GIF compressor
FileReshape's GIF compressor makes animated GIFs smaller in your browser by reducing the number of colours, the width and height, and the frames per second, using FFmpeg. The GIF is not uploaded. The animation and the endless loop are kept. If the result would not be smaller than the original, nothing is downloaded.
Did a file not convert correctly? E-mail [email protected], ideally with a small sample file, and it will be fixed.
Key facts
- Works with: GIF (.gif).
- Your files are not uploaded: the work is done in your browser, on your own device.
- File size: up to 2 GB per file (the limit of the browser's WebAssembly memory).
- Needs a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) on a computer, tablet or phone; nothing to install.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
Why compress a GIF
Animated GIFs quickly grow to several megabytes, which is too much for many chat apps, forums, email signatures, GitHub and websites with upload limits. This compressor rebuilds the GIF with FFmpeg in your browser: it calculates a new palette with 128, 64 or 32 colours, can scale the animation down to 75 or 50 percent, and can drop frames to 15 or 10 per second. Fewer colours often save a third with hardly any visible change in screen recordings and drawings; a smaller size saves the most. The loop is kept, and unchanged parts of a frame are stored only once. If your GIF is already as small as these settings allow, the page tells you instead of giving you a larger file.
How to compress a GIF
- Drop the GIF in the box, or click to choose it.
- Choose the number of colours, the size and the frames per second.
- Click Compress GIF and save the smaller GIF.
What to know about compressing GIFs
Which setting saves most
Halving the width and height saves the most, often 60 to 75 percent. Fewer frames per second help with long, smooth animations. Fewer colours help with photographic GIFs and cost the least visible quality in screen recordings and cartoons.
Transparency
Transparent areas stay transparent. Semi-transparent edges do not exist in GIF, so edges that were already hard stay as they were.
Frame timing
Dropping frames keeps the total length of the animation, so it plays at the same speed but less smoothly. GIFs with very different delays per frame, such as slideshows, are best kept at all frames.
Still a large file?
GIF is an old and inefficient format. If a site accepts video, an MP4 of the same animation is usually ten times smaller; many sites that show "GIFs" actually play MP4 files.
About the formats
GIF
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and is still everywhere for short animations, stickers and simple web graphics. Every frame is limited to a palette of 256 colours, which suits logos and drawings but makes photos look grainy.
- At most 256 colours per frame; photos get visible banding or dithering.
- Transparency is all or nothing: a pixel is either fully transparent or fully opaque.
- One file can hold many frames with their own delays, which is how GIF animations work.
Frequently asked questions
Is my GIF uploaded?
No. The GIF is compressed by FFmpeg running in your browser, and the result is saved straight from there.
Will the animation keep looping?
Yes. The compressed GIF loops endlessly, like most GIFs.
Can I compress a still GIF?
Yes, a GIF with one frame works too. For logos and graphics, a PNG is often smaller and sharper; the image converters on this site can make one.
Is there a size limit?
GIFs up to 2 GB can be opened, but very large animations need a lot of memory while they are rebuilt.