How to trim a video on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac
Every major device has a free built-in way to cut the start and end off a video. Here's where to find it on each.
2 min read · Updated
Trimming — cutting off the beginning or end of a video — is the most common edit there is, and you almost never need a separate app for it. Every phone and computer ships with a way to do it in under a minute.
On iPhone and iPad
The Photos app trims videos without leaving it:
- Open the video in Photos and tap Edit.
- Drag the handles at either end of the timeline below the video to where you want it to start and end.
- Tap Done, then choose Save Video to replace it, or Save Video as New Clip to keep the original too.
If the video is in the Files app rather than Photos, open it, tap Share, then Save Video first.
On Android
Google Photos, on most Android phones, has a similar trim tool:
- Open the video in Google Photos and tap Edit.
- In the Video tools, drag the handles on the timeline to set the start and end.
- Tap Save copy to keep the original alongside the trimmed version.
Samsung phones can also trim in the Gallery app: open the video, tap the edit (pencil) icon, and drag the timeline handles.
On Mac
QuickTime Player, included with every Mac, trims in a few clicks:
- Open the video in QuickTime Player.
- Choose Edit › Trim.
- Drag the yellow handles to the new start and end, then click Trim.
- Choose File › Save to save the trimmed video.
On Windows
Windows 11 includes Clipchamp, Microsoft's video editor. Open the video in Clipchamp, drag it onto the timeline, and drag the edges of the clip in from each end — or place the playhead and use the split tool to cut a section out. Then choose Export.
For a quick trim of a clip you'll only watch, VLC can also play just part of a file, but it isn't designed for saving edits.
Does trimming reduce quality?
Most built-in editors re-encode the video when saving, which can lose a little quality — usually invisible for a single save. If quality matters, trim once, from the original, rather than trimming an already-trimmed copy.
Trimming an online video? Download just the part you need
If the video is on YouTube, you don't need to download the whole thing and then trim it. Downloading part of a YouTube video lets you set a start and end first and get only that section, cut without re-encoding. The same Trim tab works for single videos on the other platform pages, such as Facebook.