How to Split MP4 into Parts with the Best Free MP4 Splitter

How to split MP4 files into parts without ruining quality or wasting hours? For many users, splitting MP4 isn’t about editing, it’s about solving real problems. Large MP4 files come from everyday use: recording long trips, exporting screen recordings, or downloading HD movies and TV shows.

The trouble starts when you try to upload or share them. File size limits, duration caps, slow upload speeds, and unstable connections often turn a simple upload into a headache. Re-encoding can shrink the file, but it also takes time and may reduce quality, something most users want to avoid.

That’s why splitting MP4 into smaller parts is often the smarter choice. It helps you meet upload limits, share videos faster, or apply different edits or effects to specific segments without reprocessing the entire file. Below, we’ve rounded up 6 free MP4 splitters that actually work, along with clear step-by-step guides to get the job done.

1. Split MP4 into Parts on Desktop with VideoProc Converter AI

VideoProc Converter AI is a fast and practical solution for splitting MP4 files, especially when you need to break large or long videos into smaller parts without dealing with complex settings. It supports 370+ formats and codecs, including MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, FLV, WebM, HEVC, and H.264, making it suitable for most real-world video sources.

Unlike many basic splitters that force re-encoding or compromise quality, the Split feature in VideoProc Converter AI focuses on quick, lossless processing. You can split a video by segment count or by every X seconds, which is particularly useful when handling upload limits, long recordings, or platform duration caps.

One major advantage is that each output clip is saved as H.264 MP4, a format accepted by almost all websites and players. With the Auto-Copy mode enabled, you can split H.264 MP4 files without re-encoding, meaning no quality loss and dramatically faster processing.

Beyond splitting, VideoProc Converter AI also provides flexible ways to resize and optimize videos, such as trimming, cropping, adjusting resolution, bitrate, and frame rate, all while keeping high quality. It also supports subtitle editing, merging, rotating, stabilizing shaky footage, flipping videos, and adding subtitles, watermarks, or effects—making it a solid all-in-one choice for users who want to fix, split, and share videos efficiently.

VideoProc Converter AI Pros:

• Split and join MP4 videos in one tool
• No watermark on split MP4 files
• Split MP4 without re-encoding or quality loss
• Split by equal parts or every X seconds
• Hardware-accelerated splitting for 4K and high-FPS videos
• Reduce MP4 file size via built-in compressor, trimming, cropping, or parameter tweaks

Step 1. Install VideoProc Converter AI on your computer.

Launch VideoProc Converter AI and click Video on its main interface.

Step 2. Upload your MP4 files.

Click + Video button to import one or more MP4 videos. Or click +Video Folder to import the whole MP4 files folder.

Step 3. Choose the SPlit feature.

Move to the bottom of the window and click Toolbox. Find Split and select it.

Step 4. Set more splitting parameters.

Double click Split button, and you will be led to the setting window.

On the left panel, there's a preview window. Move the green knobs on the progress bar to trim redundant parts. Otherwise, manually input start or end time.

On the right panel, you are allowed to set the number (default: 10) of segments you would like to split MP4 file averagely into or split video every certain (default: 60) seconds. Click Done if you finish settings.

Step 5. Split MP4 into parts quickly.

Click Browse button to set a new destination if necessary. Then, click RUN button to get VideoProc Converter AI split MP4 file.

Tips:

1. If you want to split MP4 file without re-encoding, please make sure that the original video is a H.264 MP4 file.

2. Auto copy option is enabled by default which copies video/audio without re-encoding (only for H.264 to H.264) so that you can get extremely fast video processing speed and lossless video/audio quality.

2. Split Large MP4 Video into Parts Free Online via Clideo

Online MP4 splitters like Clideo are popular because they remove the need to install software and let users handle simple video tasks directly in a web browser. For quick jobs, such as splitting a short MP4 clip or trimming a video for social media—this convenience is often the main appeal.

Clideo works as an all-in-one online video toolkit rather than a dedicated splitter. In addition to splitting MP4 files, it includes basic tools for merging clips, adding captions, cropping video frames, and making simple edits. The interface is straightforward and beginner-friendly, so most users can complete basic tasks without prior video editing experience.

However, upload and export speeds depend heavily on your internet connection, and working with large or high-resolution MP4 files can take noticeably longer. Free usage also comes with limitations, such as watermarks or restricted export options, which may not suit users who need frequent or high-quality output.

Clideo Pros:

• Quick access without installing third-parties
• Break MP4 into parts accurately by 0.1 seconds
• Best for one time use for a small video file

Step 1. Go to Clideo homepage and select the MP4 Splitter tool.

Step 2. Drag and drop the video to the editing panel or simply click the Choose File button. You can browse for video files saved in local disks, Google Drive, Dropbox, or even an online video with a single URL.

Step 3. Upon importing, you will end up on another page for splitting. Drag the green box on the timeline to decide which part of the video to be kept. On the right editing bar, there are two options - Extract Selected and Delete Selected. Extract Selected means you get the selected part of the video as another video copy with the original one untouched. And you should choose this for splitting videos since you may need all parts of the video.

Tip: Almost every online tool has its limit on file size. For Clideo, the maximum size is 500MB. If your video is bigger than 500MB, we would sincerely recommend taking VideoProc Converter AI as an alternative option.

3. How to Split MP4 into Parts on Mac with iMovie

iMovie covers most of what you’d expect from a basic video editor, and splitting MP4 files is one of its built-in capabilities. It’s especially popular among macOS and iOS users thanks to its clean interface, preset themes, audio library, and simple timeline editing. For beginners, iMovie feels approachable from the start, most tools are clearly labeled, and common actions like cutting or splitting clips can be done without any prior editing knowledge.

iMovie’s simplicity also defines its limits. It lacks more advanced control over export settings, codecs, and batch processing, which can be restrictive when working with longer or higher-resolution videos. Tasks that are straightforward in dedicated video splitters, such as precise time-based splitting, lossless processing, or handling large files efficiently—often require extra steps or compromises in iMovie.

iMovie Pros:

• A built-in MP4 splitter free on macOS
• Can flexibly cut MP4 into parts as a user desires
• No watermark

How to Split MP4 File into Parts on macOS in iMovie?

Step 1. Launch iMovie on your Mac, and click create a new project to import the MP4 video you plan to split.

Step 2. Drag the video to the timeline .

Step 3. Move the play head to the position where you want to split. And then right-click it to choose the Split Clip option. It will just make the video two pieces. If you want to make it several sections, repeat step 3.

Whether you choose to remove some parts or adding varied effects to different part of the video, it's your choice and iMovie has provided all the possibilities.

Besides trimming, Photo app can also do adjusting exposure, changing vibrance, adding filters, cropping size, and more.

Tip: For more solutions to how to cut out parts of a video on iPhone, you can jump to guide on how to cut/trim iPhone videos.

4. Split MP4 into Parts on Mac with QuickTime

QuickTime Player comes preinstalled on macOS and is often overlooked as a video tool, but it can handle basic MP4 splitting through simple trim and cut actions. For users who only need to remove unwanted sections or split a short clip into parts, QuickTime offers a very lightweight and accessible option. The interface is minimal, and basic edits can be done quickly without any learning curve or additional software.

QuickTime Player is designed more for playback than editing, and its limitations become clear once workflows grow more complex. It does not support batch processing, advanced timeline control, or precise time-based splitting for multiple clips. Export options are also limited, which makes it less practical for handling large MP4 files or repeated splitting tasks.

How to Split Large MP4 Video into Parts on macOS with QuickTime?

Step 1. Launch QuickTime Player app and open the MP4 video to split.

Step 2. Go to View > Show Clips.

Step 3. Move the playhead to where you want to split.

Step 4. Click Edit > Split Clip.

Step 5. Repeat the steps above to split MP4 into multiple files.

Step 6. Click Done when finish MP4 splitting.

Step 7. Go to File > Save to save the changes.

5. Split MP4 into Parts on Windows 10 via Photos

The built-in Microsoft Photos app really surprised me to offer a decent MP4 splitter feature to easily cut MP4 into parts. With video editing features including video splitting, trimming, resizing, adding subtitles, drawing, 3D effect, adding animated text etc, I must say that this piece of software is a real doer. It is like a one-stop solution closely following to video watching and photo viewing. Although limited to basic utilities, it is sufficed to meet simple demands like MP4 video splitting. And it won't cost a dime to split MP4 file into parts.

Photos App Pros:

• It is a free MP4 splitter and joiner and more
• Split MP4 video without watermark
• Divide MP4 into parts right away in the middle of right after your viewing

How to Split Large MP4 Video into Parts with Photos App?

Step 1. Open the Photos App, and find a video added to your new video project.

Step 2. By creating a new video project you can add the video to your editing panel, or you can add the video to your existing video project.

Step 3. Drag the video from the project library to the lower editing panel

Step 4. Click on the three dots and select Split.

Step 5. Then you'll be landed on the Splitting panel with a seek bar to toggle with. Simply drag the bar to reach to your ideal splitting point.

Step 6. Click the "Done" button to settle the change.

However, Microsoft Photos only allows for splitting videos into two parts at one time. To make multiple segment/clips, you need to repeat the above procedures multiple times.

6. Split Large MP4 Video File into Parts with VLC

VLC Media Player is best known for playing almost any video format, but it also includes a few hidden editing functions that some users rely on for basic tasks. Through its advanced controls and media conversion features, VLC can be used to split MP4 files, trim clips, or extract sections from a longer video without installing dedicated editing software.

Splitting MP4 with VLC is more of a workaround than a streamlined workflow. The process involves multiple steps, limited visual feedback, and little control over precision compared to modern video editors or splitters. While it can get the job done for technically comfortable users or one-off tasks, VLC is generally slower and less intuitive when handling repeated splits, large files, or time-sensitive edits.

How to Split MP4 Video into Smaller Parts with VLC ?

Step 1. Open the MP4 file by clicking Media > Open File > Open from the top menu bar.

Step 2. Click View in the menu bar, then turn on "Advanced Controls".

Step 3. Drag the playing slide bar to the start point.

Step 4. Click the "Record" button and "Play" button to start trimming.

Step 5. Click the "Record" button again to stop at the end point of the desired video part.

Step 6. Check the trimmed MP4 clip.

The Bottom Line

VLC and Quicktime player can also split MP4 videos free in a tedious manner using their cutting features, as long as your video size is relatively small. Otherwise, the process may eat up much of your CPU usage and even freeze your computer. The listed MP4 splitters above can effortlessly do the job without hassle. Still, VideoProc Converter AI is highly recommended to split MP4 into parts, considering the ease of use, process speed, and video quality.