on a Mac. Open the file, pick up to 15 seconds, set the frame rate, width and colour count, and the GIF is built on your device without uploading anything.
MOV is a container, and what matters is the video inside. Mac screen recordings and iPhones set to Most Compatible use H.264, which every browser plays. iPhones on the default High Efficiency setting record HEVC (H.265): Safari plays it everywhere, and Chrome and Edge play it on most computers with hardware HEVC support. If your browser cannot show the video, the page says so straight away.
How to use the MOV to GIF Converter
- Drop the MOV onto the box or click to choose it — AirDrop or copy it to your computer first, or pick it from Files on an iPhone or iPad.
- Scrub to the moment you want and press Set for Start (s) and End (s); up to 15 seconds can be converted.
- Choose a Frame rate and Width (px). Portrait iPhone videos make tall GIFs, so a narrower width keeps the file small.
- Set Colours, Dithering and Looping, then press Make GIF.
- Watch the result and press Download GIF.
MOV to GIF Converter features
iPhone and Mac friendly
Works with iPhone camera clips, Live Photo videos and QuickTime screen recordings; portrait videos keep their orientation.
Exact clip selection
Scrub frame by frame and set the start and end from the current frame, or type times to a tenth of a second.
Size and quality controls
Frame rates from 5 to 20 fps, widths from 240 to 800 pixels, 32 to 256 colours and optional dithering, with a live size estimate.
Loops your way
Loop forever, play once or play three times — written into the GIF so it behaves the same everywhere.
No upload
The MOV is played by your browser and the GIF encoded locally with the open-source gifenc library (MIT licence).
MOV files from Apple devices
If a MOV will not open here, convert it to MP4 with MOV to MP4 and make the GIF from that, or switch the iPhone to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible for future clips.
| Source | Usual video inside | Opens in |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone camera, High Efficiency (default) | HEVC / H.265, often HDR | Safari; Chrome and Edge with hardware HEVC |
| iPhone camera, Most Compatible | H.264 | Every browser |
| Live Photo saved as video | HEVC or H.264, about 3 s | Same as above |
| Mac screen recording (QuickTime, Screenshot app) | H.264 | Every browser |
| Pro cameras and editing exports | ProRes | Usually not in browsers — convert first |
Getting a good GIF from a MOV
- Live Photos are about three seconds long — ideal GIF length. Use 12–15 fps for smooth motion.
- Screen recordings from a Retina Mac are very large; 640 or 800 px wide is plenty, with 8–10 fps, 64 colours and dithering off for crisp text.
- HDR iPhone video is mapped to standard range when the browser draws each frame, so bright highlights look calmer in the GIF. GIF cannot store HDR or more than 256 colours per frame.
- GIFs have no sound, so the audio track of the MOV is ignored.
- To post a short MOV clip as video instead, keep it as MP4 — it will be much smaller. Already made a GIF that is too heavy? Try the GIF compressor, or go from MP4 with MP4 to GIF.
MOV to GIF Converter FAQ
How do I convert a MOV to a GIF?
Open the MOV in this MOV to GIF converter, set the start and end points, choose frame rate, width and colours, then press Make GIF and Download GIF. The conversion runs entirely in your browser.
Why won’t my iPhone video open?
iPhones record HEVC by default. Browsers without HEVC decoding — common on older PCs and Firefox — cannot play it. Open the page in Safari or Chrome, or convert the MOV to MP4 first.
Can I make a GIF on my iPhone?
Yes. Open this page in Safari, tap the drop area and choose the video from Photos or Files. Shorter clips and narrower widths encode faster on a phone.
Why are the colours different from the original video?
GIF allows at most 256 colours per frame and has no HDR, so gradients and bright highlights are simplified. Choose 256 colours with dithering on for the closest match.
How long can the GIF be?
Up to 15 seconds or 300 frames per GIF. Longer GIFs quickly reach tens of megabytes, which most apps reject.
Is my video uploaded to a server?
No. The MOV is decoded by your browser and the GIF is created on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.