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VideoCull is a free and open-source Windows desktop app built specifically for culling, sorting, and cleaning up large collections of local video files. Point it at a folder, and it scans the files, generates a strip of thumbnails for each video, and gives you a keyboard-driven workflow to decide what stays and what goes. The VideoCull website has a product overview with screenshots and download options. The source of those files does not matter. The folder can contain a personal archive, downloaded videos, an old backup, screen recordings, or footage from phones and cameras. VideoCull applies the same visual review workflow to all of them. Nothing is uploaded. Nothing needs an account. Nothing is permanently removed until you confirm the delete step. The core workflow is straightforward: open a folder, let thumbnails generate in the background, browse the grid to get a quick visual read on each clip, enter review mode for a closer look, make a decision, and move on. When you are ready, one command sends everything marked for deletion to the Recycle Bin when possible. VideoCull runs locally. There is no account and no cloud sync, and your videos, thumbnails, and review data stay on your computer. The only network access is the optional update check in the direct-download edition, as described in the privacy policy. It installs per user on Windows and does not require administrator rights.

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How it works

1

Open a folder

Drag a folder onto the app window or press Ctrl+O to open the directory picker. VideoCull scans the folder and finds the video files inside it.
2

Generate thumbnails in the background

FFmpeg and FFprobe are bundled with the app, so VideoCull can start extracting frames immediately. You can begin reviewing before every thumbnail finishes. Thumbnails appear as they complete and are stored in local cache.
3

Browse the grid

Each video appears as a card with a thumbnail strip, so you can identify the content at a glance without opening every file.
4

Review and decide

Stay in the grid or switch to review mode to go through videos one at a time. Use the keyboard to mark each file as Keep, Delete, or Skip.
5

Commit the delete batch

Press Ctrl+Backspace to send everything marked for deletion to the Recycle Bin. Until you do, every decision is reversible.

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Key features

Thumbnail strips let you see frames sampled from different points in the file before opening anything. You can configure how many frames are generated per video and how far into the file the first frame is taken. Keyboard-driven decisions keep review fast. In review mode, K keeps a video, D marks it for deletion, S skips it, and Z undoes the last decision. Shortcuts are customizable in Settings. Grid batch selection lets you Shift-click a visible range and apply Keep, Delete, Skip, Reset, or thumbnail regeneration without opening each card. Recycle Bin safety means deleted files go to the Windows Recycle Bin when possible, not straight to permanent deletion. Bookmarks let you drop timestamped markers while a video is playing and return to them later. Duplicate review helps you find likely duplicate files with pHash or visual similarity matching and work through suggested keepers instead of starting from scratch. Cache controls let you choose where progress is stored and whether stale cache data or empty folders should be cleaned up automatically. Multi-folder sessions and reports combine related folders into one queue and export either the full session or the current filtered result as HTML.
VideoCull runs locally. Your files and review decisions stay on your machine.

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Next steps

Install VideoCull

Choose Microsoft Store or the direct installer, then launch the app.

Quickstart

Open your first folder, generate thumbnails, and make your first keep or delete decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Find answers about editions, formats, cache, offline use, and installer warnings.

Troubleshooting

Work through thumbnail, playback, cache, and performance issues.
Last modified on October 1, 2026