LosslessCut is a free, open-source desktop app for cutting and trimming video and audio files without re-encoding them. It works as a graphical front end to FFmpeg. Because it copies the original data instead of re-compressing it, exports are very fast and keep the original quality. The developer’s typical use is rough-cutting large files from a camera, GoPro or drone and throwing away the gigabytes you do not need.
It suits anyone who needs to trim recordings, split long files or pull out one audio or subtitle track. It is not a full editor: there are no transitions or titles, and precise cuts depend on where the file’s keyframes fall.
How to get the official version
LosslessCut is developed by one person, Mikael Finstad, and its README lists the only official downloads:
- Free, from GitHub releases: a 7z archive for Windows (x64 and ARM64), DMG files for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and an AppImage or tar.bz2 archive for Linux, including arm64 and a Raspberry Pi armv7l build. The macOS PKG in the release does not work, according to the README. Files with
DONT-USE-THIS-FILEin the name are store packages, not downloads for you. - Paid, from app stores: the Mac App Store ($18.99 in the US store when we checked) and the Microsoft Store ($19.99 in the US Store). The developer offers these for people who want a simple install with automatic updates and want to support his work.
- Linux Snap Store: published by the developer.
The README says the Flathub package is unofficial and not maintained by the developer. The winget package ch.LosslessCut is also not official: its manifest downloads from a third party’s GitHub repository, not from mifi/lossless-cut.
Price
The developer says the manual downloads “will of course always be free”. There are no ads, accounts or in-app purchases. The store editions are the same app sold for convenience and to support development.
Supported systems
LosslessCut is built on Electron and drops old systems when Electron does. Version 3.52.0 dropped Windows 8.1 and older, 3.58.0 dropped macOS 10.14 and older, and 3.66 dropped macOS 11. Older LosslessCut releases still work on those systems.
Supported formats
Playback uses Chromium’s built-in player. MP4, MOV, WebM, Matroska, OGG and WAV generally play directly. Other files can be opened through FFmpeg-assisted preview, while the actual cut is still done losslessly on the original file.
Questions
Why is the Windows download a 7z file?
The free Windows build is portable. Extract the 7z archive with a tool such as 7-Zip and run LosslessCut from the folder. There is no installer.
Why does my cut start a little early or late?
Lossless cutting can only start cleanly at a keyframe. That is the trade-off for not re-encoding.
Is the Store version different?
The developer describes the stores as a secure install with automatic, stable updates. It is the same program.
