gifmaker.shopAll tools

WhatsApp GIF Maker

Make a clip under 6 seconds that WhatsApp sends as a GIF, or a small GIF file. Nothing is uploaded.

Aspect
Center
Loop
Quality

Selection 0:02.0 – 0:09.5 · 7.5 s · 90 frames

Reading frames 0/0

Your GIF

Settings changed. Make it again to update.
Your GIFGM ▸ PRINT

Download GIF

When to use this tool instead

The built-in way works when the clip is on your phone and the moment is right at the start. It gets awkward fast otherwise. The video is on your laptop. Or it’s a 20-minute screen recording and you need seconds 312 to 317. Or it’s landscape and you want it square so it fills the chat bubble.

That’s where this page helps. You get a film strip to find the moment, a crop to 1:1, 9:16 or 4:5, speed control, and a hard stop at 5.9 seconds so WhatsApp always offers the GIF button. Then get the MP4 onto your phone and send it from there.

And if the GIF is for somewhere besides WhatsApp too, switch to GIF output and you get a real .gif file.

How to make a GIF for WhatsApp here

  1. Pick the output above the drop zone. MP4 for WhatsApp makes a short video that WhatsApp sends as a GIF. GIF makes a .gif file for anywhere.
  2. Drop a video, or tap Choose file. MP4, MOV (iPhone) and WebM all open.
  3. Drag the handles on the film strip to the moment. In MP4 mode the selection can’t run past 5.9 seconds of playback. At 2× speed that’s 11.8 seconds of video, at 0.5× under 3.
  4. Crop if you like: square fills a chat bubble best.
  5. Press Make it. In MP4 mode you get an H.264 video without sound. Save it to your phone’s gallery, then in WhatsApp attach it from the gallery and tap GIF before sending. Do this on the phone: WhatsApp Web sends it as a plain video.

MP4 mode defaults to 480 px at 20 fps: smooth, and still small, because video compresses motion far better than GIF does. GIF mode defaults to 320 px at 12 fps on Balanced quality, which keeps a phone clip to a size that’s quick to send.

FAQ

How do I send a GIF on WhatsApp?

For a GIF from WhatsApp’s own library, open a chat, open the emoji panel, choose GIF, then search and send (WhatsApp’s guide). For your own clip, attach a video under six seconds from your gallery and tap GIF before sending. The MP4 option above makes a clip that’s ready for exactly that.

Why won’t WhatsApp turn my video into a GIF?

Almost always it’s too long. WhatsApp only offers the GIF option for videos under six seconds (WhatsApp’s help page). It has a trim slider of its own, but a few frames over is still over. Our MP4 option stops at 5.9 seconds of playback, so it’s always under.

GIF or MP4: which should I send?

From a phone, both arrive as a GIF. We sent each one to test it. The MP4 is the better pick for WhatsApp: it’s the route WhatsApp documents (a short video, switched to GIF in the chat), and it’s smaller and smoother. Our 5.9-second test clip came out at 1.1 MB as a 480 px, 20 fps MP4, and 2.2 MB as a 320 px, 12 fps GIF. Make a GIF file when it’s going somewhere besides WhatsApp too, like a website, an email or another app.

Why does my GIF arrive as a still image from WhatsApp Web?

WhatsApp Web doesn’t send your own GIFs. We tried it: a .gif file went as a still photo, and the MP4 went as an ordinary video, because Web has no GIF switch. Send from your phone instead. Both files arrived there as GIFs.

Can I make WhatsApp stickers here?

Not yet. WhatsApp stickers are WebP images of exactly 512 × 512 px, up to 500 KB when animated and 100 KB when still (WhatsApp’s sticker requirements). A GIF doesn’t qualify. Sticker output is on our list.