--- title: "Loop a GIF Forever – Make an Infinite GIF | loop.video" description: "Make any GIF loop forever, or a set number of times, fix GIFs that play once and stop, and smooth the jump at the loop point. Free, in your browser, no upload." url: https://loop.video/loop-gif --- Free · runs in your browser # Make a GIF loop forever Open a GIF that stops after one play, set it to loop forever or a set number of times, smooth the restart if it jumps, and save it again. To make a GIF loop forever, open it here, leave **Plays** on **Forever** and press **Export GIF**. The new file carries the instruction to repeat endlessly, so it loops in every browser and app that respects it. A GIF that plays once and freezes isn’t broken; it is missing that instruction, or the instruction asks for a set number of plays. Some editors and converters leave it out by default. Re-saving the frames with the right setting is the whole fix, and you can also choose **Once**, **×2**, **×3** or **×5** when a GIF should stop on its last frame. The GIF is processed in your browser and never uploaded. Very old or very large GIFs open fine; the only limit is 30 seconds of animation. ## How to make a GIF loop forever 1. ### Open the GIF Drop the GIF on the page or press **Select video** (**Choose video** on a phone). It is turned into a video for editing, which takes a moment for long GIFs. 2. ### Keep Plays on Forever **Plays** starts on **Forever**. Choose **Once**, **×2**, **×3** or **×5** if the GIF should stop after a number of plays. [ ![The Plays control with Forever selected and the options Once, ×2, ×3 and ×5, above the Join choices](https://loop.video/guides/loop-gif/plays-forever.webp) (enlarge image) ](https://loop.video/guides/loop-gif/plays-forever.webp) **Plays** on **Forever** writes the instruction that makes a GIF repeat endlessly. 3. ### Check the restart Press **Watch the join** (J) to see the moment the last frame hands back to the first. If it jumps, press **Find the best loop** (F) or set **Join** to **Crossfade**. 4. ### Match the original size In **Export settings**, pick the **Width** closest to the GIF’s own and a **Frame rate** near its speed (most GIFs run at 10 to 15 fps). Set **Quality** to **High** to keep the colours close. 5. ### Export the looping GIF Press **Export GIF**, then **Download video** to save the new .gif, or **Share or save to Photos** on a phone. ## Why some GIFs play once and stop The original GIF format had no idea of looping. Repeat playback was added later through an extra block of data, known as the NETSCAPE2.0 application extension after the browser that introduced it. That block holds a loop count: * **No block at all:** browsers play the animation once and stop on the last frame. * **A count of 0:** loop forever. This is what nearly every “infinite” GIF uses. * **Any other count:** repeat that many extra times after the first play, then stop. Tools that export GIFs often decide this for you. A GIF saved with looping off, or with a count of one, behaves exactly as told. **Plays** in loop.video writes the block for you: **Forever** writes a count of 0, **Once** leaves the block out, and **×2**, **×3** and **×5** write the matching count. ## Making the loop seamless A GIF that loops forever also shows its weakest moment forever: the jump from the last frame back to the first. Many GIFs were cut from a video at an arbitrary point, so that jump is obvious. * **Find the best loop** searches the GIF for a start and end that match, and moves the handles there. The score (**Excellent match** to **Poor match**) tells you how invisible the join will be. * **Crossfade** under **Join** dissolves the end into the start. It works on any GIF, including ones that never return to where they began. * **Blend** softens a small jump by mixing a few frames either side, without shortening the loop. A perfect loop is one where the frame after the last would be the first: a rotating object completes its turn, a wave returns to the same shape. The [seamless loop guide](https://loop.video/seamless-loop-video) explains how to shoot and cut for that. ## Loop forever, three times or once Forever is right for reactions, stickers, website decorations and anything meant to sit on screen. A set count suits other jobs: * **Once** for a GIF that should play through and rest on a final frame, such as an animated logo or a chart that builds. * **×2** or **×3** for a short demonstration in documentation or an email, so it doesn’t distract readers forever. * **×5** for something that benefits from a few repeats, like a quick how-to motion. Respecting the count is up to the app showing the GIF. Several chat and social apps loop every GIF regardless of what the file says, and a few email clients show only the first frame. Browsers follow the file. ## Keeping the quality when you re-save Re-saving a GIF means choosing its colours again. To stay close to the original: * Pick a **Width** at or just below the GIF’s own width; larger sizes aren’t offered, because stretching a GIF only blurs it. * Choose a **Frame rate** near the original’s. Most GIFs run at 10 to 15 fps; going higher only repeats frames and adds size. * Set **Quality** to **High** and leave **Dither colours** on, which keeps gradients from banding. ### Making it longer instead If what you need is a longer piece of animation rather than an endless one, for a platform that wants a video, convert it with [GIF to MP4](https://loop.video/gif-to-mp4) and repeat it to any length. Starting from a video? The [MP4 to GIF converter](https://loop.video/mp4-to-gif) makes the looping GIF in one go. ## Looping GIFs: common questions ### How do I make a GIF loop forever? Open the GIF here, leave **Plays** on **Forever** and press **Export GIF**. The new file is marked to repeat endlessly. ### Why does my GIF only play once? It has no loop block, or its loop count asks for a single play. Re-save it with **Plays** set to **Forever** to fix it. ### How do I stop a GIF from looping? Choose **Once** under **Plays** before exporting. The GIF then plays through one time and stops on its last frame. ### Can I make a GIF loop three times and stop? Yes. Choose **×3** under **Plays**. Browsers play it three times in total; some chat apps ignore the count and loop it anyway. ### How do I make a perfect loop GIF? Press **Find the best loop** to choose matching start and end frames, then **Watch the join** to check it. If the footage never comes back to where it started, use a short **Crossfade**. ### Does re-saving a GIF reduce its quality? Slightly, because the colours are chosen again. Keep the **Width** near the original’s, set **Quality** to **High** and leave **Dither colours** on to keep it close. ### Is my GIF uploaded? No. The GIF is decoded and re-encoded in your browser and never leaves your device. ## More ways to loop a video * [ Loop a video online Repeat a clip, stretch it to any length or make it seamless, in your browser. ](https://loop.video/) * [ Convert MP4 to GIF An MP4-to-GIF converter with width, frame rate, dithering and a file-size limit. ](https://loop.video/mp4-to-gif) * [ Make a GIF from a video Pick the moment, crop it and save a GIF or animated WebP that loops by itself. ](https://loop.video/video-to-gif) * [ Convert a GIF to MP4 Turn a GIF into an MP4 video, as one pass or repeated to any length, with music if you want it. ](https://loop.video/gif-to-mp4) * [ Make a seamless loop video Find the loop point automatically, rate the join and hide it with a crossfade or blend. ](https://loop.video/seamless-loop-video) * [ Make a cinemagraph from a video Paint the part that moves, freeze the rest and loop it as a video, GIF or WebP. ](https://loop.video/cinemagraph-maker)