LosslessCut
Free video trimmer for Mac that cuts, merges and remuxes video and audio without re-encoding.
LosslessCut is a video and audio editor for fast, lossless jobs. It trims and cuts files by copying the existing data instead of encoding it again, so exports finish in seconds and keep the original quality.
Open a file, mark segments on the timeline and export them as separate files or merge them into one. You can join whole files that share the same codecs, add, remove or extract audio and subtitle tracks, and change the container, for example from MKV to MP4. It can find scenes, black frames and silence and split on them, edit metadata and rotation, add chapters, and import or export cut lists as CSV or EDL. Snapshots, frame export, keyboard shortcuts, a command line interface and an HTTP API are included.
It suits anyone with long recordings from a camera, GoPro, drone or screen recorder who wants to keep the good parts without waiting for a full export. Files that the built-in player cannot show are played through FFmpeg instead, while the export still comes from the original file.
LosslessCut is free and open source under GPL-2.0, made by Mikael Finstad and built on Electron and FFmpeg. It runs on macOS 12 or later, with separate downloads for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. A paid Mac App Store version gives automatic updates and supports the developer.
Frequently asked questions
Is LosslessCut free?
Yes. The downloads on GitHub are free. The Mac App Store version costs $18.99 in the US store; it has the same features apart from small App Store limits and pays for development.
Is LosslessCut safe and open source?
LosslessCut is open source under GPL-2.0, and the code is on GitHub. The developer only maintains the official downloads: the website, GitHub releases and the app stores.
How do I install LosslessCut?
Download the Apple Silicon or Intel DMG from the GitHub releases page and drag the app to Applications. The PKG file does not work. You can also buy it on the Mac App Store. A Homebrew cask exists (brew install --cask losslesscut), but the developer does not maintain it, so use it at your own risk.
What macOS version does LosslessCut need?
Current versions need macOS 12 or later on Intel or Apple Silicon. Version 3.66 dropped macOS 11, and older releases on GitHub still run on older systems.
How does LosslessCut compare to Permute?
Permute is a paid media converter from Charlie Monroe Software that re-encodes video, audio and images into other formats and can also trim, crop and combine files. LosslessCut avoids re-encoding, which makes cuts much faster and keeps the quality, but the codec stays the same. If you need a different codec, resolution or a smaller file, a converter like Permute fits better.
Can LosslessCut open files my video player cannot play?
Often, yes. When a format or codec is not supported by its built-in player, LosslessCut plays it through FFmpeg instead, and you can also use File, then Convert to supported format. The export is still made from the original file, so it stays lossless.
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