GIF TOOLS
Compress GIF Online
Make a GIF smaller at Low, Medium or High compression. No size limit.
Your files are processed on your device and are never uploaded.
A GIF stores every frame as a full picture, so files get big fast. A ten second screen recording can easily pass 20 MB. This GIF compressor makes it much smaller by removing what your eye won't miss: colours you can't tell apart, tiny differences between frames, and pixels nobody sees. Most GIFs come out 50–90% smaller and still look the same.
There is no file size limit, and the GIF is compressed inside your browser, so it is never uploaded. The only limit is your device's memory, which matters only for very large GIFs.
How to Compress a GIF
- Choose your GIF, or drag and drop it into the box above.
- Pick a compression level: Low, Medium or High. Medium suits almost every GIF.
- Need an exact size? Open the Target size tab and type the maximum size in KB or MB.
- Want full control? The Advanced tab has sliders for colours, lossy compression, scale and frame removal.
- Click Compress GIF. You see the old and new size, and can download the smaller GIF.
Which Compression Level Should You Use?
| Level | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Keeps all 256 colours and adds very light lossy compression. | Logos, drawings and GIFs with sharp text, where any blotches would show. |
| Medium | 128 colours and moderate lossy compression. | The default. Reaction GIFs, screen recordings and GIFs for websites and chat apps. |
| High | 64 colours, stronger lossy compression, 85% of the size, and frames that barely change are merged. | Strict upload limits, email, and GIFs shown small. |
If the compressed GIF would not be smaller than your file, you get your original back with a note, because it is already well optimised. Try a higher level, or use the Advanced tab.
Compress a GIF to an Exact Size
The Target size tab works backwards from a size you choose, such as 256 KB, 1 MB or 10 MB. It tries fewer colours and stronger lossy compression first, then a smaller size, then fewer frames, and gives you the best-looking GIF that fits. There are quick buttons for common limits. For more on this, see Compress GIF to 256 KB.
Can You Compress a GIF Without Losing Quality?
Partly. Two of the things this compressor does cost no quality at all: it stores only the part of each frame that changed from the frame before, and it merges frames that are exact copies. On a GIF that was never optimised, that alone can make a big difference.
The large savings come from fewer colours and lossy compression, which do change the picture slightly. For the gentlest result, choose Low, or open Advanced and set Colours to 256 and Lossy compression to 0.
Why GIFs Get So Big
Unlike an MP4 video, a GIF cannot describe a frame as "the same as the last one, moved a little". Three things decide how big it is, and each one has a setting here:
- Number of frames. A 15 frames-per-second GIF that lasts 8 seconds holds 120 pictures. Half the frames, roughly half the size.
- Width and height. The size follows the area. Shrinking an 800 × 600 GIF to 400 × 300 removes 75% of the pixels, not 50%.
- Colours. A GIF frame can have up to 256 colours. Using 128 or 64 makes every frame smaller.
To control each of these yourself, use the GIF Optimizer.
Tips for the Smallest GIF
- Crop first. Cutting away empty space removes pixels from every frame. Use Crop GIF, then compress.
- Resize first. If the GIF is shown 400 px wide, don't store it at 1200 px. Use the GIF Resizer.
- Compress once. Lossy compression can't be undone. Compressing an already compressed GIF again makes it worse for little gain. Start from the original instead.
- Keep it short. A two second loop often says as much as a six second one, at a third of the size.
Your GIF Never Leaves Your Device
Every GIF is compressed by your own web browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored and there is no account, so your GIFs stay private.
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