Convert GIF to MP4 Online
Turn an animated GIF into an MP4 video for Instagram, TikTok, websites and video editors. The MP4 keeps the GIF's animation and is usually several times smaller.
Result: a silent MP4 (H.264) with the GIF's size and frame timing, apart from the small exceptions described below.
Need more changes? Continue in the full editor after downloading or processing the converted file.
How to convert GIF to MP4 online
The converter re-encodes the GIF frames as H.264 video in an MP4 file. There are no settings to choose: the size and timing come from the GIF.
Step-by-step
- Choose an animated GIF or drag it onto the upload area.
- Click Convert to MP4.
- Wait while the GIF is converted; most GIFs take a few seconds.
- Download the MP4 and upload it where the GIF was not accepted.
What you get
- H.264 video in 8-bit 4:2:0, a format widely supported by phones, browsers, social networks and video editors.
- The same frames as the GIF, each shown for as long as in the GIF, including pauses on a single frame. Only frame delays of 0 or 0.01 seconds become 0.1 seconds.
- The width and height of the GIF; an odd number of pixels is trimmed by one, because this converter's H.264 4:2:0 output needs even dimensions.
- A file that is usually several times smaller than the GIF and starts playing before it has fully downloaded.
- No sound track, no watermark and no sign-up.
Why convert GIF to MP4
Many places that take video do not take GIF files. Instagram does not accept a GIF as a feed post, and some video editors and slideshow apps import a GIF as a still image or at the wrong speed. To publish the animation as a video post or use it in a video project, convert it to MP4: then it uploads and imports like any other clip.
On a website, a GIF is often the heaviest file on the page. Page speed tools such as Lighthouse have long recommended replacing large GIFs with video: a muted MP4 in a video tag that autoplays and loops looks the same and loads much faster.
Popular use cases
- Posting an animation or a meme on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
- Adding a GIF to a video project, a presentation video or a slideshow.
- Replacing heavy GIFs on a website or in a web app with light videos.
- Sharing a large GIF where file size is limited, such as a chat or an email attachment.
Looping, length and sound
Most animated GIFs are set to repeat by themselves; an MP4 has no repeat setting of its own. Instagram and TikTok replay short videos automatically, and a web page can loop one with the loop attribute of the video tag, but a video player on a computer usually plays the file once and stops unless looping is turned on.
How much smaller the MP4 is
GIFs made from video
GIF compresses every frame as a separate picture with a 256-color palette; H.264 stores mostly what changes between frames. In our tests, a 4-second GIF made from camera footage, 480 px wide, shrank from 7.6 MB to 0.4 MB, and a 1.6-second 800×600 animation from 2.7 MB to 0.7 MB.
Icons and small animations
The saving is largest for GIFs made from real footage, where the dithering of the palette makes every frame hard to compress. Small, flat animations such as icons or loading spinners shrink less, and a tiny GIF of a few kilobytes can even grow a little, because an MP4 file has a fixed overhead.
Quality and limits
The MP4 cannot look better than the GIF: colors lost to the 256-color palette do not come back, and H.264 slightly smooths the dithering dots, which most people do not notice. Sharp pixel art and small colored text may look a little softer.
This converter outputs H.264 video without an alpha channel, so transparent areas of the GIF are placed on a white background. Frames with a delay of 0 or 0.01 seconds are shown for 0.1 seconds, so a GIF made of such very short frames plays slower and lasts longer as an MP4. GIF files can be up to 200 MB. To go the other way and make an animated GIF from a video: Convert Video to GIF.
Loop, add music, resize or convert back
Loop Video
Repeat the animation inside a longer MP4 to reach a chosen length. Continuous looping still depends on the player or platform.
Add Audio To Video
Add music or a voice-over to the silent MP4.
Resize Video
Fit the MP4 into a square or vertical frame for Instagram and TikTok.
Convert Video to GIF
Turn a video back into an animated GIF with a palette built from the clip.
Need to Edit Your Video?
Add music, captions or other clips to the converted MP4 in the full online editor.
Learn more about GIF and video
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about converting GIFs to MP4.
Is the GIF to MP4 converter free?
Yes. It is free, you do not need an account, and the MP4 has no watermark.
Will the MP4 loop like the GIF?
Not by itself: MP4 does not carry the GIF's repeat setting. Instagram, TikTok and web pages with the loop attribute replay it automatically; elsewhere, turn on looping in the player, or make a longer file with several repeats: Loop Video.
What happens to a transparent background?
It becomes white. This converter outputs video without an alpha channel, so a sticker or logo on a transparent background gets a solid white one.
Can I add music to the MP4?
Yes. A GIF has no sound, so the MP4 is silent; you can add a song or a voice-over here: Add Audio To Video.
Does the MP4 keep the speed of the GIF?
Yes, the converter keeps the GIF's frame timing, including long pauses. The one exception: frame delays of 0 or 0.01 seconds are played for 0.1 seconds, so a GIF made of such very short frames plays slower and lasts longer as an MP4.
Can I post the MP4 on Instagram or TikTok?
Yes. Both accept MP4 with H.264 video. For a vertical or square post, fit a wide GIF into the right frame: Resize Video.