How to add text in iMovie on a Mac
Last updated 2026-10-20
In iMovie on a Mac, text is a title. Select Titles above the browser, then double-click a style to add it at the playhead, or drag it above or onto a clip. Double-click the placeholder text in the viewer, type your words, set the font with the controls above the viewer, and click Apply.
Add a title to your movie
iMovie calls on-screen text a title. With your movie in the timeline, select "Titles" above the browser. Browse the styles or type a name in the search field. Many are animated, so skim the thumbnails to preview the motion. If your movie has a theme, its matching titles appear at the top.
There are three ways to put a style in the movie.
- At the playhead. Park the playhead where the text should start and double-click the style.
- Above a clip. Drag the style to the timeline above the clip. With "Snapping" ticked in the View menu, its edges snap to clip and transition edges, and a yellow line shows the match.
- Over a clip. Drag the style onto the clip. Drop it in the first or last third and its length fits that third. Drop it in the middle and it spans the whole clip.
Type your words and set the font
Select the title in the timeline, or move the playhead over it. In the viewer, double-click the placeholder text and type your own. The font controls above the viewer change the font, color, size, style and alignment. Click "Apply" above the viewer when you are done.
Apple says titles can sit directly over a video clip, over a solid-color background, or over one of Apple's graphic or animated backgrounds. A background gives you a title card without footage behind the text.
Edit, restyle, resize and delete a title
Everything below starts from the title bar in the timeline. After a change to the words or the format, click Apply again.
| To change | Do this |
|---|---|
| The words | Double-click the title in the timeline, type the new text |
| The font | Open the Font pop-up menu and choose one |
| The size | Open the Size pop-up menu, to the right of Font |
| Bold, italic or outline | Click the B, I or O button |
| The color | Click the color well and pick from the Colors window |
| The style | Put the playhead on the title, select Titles, double-click the new style |
| How long it shows | Drag either edge of the title bar, or select it, click Clip Information and type a Duration |
| When it shows | Drag the title bar along the timeline |
| Remove it | Select the title bar, then choose Edit › Delete or press Delete |
What Apple's pages show about the limits
Some limits are stated. You cannot change the font of certain theme-styled or animated titles, and some title styles exist only when their theme is applied to the movie.
Others come from what the pages leave out. They name no title styles, so you judge each one from its thumbnail. They give no maximum length or character count for a title. They describe animation as part of the style, with no separate entrance or exit control. They offer no way to drag a title around the picture, only along the timeline.
One setting is worth knowing. The "Automatic content" checkbox in project settings makes iMovie add titles and transitions for you, so turn it off if text appears that you did not place.
Add text in Woven
Add, then Text, puts one text box at the playhead. It reads "Text" in the Bold style, set in Inter at size 60, white, centered, with a Fade entrance. It lasts 3 seconds, or until the end of the reel if that comes first. Text always draws above every picture layer. Woven has no lower-third template and no masks on text, and text color, font size and box width cannot be keyframed.
Ask in chat
- Add a title that says Weekend in Lisbon for the first 3 seconds.
- Set the headline in Playfair Display with a shadow.
- Type the line out letter by letter, then fade it out.
- Put a name label near the bottom in the Pill style.
Or do it by hand
- 1Add the box. Park the playhead, open Add and choose Text.
- 2Type. Double-click the text on the canvas, or type in the Content field on the Edit tab.
- 3Pick a look. On the Style tab, open Appearance and choose a Text style: Plain, Bold, Subtitle, Pill, Calligraphy, Crossout or Watermark.
- 4Set the font. On the Edit tab, choose a Font, Weight and Size from 12 to 260. The list holds four bundled fonts and every font installed on your Mac. Select some words to style only those.
- 5Place and animate. Drag the box on the canvas. On the Animation tab, open Presets and choose an In, an Out and a Loop.
Common questions
Select Titles above the browser and add a style at the playhead, above a clip or onto a clip. Then type in the viewer, set the font and click Apply.
Double-click a title style to add it at the playhead, or drag it to the timeline. Double-click the placeholder text in the viewer to type your own.
Double-click the title in the timeline, open the Font pop-up menu, choose a font and click Apply. Some theme or animated titles do not allow a font change.
Drag either edge of the title bar in the timeline. Or select it, click Clip Information and type a number in the Duration field.
Select the title bar in the timeline until a yellow border appears, then choose Edit › Delete or press the Delete key.
Sources
- Add titles in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Modify titles in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Change project settings in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- iMovie User Guide for Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
Try Woven free for 3 days
Then $25/mo billed yearly ($299/yr) or $39/month. Native Mac app for short-form video.
Paste into Claude Code to install and connect Woven.