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Video Cropper

Crop video frames in your browser, free and 100% private

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100% private. Your file is processed locally in your browser with WebAssembly — it is never uploaded to a server, stored, or seen by anyone.

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ClipTools Video Cropper lets you crop a video online for free by selecting a rectangle and removing everything outside it. Use it to cut off black bars and letterboxing, trim unwanted edges, reframe a horizontal clip into a square or vertical format, or zoom in on the part of the frame that matters. You set the crop area's width, height, and position, and the tool re-renders only that region.

Cropping runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly (ffmpeg.wasm) with the crop=w:h:x:y filter, so your video file is never uploaded to a server. There is no signup, no watermark, and no file leaves your device. It is built for creators repurposing footage for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, plus anyone who needs a quick, private way to reframe a clip without installing software.

Why use this tool

Reframe for any platform

Crop landscape footage into square (1:1) or vertical (9:16) framing for Instagram, TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts without separate editing software.

Completely private

Your video is cropped entirely in your browser with ffmpeg.wasm and never leaves your device, making it safe for confidential or unreleased footage.

Remove black bars and edges

Cut off letterboxing, pillarboxing, screen-recording chrome, or distracting edges by selecting only the rectangle you want to keep.

No installs, no signup, no watermark

Works instantly in any modern browser with no account, no software download, and no watermark stamped onto your output.

How to use the Video Cropper

  1. Load your video

    Drag and drop your video file or click to select it; it loads directly in your browser and is never uploaded.

  2. Select the crop rectangle

    Drag the crop box over the frame to set the area you want to keep, removing black bars or unwanted edges.

  3. Set dimensions and position

    Adjust the width, height, and x/y position, or pick a target aspect ratio like 1:1 square or 9:16 vertical for the output.

  4. Run the crop

    Click Crop to process the video locally with ffmpeg.wasm using the crop=w:h:x:y filter applied to your selected region.

  5. Download the cropped video

    Preview the result and download the cropped MP4 to your device, with no watermark and nothing left on any server.

Popular use cases

  • Turning a horizontal interview or gameplay recording into a 9:16 vertical clip for TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
  • Removing black letterbox bars from a downloaded or exported video so the frame fills the screen.
  • Cropping out a webcam overlay, timestamp, or watermark sitting in a corner of a screen recording.
  • Zooming in on a product, whiteboard, or subject by cropping tight to that area before sharing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Video Cropper free to use?
Yes, the ClipTools Video Cropper is completely free with no signup, subscription, or account required. There are no watermarks added to your cropped video and no limit on how many clips you can crop. The tool is free because processing happens on your own device rather than on paid server infrastructure.
Are my video files uploaded to a server when I crop them?
No, your files are never uploaded. All cropping happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly (ffmpeg.wasm), so the video stays on your device from start to finish. This privacy-by-design approach means your footage is never transmitted, stored, or seen by anyone but you.
What video formats does the Video Cropper support?
The cropper works with common formats including MP4, WebM, MOV, MKV, and AVI, since it is powered by ffmpeg.wasm. MP4 (H.264) is the most reliable choice for both input and output and plays everywhere. Output is typically delivered as MP4.
Is there a file size limit for cropping video?
There is no fixed server-imposed limit because processing is local, but practical limits come from your device's available RAM and the browser's memory. Files up to a few hundred megabytes generally crop smoothly on a modern computer, while very large or long videos may be slow or strain memory. For multi-gigabyte files, a desktop browser with ample RAM works best.
Does cropping reduce my video's quality?
Cropping only removes pixels outside the selected rectangle and re-encodes the remaining region, so the kept area stays visually close to the original. Because the video is re-encoded, there is a small generational quality change typical of any lossy codec, but it is minimal at standard quality settings. The resolution of the output equals the dimensions of the crop area you selected.
How long does it take to crop a video?
Cropping speed depends on your video's length, resolution, and your device's CPU, since the work runs locally in your browser. Short clips of a few seconds usually finish in seconds, while longer or 4K videos take proportionally more time. The first run may take a moment longer while the ffmpeg.wasm engine loads.
Can I crop a horizontal video into a square or vertical (9:16) format?
Yes, you can set the crop width and height to any aspect ratio, including 1:1 square for Instagram feed or 9:16 vertical for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Choose the crop dimensions and position the rectangle over the part of the frame you want to keep. This lets you repurpose landscape footage for vertical platforms without external editing software.
How does the crop=w:h:x:y filter define the crop area?
The crop is defined by four values: width and height set the size of the kept rectangle in pixels, while x and y set the offset of its top-left corner from the top-left of the original frame. For example, crop=640:640:100:50 keeps a 640x640 area starting 100 pixels right and 50 pixels down. The tool generates these values from the rectangle you select visually.

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