Images · Compress & Resize GIF

Compress and resize GIFs on Mac

Make GIFs smaller by reducing colours, dropping frames or scaling down, keeping the timing and loop.

Runs on your Mac

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Compress & Resize GIF in OneMacTools on a Mac, with sample files and its options

Compress & Resize GIF on a Mac

Compress & Resize GIF in OneMacTools with sample files loaded and the options panel open — Compress & Resize GIF with sample files and its options

The result of Compress & Resize GIF on the sample files — What Compress & Resize GIF produced from the sample files

Screenshots from the app, using sample files.

How to use Compress & Resize GIF

1
Drop your GIFs
Add one animated GIF or a batch.
2
Reduce the colours
This usually gives the biggest saving. 64 colours is the default and suits most screen recordings and graphics.
3
Drop frames or scale down if needed
Keep every 2nd or 3rd frame, and choose a smaller size or width.
4
Click Compress
The smaller copy keeps the original's timing and loop setting. The app shows the total size before and after.
5
Check the result
Copies named with “smaller” are saved in a dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools. Watch one with the Preview (eye) button to make sure it still looks right.

What Compress & Resize GIF does

Reduce the colours first for the biggest saving, then drop every 2nd or 3rd frame or scale the GIF down. Dropped frames hand their time to the frame before them, so the animation plays for the same length. Before and after sizes are shown when it's done.

Great for

Fit a GIF under a chat app's size limit
Speed up a web page
Shrink a screen recording GIF

Options explained

Colours: Keep, 128, 64, 32 or 16; the default is 64. Fewer colours mean a smaller file, with slight dithering to smooth gradients. Photos may need 128; flat graphics are often fine at 32 or 16.
Frames: Keep all, Every 2nd or Every 3rd. Dropped frames hand their time to the frame before them, so the animation plays for the same length, just less smoothly.
Size: Keep, 75%, 50%, 33%, Width 640 px, Width 480 px, Width 320 px or Custom width. The fixed widths only ever shrink a GIF; one that's already narrower is left at its size.
Width (px): Only shown when Size is Custom width. Type the width you want, such as 400; the height follows.

Best practices

Start with colours, then size, then frames. Reducing colours rarely shows on screen recordings, while dropping frames makes motion choppier.
Halving the width roughly quarters the number of pixels, which is the most reliable way to make a big GIF small.
Don't drop frames from short, fast animations; it's most useful for long, slow screen recordings.
If the result isn't much smaller, the GIF is probably already optimised. Convert it to MP4 with GIF to MP4 for a far bigger saving where video is allowed.

Works with

In: Animated GIFs.
Out: A smaller GIF named with “smaller” added, with the same timing and loop setting as the original.

The app shows the total size before and after, and suggests fewer colours or frames if it couldn't make the file smaller.

Questions about Compress & Resize GIF

How do I make a GIF smaller on a Mac?

Drop it onto Compress & Resize GIF, reduce the colours to 64 or 32, choose a smaller width if needed, and click Compress. The app shows the size before and after.

How do I get a GIF under a chat app's size limit?

Reduce the colours first, then scale it down to 480 or 320 px wide. If it's still too big, keep every 2nd frame.

Will dropping frames make the GIF play faster?

No. Each dropped frame's time is added to the frame before it, so the animation lasts just as long; it's only a little less smooth.

Does compressing keep the loop?

Yes. The new GIF keeps the original's timing and loop setting.

How do I resize a GIF without losing the animation?

Choose a percentage, a fixed width or Custom width under Size. Every frame is scaled the same way and the animation is kept.

Why did my GIF barely get smaller?

It may already use few colours or be well optimised. Try fewer colours or a smaller size, or convert it to video with GIF to MP4, which is usually much smaller.

Does Compress & Resize GIF upload my files?

No. Compress & Resize GIF runs entirely on your Mac, so your files never leave it and it works offline.

Will Compress & Resize GIF change my original files?

No. Results are saved as new files in a dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools, and your originals are left exactly as they were unless you turn on an option that says otherwise.

What does Compress & Resize GIF need?

Just a Mac with macOS 26 or later. There's nothing else to install.