Top 10 Free Video Croppers on Desktop and Online [2024]

If the framing of your video isn't quite right, using a video cropper can be a great way to refocus on what's most important. You don't even need to pay, as there are plenty of excellent freeware solutions. The best free video cropping software offers all the features necessary for simple and easy video cropping.

Video editing doesn't have to be difficult. That's the core mantra of the Movavi Video Editor, and it's why along with being an excellent tool for video editing, it's also one of the best video cropping software solutions available online.

It lets you trim, resize, and crop videos in any fashion you want, whether you're making a video for Instagram, YouTube, or for personal use.

There's a seven day free trial that gives you full access to all of the video editor's features, but video outputs will have a Movavi watermark and audio recordings can only be saved at half-length.

Pros

• Versatile cropping and trim tools

• Clean and intuitive interface

• Seven day free trial

Cons

• Free version watermarks output videos

If you're looking for easy video cropping software that doesn't do anything else, then the Free Video Cropper from Easy Video Maker is for you. It lets you crop videos based on a percentage of the video's resolution, or do it to pixel-point accuracy with specific numerical values for both the X and Y axis.

It supports a wide array of file formats, including AVI, MP4, MOV, and MKV, and runs on every Windows operating system from the past two decades, including Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 10.

It even outputs without a watermark - a rarity in most video croppers. Its only real downside is that video cropping is all it does. If you want to adjust your videos in any other way, you'll need something else as well, or besides.

Pros

• Entirely free video cropper software

• Supports all popular file types

• No watermark on exports

Cons

• Limited functionality outside cropping

MovieMator is an editing suite that lets you cut, color, crop, and layer video, photos, and audio with ease, and it's available for both Windows and MacOS systems. It supports over 160 video formats, including MP4, MOV, HD DivX, and AVI, and is available to download for free online, making it a great program to crop video whether you're on MacOS or Windows 10.

It's not totally free video cropping software, however. There is a free trial you can take advantage of which adds a watermark to any videos you export, but lifetime licenses are just $30, so if you like the way this software looks, works or feels, then you can easily upgrade to the full version.

Pros

• Works well with Mac OS and Windows

• Supports over 160 video formats

Cons

• Watermarks export videos in free versions

Most video editors are based on a timeline-style of video editing, where you can more easily layer multiple videos together for transition and integration in a larger video output. If you don't need to edit together various videos, then a great piece of easy video cropping software is Avidemux.

It has a lean interface, with streamlined options, but is just as good a tool for cropping as some of the more robust editors on this list. There's an auto-crop function, to help you select the most important element of the frame, or you can manually crop in from any side to not just focus on the core of your video, but help you create unique resolutions and aspect ratios too.

Consistently updated and available on Windows 10, MacOS, Linux, and BSD, Avidemux is a great video cropper for all sorts of users.

Pros

• Simple linear editing interface

• Auto-crop helps keep typical aspect ratios

• Entirely free and regularly updated

Cons

• Limited expanded functions

• Can't edit together multiple videos

Designed to be as easy to use as it is accessible, iMovie includes powerful editing tools for trimming clips, creating transitions, mixing audio, and adding special effects like slow motion, and split-screen effects. You can also use it to crop video, whether you're making it for Instagram or some other online service.

Exclusively designed for iOS and MacOS, iMovie is available as a free download on the App Store, whether you want to use it on your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. And if you want to use it on more than one device, you can use AirDrop or iCloud Drive to wirelessly move your video cropping project between devices easily.

Pros

• Works well on MacOS and iOS

• Integrates well with other Apple apps

Cons

• Not available outside of the Apple ecosystem

If you want an entirely free video editing suite with cropping tools, Kdenlive is one of the best. It's also completely open source, so you can modify it, tweak it, dig into its codebase and see how it all works – it's entirely vettable and customizable how you like it.

This multi-track video editing tool makes it quick and simple to crop video. Using its effects menu, you have a range of cropping options, including zooming, edge cropping, and cropping to the individual pixel, letting you adjust aspect ratios and focus in one go. KdenLive also includes versatile audio effects, and has a powerful theme system which lets you customize the look and feel of the software to your tastes.

It doesn't offer GPU rendering, so if you were planning to use heavy video effects, you'll want a powerful CPU to render quickly. It's also missing a few key output file formats, like MKV, MOV and AVI. Otherwise though, it's a great program to crop video with.

Pros

• Open source

• Varied cropping options

• Adjustable interface theme

Cons

• No GPU rendering

• Limited output formats

If you don't want to download an application just to crop a video for Instagram or YouTube, then using an online video cropping tool is your best bet. Fastreel by Movavi is the easiest one out there; all you have to do is upload a video, crop it to how you want, and save it.

The user interface is sleek and simple, letting you focus on the video cropping at hand. Use it to remove black bars, refocus on what's important in your video, or cut out elements that you don't want someone else to see. You can crop manually to whatever aspect ratio you like, or use some handy pre-set guides for specific services like Instagram and YouTube.

There are some limitations, in that the file must be less than 500 MB in size, and in the MP4 format. It will also save with a watermark. If you like the cropping function and want to save your videos without a watermark, you can pay $5 for a one off export, or $15 per month for unlimited video cropping and access to additional editing tools.

Pros

• Sleek interface

• Fast video cropping

Cons

• Watermarks output video in free version

• Maximum 500 MB video size in free version

If you have a short video that just needs a quick crop, and especially if you want to turn it into a GIF at the same time, Ezgif is a great online video cropping service to use. It features a whole host of individual tools and functions, from resizing video, to rotating it, cutting it, changing the speed, and turning it into a still image. It can also let you crop video, and it does so quickly and easily.

You are limited to just 100 MB video files, but once you've made your crop, you get a free download of the video without a watermark.

Pros

• No watermarks on output videos

• Easy access to various other tools, including GIF maker

Cons

• Maximum 100 MB video size

Whether you're looking to make a video for your website, or for your PC at home, Clideo has an excellent online video cropper you can use. It accepts a wide array of video formats, including the all-important MP4, and can output to just as broad a selection. Better yet, if you're a Google Drive or DropBox user, you can import and export videos directly to and from the Clideo video cropper.

The interface is intuitive and simple, but doesn't offer much in the way of advanced tools or options. You're also limited to 500 MB videos in the free version. You can upgrade to the Pro tool for unlimited video crops and sizes for $9 a month, or pay $72 for an annual subscription.

Pros

• Integrates well with Google Drive and DropBox

• Simple and intuitive interface

Cons

• Free version is limited to 500 MB video size

The Movie Maker Online service isn't the easiest to use and it does serve up a lot of adverts, but for its minor drawbacks, it offers a comprehensive video editor online with cropping, and it's entirely free to use. It even outputs at HD video quality, which many of even the best free video cropping software won't do.

Although some of the more complex editing tasks take a while to get to grips with in Movie Maker Online, cropping is relatively simple. Just upload your video of choice, select the Crop tool and follow the on screen Wizard prompts to trim your video's size to how you'd like it.

Pros

• Comprehensive video cropping and editing tool

• Entirely free to use

Cons

• Heavy advert presence

• Interface isn't the most intuitive

If you want a quick and easy online video cropping program for making social media videos the right size and aspect ratio for your business, then Biteable is the best of the best. Not only can you crop your own videos, but you can add all sorts of effects, additional videos to transition to and from, and overlay text.

The free trial lets you export videos with the Biteable watermark, but you'll need to pay quite a large fee for unlimited exports with your own branding. It starts at $228 for the year for the Plus package, or $588 if you want unlimited team members and a shared editing space.

Pros

• Clean and beginner friendly interface

• Loads of resources to customize cropped videos

Cons

• Free version watermarks outputs

• Premium versions are expensive

Jon Martindale is a writer and author from the United Kingdom. He's written how-to guides and in-depth features for some of the largest digital publications in the world, including Digital Trends, ITProPortal, and Forbes. He's been building and working with computers all his life.

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