How to reverse video playback in your browser
- Step 1Drop your video clip — Drop your clip
- Step 2Choose reverse with or without audio — JAD reverses the video and audio with the reverse + areverse filters
- Step 3Download the reversed video — Download the reversed result
What gets reversed
Reversal flips the order of frames and audio samples; it does not change resolution, codec, or aspect ratio.
| Stream | Filter | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Video | reverse | Frames play last-to-first; motion runs backwards |
| Audio | areverse | Samples play backwards — speech/music sound reversed |
| Audio (muted option) | drop audio | Clean backwards visual with no reversed-sound artefacts |
Reverse vs related effects
| You want… | Use |
|---|---|
| The whole clip playing backwards | This tool (Reverse Video) |
| Forward then backward (Instagram Boomerang) | Boomerang recipe — reverse + merge |
| Just a slow/fast version | Video speed controller (no reversal) |
| Backwards audio only | Reverse here, then mute video / extract audio |
Cookbook
What the tool does under the hood, and the FFmpeg equivalents if you're scripting it yourself.
Reverse video and audio (the default)
Both streams flipped and kept in sync — the equivalent FFmpeg command.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf reverse -af areverse output.mp4
Reverse the video but drop the audio
For a clean backwards visual without the eerie reversed-sound effect.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf reverse -an output.mp4
Boomerang (forward + reverse loop)
Reverse the clip, then concatenate the original and the reversed copy. JAD's boomerang recipe does this in two steps.
# reverse, then concat original + reversed ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf reverse rev.mp4 ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -i rev.mp4 -filter_complex "[0][1]concat=n=2" boomerang.mp4
Edge cases and what actually happens
A long or large (2 GB+) clip
memory-boundReversal decodes the whole clip into memory before re-emitting it backwards, so very large files can exhaust the browser tab's memory. Split the video into shorter segments, reverse each, then merge them in reverse segment order.
You don't want the spooky reversed audio
mute itReversed speech and music sound alien. Use the mute option to export the reversed video silently, then add a fresh audio track if you want sound.
Variable-frame-rate (VFR) source (screen/phone recordings)
watch timingVFR clips can reverse with slightly uneven timing because frame durations vary. If the motion looks jittery, convert to a constant frame rate first, then reverse.
Expecting it to be as fast as trimming
full re-encodeUnlike a lossless trim (stream-copy), reversal must decode, reorder, and re-encode every frame — so it takes real time proportional to the clip length and resolution. That's inherent to the effect, not a tool limitation.
You actually wanted a boomerang, not a full reverse
different effectA straight reverse plays end-to-start once. A boomerang plays forward then backward in a loop — that needs the clip reversed and then merged with the original. Use the boomerang recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Does it reverse the audio as well as the video?
Yes — by default both are reversed together and kept in sync, using FFmpeg's reverse filter for the video frames and areverse for the audio samples. If you don't want the reversed-sound effect, there's a mute option that exports the backwards visual with no audio.
Why is reversing slower than trimming a video?
Trimming can use stream-copy (no re-encoding) because it just selects a byte range. Reversal can't — every frame has to be decoded, reordered into the opposite sequence, and re-encoded. That full encode pass is why it takes time proportional to the clip's length and resolution. Use a high-quality setting (around CRF 18–22) to keep the output crisp.
What does reversed audio actually sound like?
Backwards. Speech becomes an unintelligible reversed pattern and music sounds alien — which is the point for creative "backmasking" effects, but usually undesirable otherwise. Mute the audio on export if you only want the backwards visual, then add your own track.
Is there a file size or length limit?
There's no imposed limit, but reversal is memory-intensive in the browser because the clip is decoded into memory before being written out backwards. Files above ~2 GB can cause memory pressure in the tab. For long videos, split into segments, reverse each, and merge them in reverse order.
What formats can I reverse?
MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, and other common formats FFmpeg supports as input. Output is a standard MP4 that plays everywhere. The codec and resolution are preserved — reversal changes only the order of frames and audio samples.
Is my video uploaded to a server?
No. Processing runs entirely in your browser via FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so the file never leaves your device — no upload, no watermark, and no account needed.
Will reversing reduce the quality?
Because reversal is a re-encode, there's a single generation of lossy compression — minimal at a high-quality setting (CRF 18–22) and not visible for most content. It's not lossless like trimming, but it's a one-pass encode, not repeated recompression.
How do I make a boomerang / ping-pong loop instead?
A boomerang plays forward then backward. Reverse the clip here, then merge the original and the reversed copy so it loops forward-then-back — exactly what the boomerang recipe walks through.
Privacy first
All video processing runs locally in your browser using WebAssembly and FFmpeg. No file is ever uploaded — only metadata counters are saved for signed-in dashboard stats.