GIF to OGV converter
Convert GIF to OGV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
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Video has no transparency, so see-through parts of the GIF are filled with this color.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Other ways to convert GIF
Read more about the GIF format and the OGV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert GIF to OGV?
Almost always. The same animation as OGV is typically a tenth of the size of the GIF, plays smoothly, and keeps full color. Choose it wherever video is accepted.
GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations; OGV is open-source Theora video in an Ogg container. Use OGV when a platform accepts only free formats, such as Wikimedia Commons.
| Property | GIF | OGV |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | — | Theora video with Vorbis audio |
| Support | Opens everywhere | Has patchy support |
| Plays on | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer | Firefox, Chrome, VLC and Wikipedia; not Safari, iPhones or editors |
| Best for | Short, silent loops and reaction images | Open-source projects and Wikimedia Commons uploads |
| Introduced | 1987 | 2008 |
How to convert GIF to OGV
- 01
Add your GIF
Drop your GIF video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to OGV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the OGV
Press convert and save the OGV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when GIF becomes OGV
Much smaller, same motion
GIF compresses each frame on its own; OGV stores only what changes between frames. A 10 MB GIF often becomes a 1 MB video with no visible difference.
No sound to carry
GIFs are silent, so the OGV has a picture track only. Loops don’t repeat inside a video file; most players and sites loop short clips themselves.
Expect a much smaller file
GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. OGV: Larger than MP4 for similar quality. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of GIF and OGV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Your browser can already decode GIF frames and encode video with your device’s hardware. Uploading the GIF would only add a wait, so it stays on your device.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
- About the OGV. Theora needs a much higher bitrate than H.264 for the same picture, so an OGV of the same size looks noticeably worse.
- Browsers with WebCodecs convert to MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV instantly. Other formats, and older browsers, use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
Will the OGV loop like the GIF?
Video files don’t store a loop setting. Websites, chat apps and players loop short clips themselves, and video players have a repeat option.
Will a OGV play on my phone?
OGV has patchy support: Firefox, Chrome, VLC and Wikipedia; not Safari, iPhones or editors. Firefox, Chrome and VLC play OGV files.