Spilled milk jumping back into the glass. A diver leaping out of the pool. A jump that lands where it started. Playing a clip backwards is one of the oldest tricks in video, and it still makes people watch twice. This video reverser does it in a few clicks, from the last picture to the first.
You choose what happens to the sound: it can play backwards too, or it can be removed. The new file is saved to your device as an MP4. Nothing is uploaded, because the whole job runs in your browser.
Below you will find how to reverse a video step by step, a few ideas for clips that work well in reverse, what to know about the sound and the 10-minute limit, and answers to common questions.
How to reverse a video online
The video reverser is at the top of this page. It is free, needs no account and leaves no watermark. Video tools are not counted in the free daily limit, because your video never goes to our server.
- Drop your video onto the tool, or choose it from your device. You can add more than one video.
- Under Sound, choose Backwards too to play the audio in reverse, or Remove it to save a silent video.
- Press Reverse and wait while the video is processed. Keep the tab open until it finishes.
- Save the new MP4, or download several results together as a zip.
The saved file is named after your original with _reversed added, such as holiday_reversed.mp4. Your original is never changed.
Clips that look good when you play a video backwards
Reversing is a simple edit, but the clip you pick decides whether it works. The best clips are ones where the forward action is familiar, so the backward version feels surprising.
- Pouring, splashing and spilling. Liquid that flies back into a cup is a classic.
- Jumps and dives. The person seems to float up and land on the edge.
- Breaking and building. A smashed object putting itself together, or a tower of blocks un-falling.
- Painting, drawing or writing. The picture un-draws itself, which suits a short intro.
- Sport clips. A ball that returns to the hand, or a kick that pulls the ball back.
A plain background helps the trick, because people walking or cars driving behind your subject give it away. If you filmed in front of a blue backdrop, you can swap it for a solid colour with blue screen video, before or after you reverse the clip.
Make a rewind video effect
A rewind video effect is just a short reversed clip. Trim a few seconds with trim video, reverse it, and then join it onto the end of the original. The viewer sees the moment play, then rewind.
Reverse first, then change the speed
A backwards clip often looks even better a little slower or faster. After you reverse, run the result through change video speed. Try slow motion at 0.5× for a dramatic feel, or 2× for a comic one.
What happens to the sound when you reverse a video
The Sound control has two choices. Backwards too lets you reverse the video and audio together, and Remove it keeps the picture only. Which one is better depends on what is in the clip.
| Choice | What you hear | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Backwards too | The audio plays in reverse, in step with the picture | Effects and creative clips where the odd sound adds to the joke |
| Remove it | No sound at all | Speech, music and anything that would sound wrong backwards |
Speech played backwards is unintelligible, and music turns into a strange swell. If your clip has someone talking, the better choice is usually Remove it. Then you can add a fresh track afterwards.
If your video has no sound at all, the panel tells you so and the Backwards too option is not available.
Tips for a better backwards video
A reversed clip can look wonderful or just odd. A few habits make the difference between the two.
- Keep it short. A backwards video is a trick, and most tricks are best at three to ten seconds.
- Pick a steady shot. A camera that shakes or pans looks strange in reverse, because the movement seems to go the wrong way.
- Watch for faces. A person who speaks or smiles can look uncanny when it plays in reverse.
- Think about the ending. The last picture of your original becomes the first picture of the reversed clip, so choose a moment that makes a good opening.
- Remove the sound for spoken clips. Reversed speech is unintelligible and distracts from the effect.
Play a video backwards and keep the original
The tool always saves a new file, so you can reverse a clip without losing the first version. If you like both, keep both. If you want a clip that plays forward and then backwards, trim the part you need, reverse a copy and put the two together with merge videos.
Reverse several clips at once
Drop more than one video and each one is reversed with the same Sound choice. This is useful when you have a set of short moments, such as a series of dives or jumps. The results can be saved one by one or together as a zip.
The 10-minute limit and how to work around it
Reversing is heavier than most edits. To play a video backwards, every picture has to be read and written in the opposite order. For that reason it works on clips up to 10 minutes long.
If your video is longer, you do not need a different tool. Trim out the part you want to reverse first, and reverse the shorter piece. Most backwards effects are only a few seconds long anyway.
A long clip also takes longer to process. This is normal, so leave the tab open and let the progress bar finish.
Where the work happens
Your video is processed in your browser and is never uploaded. The server does no video work. Most videos have no size limit. Files that take longer, such as some AVI or WMV videos, can be up to 2 GB.
The video reverser takes MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI, WMV, M4V, TS, FLV and MPG files, and the result is always saved as an MP4. Use a current version of Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
Reverse your video now
To use the video reverser, drop your clip in, pick Backwards too or Remove it, and press Reverse. You get a new MP4 with your original untouched, and nothing ever leaves your device.
Scroll up and try it on a short, lively clip. For a gentle follow-up, you can also loop video so the backwards moment repeats.
