FLV
Flash video
FLV was the format behind web video in the Flash era. Flash Player was retired at the end of 2020, so FLV files no longer play in any browser.
Opens in VLC and little else since Flash Player was retired in 2020
FLV converterFLV to GIF converter, without the upload.
Turn FLV videos into GIF. It is converted in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
Drop FLV files here
or choose from your computer paste with Ctrl V
from Photos or Files
Ready · other file types work too0 bytes uploaded, ever
Convert to
- On your device · nothing is uploaded
- No account, no email
- Batch and ZIP download
- Free
- GIF: up to 30 s
How to convert FLV to GIF
Add your FLV videos
Drop FLV files onto the box above, or click it to choose them. ToAny reads the file's contents to detect the type, so a wrong extension does not matter.
GIF is already chosen
Press Convert. Open Options first if you want to change the defaults. The work happens in this tab and can take a while for large files.
Download
Save the GIF, or download everything as one ZIP if you converted several files.
Why ToAny
Private by construction
The FLV to GIF converter is part of this page and runs inside your browser. Your videos are never sent to ToAny or to anyone else.
No upload, no queue
Nothing has to travel to a server and back, so work starts the moment you press Convert. How long it takes depends on your device and the size of the file.
Free, without an account
No sign-up, no email address and no watermark. Add several files and download them together as a ZIP.
FLV to GIF: what to expect
FLV no longer plays in any browser now that Flash is gone. GIF plays and loops automatically in every browser, chat app and email client. FLV is at home in nothing new; it survives in old downloads and stream recordings; GIF is the usual choice for short looping clips and reactions. GIF has no sound, so the audio track is dropped.
The defaults suit most files. Under Options you can set the frame rate, set the width and trim the start and end. This is demanding work for a browser: a long or high-resolution file can take several minutes, and your device does all of it, so keep the tab open.
This pair uses the compatibility engine, ffmpeg built for the browser, because FLV is not handled by the browser's built-in codecs. It is a one-off download of about 10 MB that the browser keeps, it is slower than the built-in codecs, and it takes files up to 1 GB. A GIF covers at most 30 seconds, counted from the start point you set under Options (the beginning of the video by default), so a longer clip is cut there. The defaults are 12 frames per second and 480 pixels wide, which keeps the file a sensible size.
FLV vs GIF
GIF
GIF image
GIF is a 1987 format that survives because it loops silently everywhere. Each frame can use at most 256 colours, so photos and video look grainy and files are far larger than an equivalent MP4.
Opens in Every browser, phone and messaging app
GIF converter| FLVFlash video | GIFGIF image | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Flash Video | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Type | Video container | Raster image, often animated |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless, but limited to 256 colours per frame |
| Introduced | 2002, by Macromedia (later Adobe) | 1987, by CompuServe |
| Opens in | VLC and little else since Flash Player was retired in 2020 | Every browser, phone and messaging app |
| Best for | Nothing new; it survives in old downloads and stream recordings | Short looping clips and reactions |
| File extension | .flv | .gif |
Questions
Are my videos uploaded anywhere?
No. The FLV to GIF conversion runs inside your browser, on your own phone or computer. The file is not sent to ToAny or to anyone else.
Does converting FLV to GIF reduce quality?
Yes, visibly: GIF is limited to 256 colours per frame and has no sound.
Can I convert several FLV files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like, convert them together and download each result or all of them as one ZIP.
How do I convert FLV to GIF on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android?
The steps are the same everywhere because ToAny runs in the web browser: open this page in a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, add the FLV file, press Convert and save the GIF. There is nothing to install.
Is there a file size limit?
Yes. FLV to GIF runs on the compatibility engine, which takes files up to 1 GB, and a long clip takes a while because it is slower than the browser's built-in codecs. Beyond that the limit is your device's memory, since nothing is uploaded; a computer copes with large files better than a phone.