Free app for trimming and converting videos

How to use Video Editor

Video Editor handles the everyday video jobs: cutting a clip down, cropping the frame, turning a sideways recording upright, shrinking a file, or converting it to MP4. The whole process happens on one page:

1. Open a video. Choose Open Video From Computer or Open From Google Drive. You can also drag a video onto the page.
2. Make your edits. Trim the start and end on the timeline, crop the frame, rotate or flip, resize, or remove the audio. Every change shows in the preview right away.
3. Review the result. Undo and Redo step through your changes, and Revert all changes takes the video back to the way it opened.
4. Save or export. Save puts the result into the video you opened. Save as creates a new file that becomes the one you are editing. Export writes a copy to a folder on your computer, a download, or Google Drive, and leaves the video you opened as it was.

Open a video from your computer

Select Open Video From Computer, or choose Open from computer... in the Open menu. Pick an MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM, or MKV video; drag-and-drop works too. The file is read in place and nothing is uploaded.

Open a video from Google Drive

Select Open From Google Drive, or choose Open from Google Drive... in the Open menu, then sign in and pick a video in the Google file picker. Video Editor asks for access only to the files you select or create with it.

Reopen a recent video

Videos you opened recently are listed on the start page and under Open in the File menu. In Chrome and Edge, a recent video from your computer can reopen without the file picker once you confirm read access. In other browsers the list shows the name, and you pick the file again. The clear button empties the list.

Play and step through the video

Press Space to play or pause. The comma and period keys move one frame back or forward, which is the easiest way to find the exact frame where a cut should land. The Playback menu also jumps to the start, the end, or either trim point, loops the selected range, mutes the preview, and changes the preview speed. Preview settings affect only what you see and hear on the page; they never change the saved or exported file.

Keyboard shortcuts

Most commands have a key. Press I to set the trim start at the current frame and O to set the trim end. T turns the Trim tool on or off, and C does the same for Crop. R rotates right and Shift+R rotates left. Ctrl+O opens a video from your computer, Ctrl+S saves, Ctrl+Shift+S saves as a new file, and F2 renames the video. Press Ctrl+/ to see the full list at any time. On a Mac, use the Command key in place of Ctrl.

A guide to Video Editor's tools

After a video opens, the tools sit in the toolbar and menus above the preview. Your changes stay editable until you close the video; Save and Export write them to a file whenever you choose.

• content_cut

  Trim

  Drag the start and end handles on the timeline to keep only the part you want. A fast trim copies the original video data without re-encoding, so it finishes quickly and loses no quality; an exact trim cuts on the precise frame. The part outside the handles is left out of the saved or exported file entirely. You can also press I and O while the video plays to mark the start and the end.

• crop

  Crop

  Remove unwanted edges or change the shape of the frame. Pick a preset such as square, widescreen, or vertical, or drag the crop handles freely. The area outside the crop box is dimmed in the preview so you can judge the framing. Cropping changes the picture itself, so a cropped video is re-encoded when you save or export. Choose Clear crop in the Edit menu to go back to the full frame.

• rotate_90_degrees_cw

  Rotate and flip

  Turn a sideways recording upright or mirror it. The toolbar's rotate and flip buttons handle each case in one click. For MP4 and MOV videos, a rotation or flip on its own is stored as orientation information, so the saved or exported file keeps the original picture quality. WebM and MKV videos are re-encoded to apply it.

• resize

  Resize and compress

  Set a smaller frame size or a lower quality level to reduce the file size for email, chat, or the web. The Export dialog shows the estimated size before you commit. Width and height stay linked so the picture keeps its shape, and sizes are rounded to even numbers because video encoders require them. Quality has four settings: same as source, high, medium, and low.

• sync

  Convert

  Save or export a MOV, MKV, or WebM video as MP4 so it plays almost anywhere, or choose WebM when you need it. MP4 files use H.264 video with AAC audio. WebM files use VP9 or VP8 video with Opus audio. A converted video is always a new file. If your browser cannot encode the format you asked for, Video Editor says so before anything is written.

• audiotrack

  Remove audio

  Save or export the video without its sound track. The picture is copied as it is, so removing the sound alone does not reduce video quality. To go the other way, choose Export audio only in the File menu.

Save a frame as an image

Pause on any frame and choose Save frame as image in the File menu. The result is a PNG of the frame as it would be saved or exported, so it includes your crop, rotation, flip, and resize. The file name carries the name of the video and the time of the frame.

Export audio only

Export audio only writes the sound track to its own file without re-encoding it. The file type follows the audio already in the video: AAC becomes M4A, Opus and Vorbis become OGG, MP3 stays MP3, and uncompressed audio becomes WAV. A trim applies to the audio as well.

Saving and exporting your video

Video Editor writes nothing until you choose it. Save puts the result into the video you opened, on your computer or as a new revision in Google Drive, and asks first if that file changed while you were editing. Export always creates a new file and leaves the video you opened as it was.

Where exports go

Export to a folder on your computer, download the file, or send it to Google Drive. A video that came from Drive exports next to the original by default; you can switch that off in the Options menu.

The Export dialog

Choose Export video in the File menu, or press the Export button on the toolbar. The dialog lists what the new file will be: its format, its frame size, the trimmed range, whether the video and audio are copied or re-encoded, what metadata is kept, and the estimated size next to the free space. Nothing is written until you confirm.

Fast and exact trims

A trim can be exported two ways. A fast trim copies the original video data, so it is quick and keeps the original quality, but a copied clip can only begin on a key frame, one of the complete pictures a video stores every second or so. Video Editor moves a fast trim inward to the next key frame, so the clip may be slightly shorter than your selection and never longer. An exact trim re-encodes the video so it starts and ends on the frames you chose. Fast is preferred by default; you can change that in the Options menu, and the Export dialog shows the range that will really be kept. Edits that change the picture, such as a crop or a resize, always use an exact trim.

Exporting to a folder

In Chrome and Edge you can choose a folder once and export, or save a new file, straight into it. Video Editor always creates a new file with a unique name there and never replaces one that already exists; only Save writes into the video you opened, and it asks first if that file changed. In other browsers, use the download instead.

Cancelling an export or a save

You can cancel an export or a save at any time until the file is being finished. A cancelled or failed export does not leave a partial video behind, a cancelled save leaves the video you opened as it was, and your edits stay open so you can try again.

Unsaved edits

Edits live in the open tab until you save or export them. If you close a video or the tab with edits you have not saved or exported, Video Editor asks first.

Metadata

The Options menu controls what a saved or exported file keeps. By default, descriptive tags such as the title and creation time are kept and location tags are removed. The Export dialog always shows what will be kept.

Working with Google Drive

Video Editor is built to work alongside Google Drive. Open a video from Drive with the Google file picker, edit it, and save the result to the same file as a new revision or export it back to Drive as a new file. Renaming a Drive video in the app bar renames the file in Drive; its contents are untouched.

Exports next to the original

When the video came from Google Drive, the export is created in the same Drive folder as the original, so the two stay together. Turn off Save Drive exports next to the original in the Options menu to send exports to My Drive instead. Videos from your computer go to My Drive when you export to Drive.

If a Drive folder cannot be written

Some shared folders let you view files but not add new ones. If the folder refuses the new file, Video Editor offers to save to My Drive instead. The finished video is kept while you decide, so nothing has to be exported again.

Sharing

Share original file opens Google Drive sharing for the video you opened, and appears only for videos that live in Drive. After a Drive export, you can share the exported file the same way.

File formats

You can open MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM, and MKV videos. Exports are MP4 or WebM. Which video and audio formats can be re-encoded depends on your browser; when a browser cannot save or export, Video Editor still opens and plays the video and says why they are unavailable.

Copy or re-encode

Whenever it can, Video Editor copies the video and audio from the original into the new file without re-encoding. Trimming, removing audio, and rotating an MP4 or MOV can all be done this way. Cropping, resizing, compressing, and converting to a different video format need the picture to be encoded again, which takes longer and depends on what your browser can encode.

MOV and MKV videos

A MOV or MKV video can be saved or exported in its own format, or converted to MP4 or WebM. MP4 is the most widely supported choice.

Where your videos are processed

Opening, decoding, editing, saving, and exporting all happen locally in your browser. Google Drive actions send the video to or receive it from Google.

Very large videos

Long or high-resolution videos need free disk space for the saved or exported file. The Export dialog shows the estimated size next to the space available, and refuses only when the result cannot fit.

What a trim leaves out

When you trim a video, the parts outside your selection are not included in the saved or exported file in any form. A fast trim moves inward to the nearest usable frames instead of reaching outside the range you chose, so nothing you cut away is carried along.

Frequently asked questions

Is Video Editor free, and do I need an account?

Video Editor is free to use. You don't need an account for videos on your computer. Google sign-in is requested only when you use Google Drive.

Does Video Editor change my original video?

Only when you choose Save. Save writes the result into the video you opened. Save as and Export create a new file and leave the video you opened as it was.

Will editing reduce the quality of my video?

Not when the video can be copied. A fast trim, removing audio, and rotating an MP4 or MOV keep the original data untouched. Cropping, resizing, compressing, and converting re-encode the picture, and the quality setting controls how closely the result matches the original.

Why are Save and Export unavailable in my browser?

Saving and exporting need a browser feature called WebCodecs. Current versions of Chrome and Edge include it, and other browsers are adding it. Without it, Video Editor still opens and plays videos and can save a frame as an image, and the Save and Export commands explain why they are unavailable.

How long a video can I edit?

There is no fixed limit on length or file size. A save or an export needs free disk space for the result, and the Export dialog shows the estimated size next to the space available before an export starts.

What happens if I close the tab?

Edits are kept only while the tab is open. Video Editor asks before you close a video with edits you have not saved or exported, and your browser asks before the tab closes. Save or export first if you want to keep the result.

Where can I learn more or get help?

Read the full FAQ, follow the Help guide, review the Privacy Policy, or email support@videoeditor.co.