Rescreen / Free tools / Compress GIF
Compress GIF
Reduce an animated GIF’s file size while keeping the part you need to show.
GIF compression runs locally. MP4 comparison requires an available H.264 encoder.
Drop a GIF here
Up to 30 MB and two minutes. Large animations may reach the pixel limit sooner.
For longer screen demonstrations, try GIF to MP4. Video has no transparent background; this comparison uses white.
Who this is for
Choose a GIF, adjust its width, colours and frame rate, then press Compress GIF to compare the animations and download the measured result. This tool is for a short bug report, a product walkthrough, an email illustration or a forum attachment that is too large to send. Start with the least aggressive settings that meet your destination’s limit. A tiny result is not useful if the reader can no longer follow the pointer or read a message on screen. Keep the original until you have checked the compressed version at the size your recipient will actually see.
The numbers behind it
- GIF colour tables contain at most 256 entries; frame delays are stored in hundredths of a second. Source
- GitHub lists a 10 MB maximum for images and GIFs attached to issues, pull requests and comments. Source
- Discord lists a 20 MB maximum upload for non-Nitro subscribers and notes that it is experimenting with different limits. Source
- Slack allows members and guests to add files up to 1 GB; workspace and conversation restrictions may still apply. Source
How to reduce GIF size without losing the explanation
Begin with width. A wide desktop capture often contains more detail than an attachment needs. Reducing both dimensions lowers the number of pixels in every frame, but small labels may become harder to read. This page preserves the aspect ratio and never enlarges the source. The original preview remains beside the result so you can compare the parts that matter before downloading.
Next try colours. Flat interfaces and diagrams can often use a smaller palette than a photographic scene. A gradient, shadow or face may show obvious bands when you reduce it too far. Extra colour loss rounds nearby colour values before the palette is built; it is separate from choosing the number of colours. Leave it at None initially and inspect gradients carefully if you turn it up.
Finally lower the frame rate. Removing intermediate pictures can save space, but quick pointer movements and short status messages may disappear. Kept frames stay on screen for the time occupied by skipped frames, so the animation does not simply play faster. Very short input delays are normalized to the browser-style playback delays used by our converter. Loop count and binary transparency are retained; comments and other nonvisual metadata are not copied.
| Control | Reduces | Check afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Pixels per frame | Small labels and pointer position |
| Colours | Palette choices | Faces, shadows and gradients |
| Frame rate | Number of pictures | Quick actions and brief messages |
| Extra colour loss | Fine colour differences | Banding and colour shifts |
Fit a GIF under an upload limit
Enter 10 in Target size to try for a file under ten decimal megabytes, or enter the limit shown by your destination. The tool first uses your selected settings. If necessary it tries two smaller versions, reducing width, colours and frame rate, and returns the smallest measured result. It never reports success from an estimated bitrate. A target that cannot be met is labelled plainly, so you do not discover the failure only after uploading.
A target is a ceiling, not a promise of unchanged quality. If the result is still too large, shorten the animation in a desktop editor, remove unnecessary screen area before creating the GIF, or choose a video format. The listed service limits are attachment limits, not guarantees about inline previews, custom emoji or account-specific restrictions. Check the destination’s own message when a file is rejected.
Check whether MP4 is a better fit
A GIF is useful when an image slot must animate without a video player. For a longer demonstration, a video can retain more detail at a lower size. Use Compare MP4 size after compression to generate a real MP4 locally and compare its measured bytes with the original GIF. The comparison is optional because video encoding is not available in every browser or for every input. No percentage saving is invented when an encoder is unavailable.
MP4 cannot keep a transparent background: the comparison places the animation on white. It also does not carry GIF looping behavior into every player. Choose the format that your recipient can use, then test that particular upload or embed. The GIF to MP4 converter provides the dedicated conversion workflow. For a narrated explanation, record a tutorial video and share a video link instead of squeezing all the context into a silent animation.
Other ways to make a GIF smaller
Gifsicle is a desktop command-line option when you need lossless optimization before changing dimensions. After installing it from its official project, run the command below to write a separate output file. Its optimization levels look for redundant image data; that is a different first step from lowering the visible quality. Keep your input and reopen the output to check it. See the Gifsicle manual for resize and colour options.
If you still have the original screen recording, export only the useful interval with the video to GIF maker. Choosing a tighter crop and shorter clip before creating an animation usually gives you more control than repeatedly compressing an existing GIF. For a video attachment instead, use the video compressor.
gifsicle -O3 input.gif -o smaller.gifLimits to know before starting
Input is limited to 30 MB, two minutes, 1,500 frames, four million pixels per frame and 160 million pixels across decoded frames. The first reached limit wins. These bounds keep a small file with enormous decoded dimensions from exhausting the page. Phones may still be slower than computers. Cancel stops the worker; it does not modify your original. An already optimized GIF may become larger after re-encoding, which the result panel reports instead of describing it as a saving.
GIF compression uses JavaScript decoding and encoding rather than relying on ImageDecoder support. Current browsers with workers can use the same path. The separate MP4 comparison depends on H.264 encoding and shows an explanation when that is unavailable. A broken or incomplete GIF may be rejected even if an image viewer tolerates it. Save a fresh copy from its source, then try again.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reduce a GIF below 10 MB?
Set Target size to 10, compress, and check the measured result. If the target is not reached, shorten or crop the source before making the GIF again. A tiny target can require an unreadable result, so inspect the animation as well as the size.
Why is my compressed GIF larger?
An existing GIF may already use efficient partial frames or a carefully chosen palette. Re-encoding is not guaranteed to beat that representation. Keep the original when the result is larger, or try lower dimensions and frame rate if those changes are acceptable.
Will it stay animated and transparent?
The output remains an animated GIF with the original loop count and transparent pixels. Lower frame rate removes intermediate pictures while preserving the total playback duration used by the tool. MP4 is a separate choice and replaces transparency with white.
Can I use the same size for Discord and Slack?
Use the limit shown for your actual destination and account. Discord’s published non-Nitro limit is currently 20 MB, with experiments noted; Slack publishes a 1 GB file limit. Preview and custom emoji restrictions are different from ordinary file attachments.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Compression and the optional MP4 comparison run in your browser. Anonymous tool events contain the tool name, not file names, file sizes, animation content or entered settings. See the privacy policy.
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