How to edit a video on a Mac
Last updated 2026-10-20
To edit a video on a Mac, trim a single clip in Photos or QuickTime Player. Use iMovie to join clips and add titles and music. Edit in this order: assemble, trim, captions, music, export. When you need captions, a vertical canvas or repeat edits, use an editor with a timeline and an AI agent, such as Woven.
Three editors already on your Mac
Your Mac already has three ways to edit. Pick by the size of the job, not by the app you know. Apple's help pages show where each one stops.
To cut a video in Photos, double-click it, click Edit, click Adjust and drag the trim handles inward. Apple says trimming does not delete footage, so you can recover it. In QuickTime Player, choose Edit, then Trim, drag the yellow handles around the part to keep and click Trim.
To cut out the middle of a clip, use iMovie. Select the clip in the timeline, move the playhead to the cut and choose Modify, then Split Clip.
| App | Best for | What Apple's guide lists |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | One clip, one trim | Trim handles, filters, adjustments and crop |
| QuickTime Player | Trim, split and reorder | Trim, split into clips, rearrange, add a clip, remove audio or video |
| iMovie | A full edit | Timeline, trim, split, titles, music, sound effects, export as a file |
When you outgrow them
Decide by the job. One clip and one cut: stay in Photos or QuickTime Player. A few clips with titles and music: iMovie. Captions on every post, a vertical canvas, or the same edit every week: move to an editor built for short video.
Check the shape before you start. In iMovie, the first clip you add to the timeline sets the project's resolution and frame rate. Apple's project page says nothing about portrait or vertical movies, so test one before you plan a vertical post around iMovie.
The other limit is repetition. Importing, trimming, captioning and exporting by hand is fine once. By the tenth video, those steps are the cost.
The order to edit in
Edit in five passes. Each one makes the next cheaper.
- Assemble. Put the clips in story order. Ignore length and polish.
- Trim. Cut each clip to its useful part. Start with the dead air at the front of each one.
- Captions. Add them after the cuts are final. Moving a cut later changes which words are on screen.
- Music. Add it last and keep it under your voice. If you use a song, you need the rights. Apple notes that a song bought from the iTunes Store needs the copyright holder's permission.
- Export. Export once, watch the file on your phone, then fix and export again.
Edit by chat in Woven
Woven is a Mac editor with a multi-track timeline and an AI agent. You ask for an edit in chat. It lands on the timeline, where you can still trim and split by hand. A blank reel takes the size of the first video you add. Exports are MP4 at 1080p or 1440p. iMovie can export 4K at its native resolution; Woven cannot. The AI video editor for Mac page covers the product in full.
Ask in chat
- Put these three clips in order and trim the dead air at the start of each.
- Split the interview where I say 'thanks for having me' and delete the first half.
- Add captions, then put my music file under the voice at a low volume.
- Make it 9:16 and export it.
Or do it by hand
- 1Bring clips in. Drag them from Finder onto the timeline in story order.
- 2Trim and split. Drag a clip's edge to trim it. To cut the middle, put the playhead on the cut, press ⌘B, select the piece you do not want and press Delete. Later clips do not move up on their own, so drag them back to meet the cut.
- 3Caption. Click Add › Generate captions once the cuts are final.
- 4Add music. Click Add › Audio for your music file, then use Volume to lower it under your voice. Ask in chat for fades.
- 5Export and check. Choose 1080p or 1440p from the Export button's menu. Open the MP4 from the workspace's exports folder and watch it on your phone before you post.
Common questions
For one trim, open the clip in Photos or QuickTime Player. For several clips with titles and music, build the movie in iMovie. For captions and vertical video, use a timeline editor such as Woven.
In QuickTime Player, choose Edit, then Trim, drag the yellow handles and click Trim. To remove a middle section, split the clip at both ends of it and delete that piece. In iMovie, the split command is Modify, then Split Clip.
Yes, for basic work. The pages under Edit a movie in Apple's QuickTime Player guide are Split a movie into clips, Rearrange movie clips, Add a movie or clip, Rotate or flip a clip, Trim a movie or clip, and Remove audio or video. None is about titles or music.
Yes. Photos can trim a video, apply filters, adjust light and color, and crop it. Apple says trimming does not delete footage, so you can recover it.
Assemble the clips, trim them, add captions, add music, then export. Captions come after the cuts so the words on screen match the final timing.
In iMovie, drag both clips to the timeline or choose Edit, then Add to Movie. QuickTime Player's guide has an Add a movie or clip page. In Woven, drag both onto the timeline.
Sources
- Change and enhance a video in Photos on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- QuickTime Player User Guide - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Trim a movie or clip in QuickTime Player on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- iMovie User Guide for Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Create a new movie project in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Add clips in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Move and split clips in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Add titles in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Add music and sound clips in iMovie on Mac - Apple Support, checked October 19, 2026
- Export a movie, trailer or clip as a file in iMovie on 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.