2Drag the start and end handles on the waveform or the timeline, or type exact timecodes if you already know them.
3Preview the selection and run the cut — the part you keep is copied through untouched wherever the format allows it.
4Download the trimmed MPEG file.
MPEG Cutter FAQ
How does MPEG Cutter cut the file?
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Concretely, the cut is made at the nearest keyframe and the streams are copied through, which makes it near-instant; frame-exact cuts need the picture re-encoded, so the tool tells you which one you are getting rather than quietly picking. You set the start and end points on the waveform or the timeline and keep what is between them.
How precisely can I place the start and end points?
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You can type exact timecodes rather than only dragging, and the preview scrubs to the position as you move it. How exact the result can be depends on the format: some allow a cut anywhere, others snap to the nearest frame or keyframe.
Does the format limit where I can cut?
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It does. MPEG (MPEG-1/2) is the DVD and broadcast lineage: robust and universally decodable, but far less efficient per bit than H.264. That is precisely what decides whether a cut can be placed arbitrarily or has to land on a structural boundary.
Anything specific to MPEG when trimming?
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Yes — MPEG-1/2 uses a program stream rather than a modern index, so cuts are aligned to GOP boundaries unless the picture is re-encoded. It explains most of the "the cut is a fraction of a second off" surprises.
Can I remove a section from the middle instead of keeping one?
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Yes — cut the piece before it and the piece after it, then merge the two results. That is deliberately two steps because it keeps both halves on the fast, lossless path instead of forcing a full re-encode.
Is the part I keep re-encoded?
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Not if the format allows a stream copy — the data you keep is bit-identical to the source and the job finishes in about the time the upload took. Only a frame-exact cut on a format that cannot do it cheaply needs a re-encode.
What can I upload to MPEG Cutter?
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MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GP, M4V, MPEG and MPG. The container and codec are probed before anything runs, so a mixed batch is handled correctly per file rather than assumed to be uniform.
Is there a file size limit on MPEG Cutter?
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Yes: free accounts process video up to 1 GiB per file, by far the most generous cap on the site; ffmpeg with x264, x265 and libvpx does the work, which is the same toolchain behind most desktop video software. Video is the one family where the cap is high enough that upload time, not the limit, is what you will actually notice.
Will MPEG Cutter lower the quality of my MPEG videos?
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It depends on whether the job needs a re-encode. Operations that only touch the container or the timeline are done as a stream copy and the picture is bit-identical to the source. Anything that has to redraw frames goes through x264/x265 at a quality level you set, where CRF 23 is visually transparent on most footage.
Can I run MPEG Cutter on several MPEG videos at once?
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Yes. Uploads queue in parallel, which matters more here than anywhere else because video jobs are minutes rather than seconds. Free accounts run one file at a time; a pass lifts that.
What happens to audio, subtitle and chapter tracks?
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They are carried across. Multi-track audio, embedded subtitle tracks and chapter markers survive wherever the target container can represent them — that is the main thing that separates a proper job from a naive re-encode that silently keeps only track one.
Does MPEG Cutter cost anything?
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No. MPEG Cutter is free without an account, and the output carries no watermark, no corner logo and no intro card. Uploaded video is deleted from the workers shortly after the job completes.
