diff --git a/packages/ffmpeg/src/classes.ts b/packages/ffmpeg/src/classes.ts
index 48d9e2c4a4..a476c8dabe 100644
--- a/packages/ffmpeg/src/classes.ts
+++ b/packages/ffmpeg/src/classes.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,20 @@ export class FFmpeg {
         "abort",
         () => {
           reject(new DOMException(`Message # ${id} was aborted`, "AbortError"));
+          // If we are aborting an exec or ffprobe, send a CANCEL message so
+          // the worker's ffmpeg timeout is set to 1 ms, causing the running
+          // command to stop as quickly as possible.  For other message types
+          // the cancel is a no-op on the worker side.
+          if (
+            (type === FFMessageType.EXEC ||
+              type === FFMessageType.FFPROBE) &&
+            this.#worker
+          ) {
+            this.#worker.postMessage({
+              id: getMessageID(),
+              type: FFMessageType.CANCEL,
+            });
+          }
         },
         { once: true }
       );
diff --git a/packages/ffmpeg/src/const.ts b/packages/ffmpeg/src/const.ts
index 5ced388c06..0f7129cb27 100644
--- a/packages/ffmpeg/src/const.ts
+++ b/packages/ffmpeg/src/const.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export enum FFMessageType {
   DELETE_DIR = "DELETE_DIR",
   ERROR = "ERROR",
 
+  CANCEL = "CANCEL",
   DOWNLOAD = "DOWNLOAD",
   PROGRESS = "PROGRESS",
   LOG = "LOG",
diff --git a/packages/ffmpeg/src/worker.ts b/packages/ffmpeg/src/worker.ts
index cf8b6c5aac..33ffbd293e 100644
--- a/packages/ffmpeg/src/worker.ts
+++ b/packages/ffmpeg/src/worker.ts
@@ -108,6 +108,19 @@ const ffprobe = ({ args, timeout = -1 }: FFMessageExecData): ExitCode => {
   return ret;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Interrupt any running exec/ffprobe by setting the ffmpeg timeout to 1 ms.
+ * This causes the WASM-side watchdog to fire almost immediately, stopping
+ * the current command and returning exit-code 1 (timeout).  The exec()
+ * call on the main thread has already been rejected with an AbortError by
+ * the time this message arrives, so the exit-code reply is simply discarded.
+ */
+const cancel = (): void => {
+  if (ffmpeg) {
+    ffmpeg.setTimeout(1);
+  }
+};
+
 const writeFile = ({ path, data }: FFMessageWriteFileData): OK => {
   ffmpeg.FS.writeFile(path, data);
   return true;
@@ -181,6 +194,10 @@ self.onmessage = async ({
       case FFMessageType.FFPROBE:
         data = ffprobe(_data as FFMessageExecData);
         break;
+      case FFMessageType.CANCEL:
+        cancel();
+        // CANCEL is fire-and-forget: no reply needed.
+        return;
       case FFMessageType.WRITE_FILE:
         data = writeFile(_data as FFMessageWriteFileData);
         break;