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Trim a Video Segment with ffmpeg on Windows

Cut a portion of a video by timestamps in seconds, using stream copy so quality is untouched.

WindowsvideocliffmpegLow risk
Place -ss and -to before -i and add -c copy to trim without re-encoding.

01Command

Command
$ ffmpeg -ss 00:01:30 -to 00:03:00 -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mp4

02What it does

With -c copy ffmpeg just remuxes the selected packets, so the cut finishes in a second and is lossless — but the start point snaps to the nearest keyframe, which can be up to a few seconds off on long-GOP footage. Move -ss after -i (or drop -c copy to re-encode with a codec like libx264) for frame-accurate cuts at the cost of processing time.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsffmpeg must be installed (winget install Gyan.FFmpeg)
!Warning: Stream copy cuts snap to keyframes; the clip may start a little earlier than requested.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • FFmpeg Wiki: Seeking
    FFmpeg · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Explains -ss/-to placement: putting -ss before -i seeks by keyframe and with -c copy produces a fast stream copy with minimal accuracy loss.
  • FFmpeg Documentation
    FFmpeg · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents the -ss, -to and -c copy options used for timestamp-based stream copying.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Media