How to Cut Video Without Re-encoding

Cut videos instantly without losing quality using stream copy.

Fastest Method

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:01:00 -t 00:00:30 -c copy output.mp4

• -ss 00:01:00: Start at 1 minute
• -t 00:00:30: Duration 30 seconds
• -c copy: Copy streams (no re-encoding)

This takes only seconds, even for long videos!

Using -to Instead of -t

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:01:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy output.mp4

Cut from 1:00 to 1:30 (30 seconds).

Faster Seeking

ffmpeg -ss 00:01:00 -i input.mp4 -t 00:00:30 -c copy output.mp4

Placing -ss before -i is faster but slightly less accurate.

Cut from End

Last 30 seconds

ffmpeg -sseof -30 -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mp4

Last minute

ffmpeg -sseof -60 -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mp4

Batch Cut

for f in *.mp4; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 10 -t 30 -c copy "${f%.*}_clip.mp4"; done

Cuts first 30 seconds of each video.

Time Format

• HH:MM:SS - 01:30:45
• MM:SS - 05:30
• SS - 90 seconds

Quick Reference

# Basic cut
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -ss 30 -t 30 -c copy out.mp4

# From start
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -t 60 -c copy out.mp4

# From end
ffmpeg -sseof -60 -i in.mp4 -c copy out.mp4

Cut in seconds, not minutes!